SL: import-export with ‘SLENZ Shuffle’
The new ‘Arfur Daley’?
Import-export “expert” bot, SLENZ Shuffle, with creator, Toddles Lightworker
SLENZ Shuffle? Well he might not be the new “Arfur Daley” (of TV Minder fame) but it looks like he might be able to do a good job in the virtual world import-export business.
He has already successfully “shifted: the lower floor of the Foundation build on Kowhai, in Second Life, to one of Nelson Marlborough Institute 0f Technology’s regions on a node on the ONGENS OpenSimulator, set up by Otago and Canterbury Universities, in the SouthIsland of New Zealand.
A creation of WelTec’s Todd Cochrane (SL: Toddles Lightworker), a SLENZ developer, he can only export-import an object’s textures and prims, including mega-prims and sculpties, rather than scripts, at the present time but, according to Cochrane (pictured left), it should be possible “to drop stuff onto an object which wakes up our robot avatar. “
“The robot then exports the objects and with the help of in-world script other items,” he said, pointing to the SLENZ shipping node (right). “Eventually we could get the robot to logout and then login to ONGENS and complete the transfer.
“At present the object wakes up our robot and under the right conditions it exports the object … I’m using the same avatar name in both universes.”
The robot is being developed as part of the SLENZ Project to ensure all project builds and other elements created by the SLENZ team can be backed up outside Second Life as SLENZ-owned IP.
The team has previously trialled other “back-up” methods but found them not to be suitable for the SLENZ needs, mainly because the IP is held in another organisation’s storage.
Cochrane stressed that SLENZ Shuffle could not be used to export IP developed/owned by Second Life, Linden Labs and other Second Life developers and residents.
Cochrane also pointed out that the creation of the import-export facility is not unique, it is an extended version the existing OpenMetaverse code.
And for example IBM has already done something similar as well, teleporting avatars led by Second Life’s Zha Ewry RL: David Levine) between Second Life and OpenSim.
WelTec currently is running two regions in the WelTec Virtual Lab, and at the Petone Campus, as part of the Weltec programme to trial a varietyof virtual worlds for education under a variety of conditions.
Cochrane is currently considering allocating space in Weltec’s ONGENS regions for Human Computer Interaction students doing Interaction Design projects.
“Having our own node means we are contributing to the New Zealand Virtual Worlds grid.” Todd said.
The node is currently on WelTec’s 3D server, deep.weltec.ac.nz, but may eventually be connected through KAREN, New Zealand’s tertiary institution high-speed Broadband link.
Filed under: Education, Education in virtual worlds, Virtual Worlds Tagged: | Cochrane, IBM, Import-Export, Interaction design, KAREN, Ongens, OpenSim, SLENZ Shuffle, University of Canterbury, University of Otago, Zha Ewry
