Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Grif Bamaisin, live in SpotON3D - Saturday, June 2 at 12pm MVT/PDT!

Performing live this Saturday, June 2 at12PM MVT/PDT on the Flamingo Beach Rock Stage... Grif Bamaisin, The Electric Brit!

The stage is located in SpotON3D at http://3Durl.com/map/ veesome/lambda/213/188/28.

If you don't already have your FREE SpotON3D/WorldWorks account, you can get one now at https://spoton3d.com/register, or thru your Facebook page at https://apps.facebook.com/webworlds.



What an amazing background in music!
Grif has spent 20 odd years in music, dating to the mid-70s when he worked as part of the Deep Purple sound crew through a major sound company, and with many other top bands -- Kiss, Poison, Warrant, Cinderella and especially Blue Oyster Cult. He has a long history with BOC, working as their system engineer in the arena days and then taking over as sound engineer in 1983.

From 1992 to 1994, he ran the sound department at the Sun City, South Africa resort. That gig included juggling work at the 15,000-seat arena, 3 theaters, 2 ballrooms and 40-odd conference halls, plus working with African and international acts as well as providing the audio for the inauguration of Nelson Mandela. Grif returned to the U.S. in 1994, and resumed working with BOC.


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SpotON3D Mesh Open Discussion - Sunday, June 3 at 12pm MVT/PDT

SpotON3D Mesh Open Discussion
CLICK ENVELOPE TO RSVP

Please join us for our first SpotON3D Mesh Open Discussion.

This will be an informal meeting to get feedback regarding the best way to bring mesh to SpotON3D.  It is open to anyone from the community who is interested in creating and using mesh, including any friends of the community who wish to attend.

The meeting will be held this Sunday, June 3, starting at 12pm MVT/PDT at the SO3D Resource Center.  The Resource Center is located in world at http://3Durl.com/map/ spoton3d/SO3D Resource Center/128/128/24.

WHY THE MEETING?
We at SpotON3D are preparing to introduce mesh capabilities into our 3DWeb platform.  Mesh will be an addition to our current primitive-based method of building, and will allow creators to bring in native 3D object models that they make using programs such as 3DS Max, Maya and Blender.

Our upcoming client/plugin release will be capable of viewing mesh objects, and although importing is not currently available to the general public, our staff has already been bringing in and working with some models in world.  Before opening up our platform for public importing of mesh, we want to make certain that we have addressed any outstanding issues, and that is the purpose of this meeting.

We certainly hope that you will join us, and we look forward to your participation.


Spoton3d, LLC DBA WorldWorks respects the intellectual property rights of others.  If you believe anything in this article violates your or any other entities' rights, please contact us at legal@worldworks.net. Spoton3d and WorldWorks is owned by Spoton3d, LLC. All other marks are owned by their respective owners .


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Friday, May 25, 2012

Frets Nirvana Performs at the Blue Shanty - Friday, May 25, 2012 at 1pm MVT/PDT

Total Guitar! That's what you hear when you listen to Frets Nirvana. Using acoustic, resonator and electric guitars, Fret's pallette of sound is quite varied and always interesting!

Frets Nirvana grew up in the rock and roll city of Cleveland, Ohio and in his good old band days could be seen hanging out and playing in clubs with the likes of Joe Walsh and the James Gang and Phil Keaggy and Glass Harp. Adding vocals to his wide music variety of tonal colors, a performance by Frets Nirvana always offers interesting music for the listener.

Frets always rocks the stage when he comes here. He pours his heart and soul into what he does, and it definitely comes through on stage. Check Frets out in in SpotON3D...you are guaranteed an enjoyable music experience!

Come on down and listen to Frets Nirvana perform an hour of fine rock/blues/jazz this Friday, May 25, from 1pm-2pm MVT/PDT, at the Blue Shanty stage in Shanty Town. The stage is in SpotON3D at:
http://3Durl.com/map/spoton3d/ Shanty%20Town/65/58/35.

The Blue Shanty always strives to bring you the best in entertainment. These are the real deal folks, not pre-recorded performers, or stand in artists. They search and scour the metaverse every day to enrich your Web World experience!

If you don't already have your FREE SpotON3D/WorldWorks account, get one now at https://spoton3d.com/register, or thru your Facebook page at https://apps.facebook.com/webworlds.

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Thursday, May 24, 2012

Spotlight On Technology: The Qumarion™ Mannequin


If you've ever dreamed of being able to create your own quality high-quality animations using motion capture techniques, but quickly gave up the idea because of the prohibitive cost of the equipment needed, well... let's just say that the game is about to change.

Look for the release of QUMARION this summer.  Most of us have seen the artist's mannequin, a jointed stick figure used to simulate human poses.  The QUMARION is so much more than this.  It's a mannequin that not only can assume many more poses than a typical one, but has 32 built-in sensors that will allow you to control a computer-generated mannequin on your PC, and capture the motion information for developing animations.  This will reduce the learning curve for those trying to break into the field, and provide a useful tool for those who are already adept at creating animations.

QUMARION will be released in Japan initially, and while the time frame for rolling it out to international markets has not yet been officially announced, it is expected to follow shortly after.   It will be bundled together with a 3D application, available for both Windows and Mac systems.  But the most amazing part of this new technology should be the price.  It has been reported that the bundled version will be available for around $750 USD -- still a little more than the average person may be able or willing to spend, but a bargain nonetheless, considering that it will allow animators to turn out more and better quality products in a much shorter time.  This should offer huge paybacks in terms of production for 3D games, and for 3DWeb worlds such as SpotON3D/WorldWorks.

QUMARION is being developed through the collaborative efforts of SoftEther (a venture company at the University of Tsukuba in Japan) and the University of Electro-Communications in Tokyo.  You can find out more information on this amazing new cutting-edge technology at http://quma.jp/en/quma/.

Spoton3d, LLC DBA WorldWorks respects the intellectual property rights of others.  If you believe anything in this article violates your or any other entities' rights, please contact us at legal@worldworks.net. Spoton3d and WorldWorks is owned by Spoton3d, LLC. Upon information and belief, the QUMARION mark is owned by the SoftEther Corporation and the University of Electro-Communications. All other marks are owned by their respective owners .


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Saturday, May 19, 2012

Tessa Harrington Appears On "The 1st Question" Quiz/Talk Show



Pooky Amsterdam is the CEO of Pooky Media (http://www.pookymedia.com), and hosts a weekly quiz show in Second Life called "The 1st Question".  On May 6, our own Tessa Harrington appeared as a guest panelist on the 40-minute program. along with Ron Stonecutter and Thynka Little.  Have a peek at this fun and fast-paced show, and see who comes out the champ!

Pooky Media uses different types of online programming to blend entertainment with advertising.  It "offers branding, sponsorship and advertising opportunities through affiliation with the programming it is responsible for ... the chance to have persistent and perpetual advertising around this entertainment product."  We would like to use Pooky's platform to help advertise our upcoming "Goody surveys," something that will promote SpotON3D to other virtual world communities while offering them rewards for completing the surveys.

Keep up the good work, Pooky!  Love your show, and look forward to many more!

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Thursday, May 17, 2012

Quantamis Navarathna - Performing Live Saturday, May 19 at 11am MVT/PDT

Quantamis is a singer songwriter based out of central Texas who performs live in Second Life and other digital worlds, and recently has graciously added SpotON3D to his list of venues! Quantamis has played with many bands over the years, and his music is a blend of acoustic folk rock, soft rock, alternative, Spanish classical and renaissance with a bit of Texas country mixed in for good measure.

Quantamis is performing at the Flamingo Beach Rock Stage in SpotON3D this Saturday, May 19, starting at 11am MVT (Pacific Daylight) time. Click here to jump in and attend. You'll be captivated by his music.

You will need an account with SpotON3D in order to attend the show.  Go to http://spoton3d.com and click the yellow "Log In To My World" button at the top right, then click the "Create a New Account" link.  Or you can register and get online directly from your Facebook account by going to https://apps.facebook.com/webworlds/.

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Monday, May 14, 2012

Our 3DWeb Portal Plugin: Streamlining Access to the 3DWeb

We have some very exciting news, folks... we are rolling out the newest version of our 3DWeb Portal Plugin!  This will give everyone a quick, simple and effective way to get online in SpotON3D!

With the redesigned plugin, first-time guests will have a simpler sign-up procedure, and will get to experience a fully-functional viewer running on their Web page... one that is MUCH wider than what is provided by our current Facebook plugin.  The window sits right on top of the underlying Web page using Lightbox technology (much like photos are now handled in Facebook).  This means that your previous Web page is always available under the viewer, and that by simply closing out your plugin viewer (or by clicking outside the viewer and confirming you want to close), you can return to that Web page.

SpotON3D Home Page Redesign
First, we're redesigning our main Website (http://spoton3d.com) to put the plugin front and center.  Right now you can get to it by clicking the yellow "Log In To My World" button at the top right, but soon we will be changing this to a much larger "Jump into the 3DWeb 4 Free" button with other options below it (see image at left).  This redesign will emphasize that using the plugin should always be your FIRST choice for getting online.


If you would still like to sign up using the traditional method and downloading the standalone viewer, there is a button provided for "Standard Sign-up".

Add the plugin to your own Web site
But it doesn't stop there!  You will also be able to place a copy of the 3DWeb Portal Plugin onto your own Web site, and set it up so that when your visitors/customers click on it, they will be transported directly into your region on SpotON3D!  You can choose from one of several designs, one of which is pictured to the right.  You can also set up the plugin to tell visitors whether or not you are currently online in SpotON3D, and if you are not then you can give them the option to send you a message.  If you're a FREE4EVER account, or if you don't yet have your own region or parcel, you can still use the plugin on your Web site -- just have it direct visitors to a public area of SpotON3D, such as the hub.  (Please do NOT send visitors to a private region or parcel that you don't own.)

For information on how to try out the plugin on your own Web site, see our wiki article at https://wiki.spoton3d.com/faq/includeplugin.  Please note that this is still being developed and therefore is subject to change, and that you must already have an account set up with SpotON3D in order to use this feature.

Jump Into the 3DWeb Portal Plugin!
Please try us out!  Go to http://spoton3d.com, and (for now) click the "Log In To My World" button at the upper right.  (Once the new home page has been rolled out, you will click the button "Jump Into the 3DWeb 4 Free".)  Experience this ground-breaking technology for yourself!

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Thursday, May 10, 2012

Resident Profile: MsVelvetVoice Viper


Please join me in welcoming the wonderful MsVelvetVoice Viper to the SpotON3D community!

MsV (as I will hereafter refer to her, to save my fingers) is the founder of MsV's Saw Mill Furnishings, which she is now in the process of moving to SpotON3D from its previous home in Second Life.  But things actually started out quite differently for MsV.  She began her 3DWeb journey in 2009 as an estate manager over several sims (regions) in Second Life.  Having very little experience in navigating online worlds, she saw this as a good way to keep herself occupied in this strange new land.

In fact, MsV may not have moved beyond this stage had it not been for her friend todwick Nootan, who thoughtfully asked her what she planned on doing with her online existence.  When she could not come up with an answer beyond what she was already doing, todwick offered to teach her how to build.  After learning the basics, MsV joined Builder's Brewery, took classes, and eventually discovered a love for creating furniture.  She began focusing on the American Rococo style, basing her work on the furniture that her great grandmother had in her home.  She also worked with Jumper Constantine of JCH Construction, and learned how to build homes in the Victorian style.

During this time, MsV met Michael Somerset, SpotON3D's in-house animator, who at the time was still working in Second Life.  She was in need of a set of animations for a kitchen she was designing, and approached him to see about obtaining permissions to use what he had.  They since became great friends, and found that they shared many of the same values, including the need for protecting creators' IP rights.  They discovered that the protection simply wasn't adequate in Second Life, or in another online world into which they ventured.  Michael told her about SpotON3D and how secure things were there, and after speaking with Tessa and others here, she felt that we could offer the level of content protection she was looking for.  We are extremely pleased that she has decided to move her business here!

Another passion of MsV's is interior design. "I am always so honored when someone purchases my products," she tells me. " I do custom work as well, and nothing gives me more pleasure than to create my customers' vision into their 3D living space."  She has had the honor of furnishing one of the Titanic Suites in Second Life, and has been commissioned to furnish numerous private residences.

The name "MsV's Saw Mill Furnishings" was chosen in honor of her beloved friend Sawyer Lexington's support and encouragement to follow her dreams.  Her own name of MsVelvetVoice was suggested to her by a dear friend who liked her voice ("personally I think I have a gravel voice", she says, although I'm sure others will disagree).  She currently lives in a remote lakeshore community in the Pacific Northwest of the United States.

MsV's Saw Mill Furnishings will be opening for business soon in SpotON3D.  If you have not seen her work before, I think that you will simply be blown away by it.  She's quite willing to design custom furnishings as well, and you can always contact her in SpotON3D by sending a notecard to MsVelvetVoice Viper.  She would love to help you create the space of your dreams.

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Tuesday, May 8, 2012

Spotlight On Technology: Carrying Your PC With You

With the trend toward packing more and more technology into your smart phone, the natural question to ask is: can they ever reach a point where they are as powerful as a typical desktop computer?

There are two obvious barriers to this becoming a reality.  One is that the technology much catch up to the point that handheld devices are capable of housing the same amount of memory and computing power as their larger counterparts.  The second is the user interface itself--having to dealing with a significantly smaller screen and input device.  The first will simply have to wait a bit longer, while the second can be overcome by making your portable phone serve as a docking station of sorts.. plugging in a mouse, keyboard and display and letting the phone serve as a PC.

The other important component in this is the software.  Fortunately, it sounds like those who create these devices are actually starting to prepare their products for the eventuality of this.  It appears that mobile devices are beginning to be designed so that they can run essentially the same operating system used in traditional desktops.  Apple's iPhone and Google Android have already started down this road, and Windows seems to be following suit with their MinWin OS that may be rolled out to their own devices soon.

This is exciting news, because it will greatly simplify the work of software development.  An app developed for a traditional Windows Mac or Linux client could run seamlessly on a mobile device, with some adjustments made for the smaller input and display.  Then, when it is docked to larger peripherals, it would be able to behave just like a normal desktop.  Aligning the operating systems as much as possible seems like a good first step toward making the phone-turned-PC a part of our future.

Read more about this in John Carroll's article at http://www.zdnet.com/blog/carroll/cell-phone-as-desktop-computer/1844.

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Friday, May 4, 2012

A Weekend of Live Music In SpotON3D!

Wow, we're really hopping this weekend, so find your dancing shoes and COME ON DOWN!!!!

Frets Nirvana - Friday, May 4, 2012 at 1pm MVT (PDT)
Come hear Frets perform at the Blue Shanty stage!


Quantamis Navarathna - Saturday, May 5, 2012 at 11am MVT (PDT)
Performing at the Flamingo Beach Rock Stage!



Randel Forsythe - Sunday, May 6, 2012 at 10am MVT (PDT)
Performing at the Blue Shanty stage!

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Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Spotlight On Technology: Is Popping a Balloon REALLY This Hard??

I love all Rube Goldberg-type contraptions. Anything that can turn something completely mundane into an overly complicated process is OK in my book. As a child, one of my favorite board games was Mouse Trap, because it was so much fun turning the crank and watching the little ball go down the rickety stairs, follow the curved pipe, and trip the spring, sending the other ball through the bathtub and onto the springboard, propelling the diver into the washtub and tripping the cage. Pretty complicated stuff for a young mind. But after taking a look at this video -- well, it makes the Mouse Trap game seem like a perfectly rational way to catch a mouse.
This device, the most elaborate one I've ever seen, was put together by the Purdue Society of Professional Engineers (PSPE) at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN.  With a total of 300 steps that it goes through to inflate and pop a balloon, it holds the record for the largest functional Rube Goldberg machine.

The team's record is recognized by the World Records Academy, but is still awaiting approval from Guinness World Records. Interestingly, the team is already a Guinness World Record holder for another device that it submitted last year, which had 244 steps.

You can read more about their project at the World Records Academy site, or at Gadgetbox on msnbc.com.

As much fun as this is to watch, personally I'll stick with a sharp pin.

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