Disclaimer

Black Dragon is MY Viewer, i decide which feature i want to add and which to remove, i share this Viewer to show the world that user base size is not important, i do rate quality by effort, thought and love put into the project, not some rough estimated numbers. I consider feature requests only if i you can name proper valid reasons i can agree on. It is my (unpaid) time i'm putting into this project, i'm not here to cater to every Joe's desires.

Friday, February 5, 2016

Black Dragon Viewer - Update 2.4.4.9-3 "Learn To Move"

Redownload 2.4.4.9-3, it contains the fix from -2 and fixes the default graphics preset saving greyscale as well as fixes a bug that destroys your controls file when pressing load default and export right after, make sure you delete your controls.xml file in your Roaming folder if you experiencing keybinding issues and delete the default.xml in your presets folder in Roaming if you want to generate a clean one.


Last update saw the first iteration of fully rebindable keys, this update is the second iteration and will bring many aspects of this feature close to what i initially wanted them to be.

Despite the overly negative feedback based on ignorant, selfish needs which sabotage my work and ignore my plans which i clearly explained in my last update post, i decided to continue and improve on this initial barebone implementation. Thanks for 0 constructive feedback, good thing i don't give a shit and have a finished plan for my feature before i release it, making feedback completely obsolete anyway.



Controls



This update re-enables arrow keys for movement. They are bound as alternative control set, that means you can use both AWSD and Arrow Keys, i would highly recommend you start using AWSD as i'm not going to take any further steps to support an inferior control set. There is no reason to use arrow keys, ever, especially NOT as left handed person, you are crippling yourself. Your subjective opinion does not matter here.



Interface



I added a bunch of buttons to bind a secondary key to any action in almost all modes, some do not have an alternative binding available because it does not make sense having one, why would you want to have 2 keys for opening chat for example, same could be said for the entire alternative binding thing... but lets not get into that.

Additionally there are now trash buttons that allow you to unbind one binding selectively, without having to unbind and redo them all.

I also added a button to reload the default controls shipped with the Viewer.


The bind key dialog will now appear in the center of the screen, instead of somewhere in the left upper corner, making it less of a tedious mouse raping activity to rebind lots of keys.

I have fixed an issue in which the Sound & Media tab in preferences vanishes after closing the preferences floater a few times.

I fixed the set voice key dialog using the same floater as the rebind key dialog and made it appear in the center as well.



Viewer



From now on the Viewer will save your custom controls file into the user settings folder which hopefully fixes you being unable to save them due to missing writing permissions. Don't ask me how you managed to not have writing permissions in your Viewer folder, you broke it, not me, i fixe... worked around it for you.

The Viewer will also attempt to load your custom bindings first, failure in loading your custom bindings will result in the Viewer loading its defaults, failure in loading these as well will result in having no controls at all as opposed to simply crashing.

I fixed an issue in which the Viewer bound the last internally bound key to all upcoming empty key slots, resulting in one key doing pretty much everything that was previously not bound.



Changes



2.4.4.9



Added: Ability to selectively remove one bind.
Added: Ability to reload the default controls.
Added: Ability for the Viewer to have a seperately saved custom binding set apart from the default it is shipped with.
Added: Ability to bind a secondary binding set.
Added: Arrow Keys as secondary binding set.
Added: Load Default Controls button to Keybindings preferences tab.
Changed: Moved saved bindings to user settings.
Changed: Moved the default controls.xml file to the app settings folder.
Changed: Made the Viewer try loading the custom bindings first and fall back to the defaults if no custom bindings are found.
Changed: Stopped the Viewer from crashing when no file is found.
Changed: Stopped the Viewer from crashing when binding a key fails for whatever reason.
Changed: Don't use the same bind key dialog for setting a voice key.
Changed: Open the "Bind Key" dialog in the center of our screen instead of the upper left corner.
Changed: Version to 2.4.4.9.
Changed: Version to 2.4.4.9-2.
Changed: Version to 2.4.4.9-3.
Changed: Background color to red-orange to match the loginscreen background video.
Changed: Unbinding all controls now automatically exports as well.
Changed: Reuse onExportControls instead of using the direct variant.
Changed: Made Greyscale, Chromatic Abberation and Sepia Post Process Effects non persistant, fixes the default graphics preset saving a raised greyscale value.
Fixed: Bug in which the Viewer bound the last retrieved key for all empty coming bindings.
Fixed: Sound & Media tab vanishing after closing preferences a few times.
Fixed: Select Voice Key floater not working properly.
Fixed: Issue with keybindings not working until first exported.
Fixed: Bug where the Viewer writes into the existing file instead of creating a new one when pressing Export after Load Defaults.
Fixed: Auto-export after loading defaults doesn't work, wait for the binding process to be done.
Removed: Some old keybinding code.
Removed: Old keys files.

24 comments:

  1. Thank you for building in the flexibility to allow those of us that are used to a "non-standard" keybinding profile to set things up the way we like them.

    I hope you didnt take my comments on the last update as negative, because the keybinding feature is something I've wanted for a long time. Any design that allows more flexibility in the control schema is a good thing IMHO - we're all different and we all have different ideas as to what makes an "ideal" control layout. What you've done with this update gives the best of both worlds.

    The best-looking viewer on the grid continues to go from strength to strength and I look forward to seeing what you do with it next :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've found that for the most part few/some/most realize the magnitude.. Second Life/Virtual is /.. whats the question. Bravo Niran.. Ty/..

    ReplyDelete
  3. For some reason ive noticed using your viewer mesh never really loads properly bodies are never 100% loaded and sometimes textures show misisng "rainbowed" and my system is well above the required specs *coughs titan* there shouldnt be any reason why stuff isn't loading completely.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Checked your LoD settings? Fiddled with some mesh loading debugs you shouldn't touch? Checked your Bandwidth settings? Tried clearing your cache?

      Not sure about the rainbow texture thing, could you post a picture.

      Delete
  4. knowing you this was on purpose especially after that little rant about arrow keys but I'd like to report a bug I can't turn with ad I have to use qe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You said it yourself, its on purpose, it was made pretty clear in the last update post.

      Quote:
      AWSD - Move left/forward/backwards/right
      Q/R - Rotate left/right
      Space - Jump/fly up
      C - Crouch/fly down
      X - Stop movement
      F - Toggle fly mode
      Enter - Start chat

      Delete
  5. also arrow keys don't move text cursor ugggghhhhh

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Preferences - Controls - untick "Arrow keys always move me"

      Delete
  6. and how do I use space as handbrake like it's always been

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Doublequote from above:
      AWSD - Move left/forward/backwards/right
      Q/R - Rotate left/right
      Space - Jump/fly up
      C - Crouch/fly down
      X - Stop movement
      F - Toggle fly mode
      Enter - Start chat

      Delete
  7. If it's possible, I would like to know the way how to change the keyboard setting to the previous way where you can turn to the right or left with camera direction, as I already set the moving setting to my gaming mouse wheel where avatar can turn to the right or left without camera direction.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Did you even read the blog post? You can rebind these actions in keybindings tab in preferences.

      Delete
  8. To be honest you're coming off as quite arrogant. You had a great viewer here, but you're acting like an elitist prick.

    I fully expect you next to turn off all comments.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Sure. I'm a total prick.

      It's not like i take the time to fix people's problem personally, even visit them to look at the issue and make updates for and/or because of a single person having issues.

      I'm expecting too much from my every day user, basic Second Life knowledge, basic PC knowledge, common sense and a working brain that can solve problems.

      I'm really trying to show the changes and reasoning behind things i'm doing, even with pictures, i try to explain how they work and all i expect is some basic understanding and yet it seems that many people cannot do the simplest of things such as reading and understanding my blog where i have explained, both in comments and in the update notes themselves, multiple times, that things work a certain way and you can operate them like this and that. Questions are constantly reappearing, they are always the same, usually due to one of the latest changes which, again as i said before, were explained in the latest update notes, i expect them to be read. After what feels like a billion questions like "how do i make so my camera turns with my avatar" i feel like people are simply not able to understand the most basic things, hell i was planning on writing a huge extensive tutorial about all the major things, with the next update (when everything is done and final). Obviously i appear to be elitist when i say something that makes it look like i expect you to know it, because in fact i expect you to know it after i explained it long and broad. Not that i will not help you anyway if you ask me in world, but still, you are wasting my time where you could have read my blog and looked for answers there. Sure asking me personally is the best way to getting an answer but sometimes its just annoying as hell if the 20th guy asks me the same thing which was already answered 19 times before, everywhere.

      Delete
  9. I can't seem to save the DOF snapshots direct to my computer.

    They upload to my profile and directly to flickr (wich is ok but I want to save it as a larger resolution first), the DOF is there but as you save to the computer it clears the DOF completely as you save it. Any ideas of a way around this issue??

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. There is no issue, Depth of Field the look and strength of Depth of Field is entirely dependent on your Depth of Field settings and your resolution which in turn dictates your camera field of view which plays a huge role in this. Higher Resolutions mean that the same strength of Depth of Field is much weaker because... ugh...

      Lemme try to give you an example:

      If you create a snapshot with a 2048x2048 resolution and a depth of field blur strength that blurs a 200x200 pixel big box (10% of your snapshot) by 200 additional pixels in each direction, that means the blurred box is now 600x600 big and takes about 30% of the picture, if that picture is double the resolution the object will be double the size as well, that makes it a 400x400 pixel box on a 4096x4096 pixel picture, it's still 10% of the picture, but depth of field is static as in the strength of your depth of field blur stays the same, making it blur 200 pixel in each direction like before, this means that your blurred cube is now 800x800 pixel big and only takes 20% of your picture's size compared to the previous 30%, if you take a 6144x6144 picture, the cube will be 600x600 plus 400 pixel blur making it 1000x1000 in size, thats ~16% of the entire picture. The higher your resolution the less significant the same strength becomes as it doesn't scale up with your resolution.

      This also happens with quite a few other effects as well, such as SSAO which does not scale up too, making it become less strong on higher resolutions.

      That means: You have to counter this behavior by increasing the strength of Depth of Field for higher resolutions. It sounds stupid, and looks stupid as well, but it works.

      Delete
  10. well, I guess I am stupid. lol. I cannot figure out how to walk any more with the arrow keys. I just keep walking and walking cannot stop. I'm trying read though your blog posts but I am stumped

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I guess i'm stupid too because i cannot figure out what exactly you want to tell me. Are you saying you can't walk anymore or are you saying you can't stop walking (because you endlessly walk)? In both cases you might want to make sure you are on the latest version and you reset the keybindings with the Default button at the bottom.

      Delete
  11. yes, niran, i downloaded the latest, and i tried over and over to reset to default, and relogging. i can set the '3rd person' keys for walking with arrow however, the down arrow for walking backwards does not work - all i do is keep walking fowards and the down arrow, or backwards, only temp stops me. I'll keep experimenting, i really, really want to go back to your viewer to do videos, your graphics are just so outstanding, if i can only figure out how to move now!

    ReplyDelete
  12. update, niran, i deleted the settings files in appdata/roaming, that fixed the walking and moving, for now it seems

    ReplyDelete
  13. hello i got a i 7 2600k 16 gbram gigabyte z moterbord and geforce 980gtx ti i have big problem whit this last update i see me avatar perfectly and the sim and everithing but i see alot peoples avatars in red other yellow others green others blue whit out a form why this i wait ur reply thanks in advice

    ReplyDelete
  14. Black Dragon seems to have mesh uploading disabled or bugged out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Disabled. For a loooong time already, nothing new.

      Delete