On January 14, 2012, I opened my account on Second Life and immediately started blogging. I mainly focused on articles about art exhibitions in Second Life. Over the years, I developed various skills. Besides writing, I learned to make videos and create original mesh clothing using various 3D modeling programs. I also improved my photography skills, conducting courses for the Italian community and making YouTube videos dedicated to photography.
I produced several video tutorials in English that garnered significant interest. Now, however, I am at a point in my life where I need to reduce some activities to make them compatible with my real life. Therefore, I had to choose to focus only on a few passions, particularly photography and clothing creation in Second Life. This means I will have to leave other activities, including I Love Events.
I am happy to announce that the new owner of I Love Events will be Violet Boa, starting today. Violet is a long-time collaborator whose passion for art and ability to present events in Second Life I have always admired. I am convinced that she is the most suitable person to take on the role of owner of I Love Events and carry forward this important project for the Second Life community.
Violet will focus on the events of her greatest interest, which might change the approach to managing some parts of I Love Events. These decisions will be entirely up to her. During this year, I will continue to support Violet, especially from a technical standpoint, as she learns to manage the site. However, the decisions on which events to include in the calendar and which to create posts about will be her responsibility.
I am certain that Violet will manage I Love Events with great professionalism, thanks to the passion and love she puts into everything she does. I will always be available to support her if needed. With this, I close my project and wish Violet to continue with the same passion in the years to come.
I recently visited the Nitroglobus Roof Art Gallery, curated by the talented Dido Haas, to see the photographic exhibition “Nude” by Joanna Kitten. I was very impressed by Joanna’s choice to use black and white in a style I would describe as minimalist. In the exhibition, Joanna portrays her avatar in extremely natural poses and, as the title suggests, in a state of nudity.
What I found particularly interesting is the use of black and white along with light and shadow effects that emphasize the forms of the avatar. This emphasis is not just an aesthetic choice related to the nudity of the avatar, but represents a deeper and metaphorical exposure of self, a kind of introspection and authenticity.
Although the images may evoke a certain sensuality, the naturalness of the avatar’s poses suggests Kitten’s desire to express herself genuinely. This is reflected in images like the one of the avatar naturally leaning on a chair, or the one where it is sitting relaxed, or the one where it walks holding balloons and looking back.
This exhibition can be seen as a profound digital self-portrait of Kitten, capturing various moments of vulnerability. Kitten has already held two other photographic exhibitions at the Nitroglobus Roof Art Gallery, “Noir” in 2022 and “Fort Wall” in 2023, showing how she uses Second Life as a true expressive tool.
With “Nude,” Kitten continues this exploration, pushing beyond the traditional boundaries of identity through self-representation in virtual spaces. The images are intimate and universal, telling stories not through dramatic poses, but through subtle gestures and authentic framing.
The exhibition represents a natural evolution of Kitten’s work, which is followed by many through platforms like Flickr. Moving from more landscape photography to more intimate explorations of identity, Kitten uses the Black Dragon Viewer to take photos and Affinity Photo for editing.
Her style is reminiscent of real photographers like Ralph Gibson, who saw the human body not just as an object, but as a landscape to explore.
Starting from January 2, the possibility to test access to Second Life via browser has begun. This option is still experimental, and each user can access for a maximum duration of 10 minutes per session. It is important to remember that the browser version is designed to facilitate access for those with less powerful PCs.
The browser version of Second Life should allow access without lag, offering an experience similar to that of regular viewers like the official Second Life viewer or Firestorm. Even though my PC is not underperforming, I found the browser access interesting. I did not experience slowdowns, and the experiment was positive.
Future and Developments
Looking to the future, a browser version that allows full interaction could break down barriers to entering Second Life. Linden Lab has indicated that the menus and interaction structure will be made simpler and more intuitive, similar to the mobile app. This project is based on streaming, and the price-performance ratio has improved thanks to the rise of artificial intelligence and cloud GPUs.
Economic Considerations
The project costs are still high, but they are expected to decrease over time. Linden Lab will have to assess whether the investment is worthwhile, considering whether a larger number of users will sign up for Second Life and if those with less powerful computers will benefit from it.
Conclusion
This innovation could make Second Life more accessible and attractive to new users. I believe that easier access could break down barriers and attract those who are not yet familiar with Second Life.
Today, I want to show you a brand new addon created by Realistic called RLX Remix. This addon has a different purpose compared to what we have seen previously. If you missed my previous video, I recommend watching it. I link it here to make it easier to use, especially if you are creators on Second Life.
Features of RLX Remix
The RLX Remix addon is designed to create double-sided meshes without the need to add thickness, as you would with modifiers on Solidify. This allows for an opaque and non-transparent interior, which is not achieved with a normal mesh. Additionally, when applying textures to a mesh created with Remix, the textures are applied correctly—without artifacts and without creating extra mass at the edges.
Advantages and Use
The addon creates a copy of the original mesh, duplicates it, and places it in a separate collection, making it easier to manage modifications. RLX Remix is useful for creating objects with a solid appearance and optimally applied textures without the complexity of adding thickness. This ensures better visualization on gaming platforms like Second Life.
Guide to Using RLX Remix
Here are the steps to use the RLX Remix addon for Blender:
Preparation: Create a copy of the original object for export in FBX, and one for Remix, hiding them until needed.
Installation and Selection: After installing the addon, press the N key to open the side panel where the Remix addon is located. Select the object to which you want to apply the Remix effect.
Application of the Effect: Choose Whole Object to apply the effect to the entire object. Activate Duplicate to create a copy of the object, and Grouping Collection to place the modified mesh in a separate collection.
Mesh Generation: Click on Mix Objects to generate the mesh with the Remix effect. The remixed mesh will be in a new separate collection.
Control and Combination: Activate Toggle Orientation to view the orientation of the faces. Choose Select Objects to select both the original and remixed meshes, and click on Join to combine them into a single object.
Export: Once the modification is complete, the object is ready to be exported. The export process will vary depending on the gaming platform used.
Conclusion
In summary, the RLX Remix addon allows for the creation of double-sided meshes without the need to add thickness, with correctly applied textures and without artifacts. The process is simple and fast, and allows for high-quality results for the gaming platform.