Back in April 2011 Linden Lab announced : Introducing the Updated SL Viewer Beta with Enhanced Avatar Physics. In that post they explained the arrival of a new feature in Second Life, that of avatar physics :
In this viewer, you can now configure the amount of movement that you would like for your avatar’s soft body parts, making your avatar much more (ahem) realistic. Since the physics are controlled by a wearable object, you have the ability to easily customize and personalize your settings just as if you were editing any other clothing item. So whether you want lots of movement, or only a bit, you can adjust your settings and they will apply only to your avatar’s targeted body part.
Of course, we continue to smash bugs and make strides in viewer stability and performance, but we figured that you would be much more interested in avatars bouncing and jiggling.
The idea behind Avatar Physics is of course to make parts of the avatar body move in a more realistic fashion. Second Life, being user generated content of course, saw people create some very extreme physics for giggles. However over time things seem to have generally calmed down so that people try and use avatar physics in a sensible fashion. An example of the extremes of these physics was produced by Seraph Linden :
People in Second Life are familiar with avatar physics these days, some people use them well, some people don’t bother with them at all. That’s the same with a lot of avatar features in Second Life, plenty of people still happily go about their business without an AO.
Unity 3D allows avatar physics too, but they have found themselves in hot water because of it. The problems started when Unity Asset Store Tweeted :
Apply physics to bones, joints, hair or breasts! #AssetStore 24 hour deal : 50% off Dyanmic Bone
The offending part of the tweet was that Unity Asset Store had mentioned the word “breasts“, even though avatar physics does actually apply to breasts. The Tweet appears to have been removed and therefore a lot of the conversation is now in picture form or on archive sites.
At first Unity seemed a bit bemused as to what all the fuss was about, and responded to calls that this was inappropriate :
What’s inappropriate about a realistic physics simulation?
At which point people told them, that they appeared to be using breasts as a selling point. Joints, bones and hair apparently don’t sell avatar physics, only breasts. A professional game developer joined the fray to suggest :
It’s yet another thing in this field that says to professionals, “Hey, you’re a dude.” It sends the message women aren’t welcome. @unity3d
Now I can recall that there were some females who raised objections to the introduction of avatar physics in Second Life. There were certainly some negative comments on the New World Notes Blog Post : Linden Lab Adds Avatar Physics (I.E. Bouncing Breasts) to Latest Second Life Dev Viewer, Here’s How to Get Them.
Some people felt that this was playing to a gallery of sniggering 14 year old boys and was a distraction from the real issues. Someone else, who will remain nameless, said :
In some ways this is very shallow, but you hit the nail on the head when you point out this could be a popular feature that gives people a reason for using viewer 2.
Once the tittering (someone had to say it) has died down, this will be useful, especially for machinima.
I don’t however recall seeing too many people saying that this would be an issue that would make females feel unwelcome in Second Life, or that this feature was advertising to men and only men because breast physics were involved and now that we’re three years on, I don’t see much commentary about it at all. Avatar physics in Second Life have improved over that time and people have discussed ideal techniques on how to use them.
However I’m not a female so I can’t really comment on whether or not the presence of breast physics makes females feel unwelcome. I would like to think that people can look beyond the word “breast” and see developments of avatar physics for what they really are, a step towards making avatars behave in a more realistic manner.
In Second Life, are people now over the giggle factor of avatar physics? Do people even notice avatar physics any more? Have avatar physics been used well by machinima makers? Does anyone even care?
I found the focus on breasts and asses bouncing sort of annoying, as a woman, but Second Life is pretty welcoming to women in general – especially in terms of geek/tech/gaming cultures. My biggest problem is when the breasts and asses are bouncing so much it looks painful; ouch!
By and large I keep avatar physics turned off, though it would be fun to make a jello avatar and use avatar physics with it to make it more realistic. I suppose it could come in handy for a cartoonishly “sexy” woman avatar as well.
The claim that avatar physics makes things realistic is laughable; the extremes possible have nothing to do with realism. The same could be said for a lot of the shapes and avatars sold, as well. Second Life is ultimately a fantasy realm where people play out their fantasies, and that only sometimes has a relationship with reality.
Well with all the scale issues in Second Life, total realism is a fair way off, which isn’t such a bad thing because otherwise we’d be deep in the uncanny valley.
However I think use cases for Machinima can certainly be made for avatar physics making an avatar more realistic, especially if there’s a scene with wind or action. The static look can be a bit off putting on the eye.
I don’t generally make use of avatar physics either, it’s not compelling enough for me to think about.
As a dancer, I do use avatar physics. However, I generally keep them on the softer, less bouncier settings. It does add that bit of ‘realism’ as you suggest. When someone has on the ‘bounciest’ settings, it is a bit distracting.
Watching someone perform a ballet dance, for example, and having it appear that their breasts are attempting to take flight from their chest is somewhat comical.
There are always those who must take things to extremes, but having the option of physics never made me feel ‘unwelcome’ as a woman in SL.
I think performance arts are definitely one of the areas where avatar physics add something extra and I agree with you that if someone has the bounciest settings it will look silly.
However that little subtle difference of a little bit of physics can add to the immersion, I hope!
I think where Second Life has an advantage is that we already have a large female audience here so they are going to use these features more sensibly and for their intended purpose.
Pixel boobs (and real life boobs) will be ogled whether or not they happen to be bouncing. I don’t use avatar physics, mostly because I never bothered to find the sweet spot between too subtle and hilariously unrealistic. (My graphics card may not be powerful enough for the task. Who knows.)
That said, physics is just another tool to me, to be used or not. I’ve seen male avatars using it, too! It doesn’t make me feel unwelcome. Only other people can do that, at which point I block them and move on.
Yes I think finding the sweet spot is pretty key with avatar physics. I don’t use them myself.
I certainly see other areas whereby I can expect to see females made unwelcome, harassment over using voice to prove they are female being one area that troubles me a lot more than avatar physics.
Ohhh, the voice thing. I’ve been asked to voice-verify myself before. That demand implies that I am looking for a relationship, AND that I’m not to be trusted. If I don’t get on voice for them, then obviously I must be a guy hiding behind a female avatar. (I’m not. I’m a woman. Not that it should matter.)
I only use voice among friends who don’t ask me to prove myself. And I don’t need to prove anything to idiots who think voice is proof, anyway.
the main problem with avatar physics as wrote is that changes in the frame rate are not accounted for properly seems like. So boing boing as the viewer graphics FPS changes down (goes slower)
animation (aF) is constant frames per second. gfx (gF) is variable frames per second
example: 30 aF, 60 gF and 30 gF
1 / aF * gF
1 / 30 * 60 = 2.0
1 / 30 * 30 = 1.0
1 / gF * pF
1 / 60 * 30 = 0.5
1 / 30 * 30 = 1.0
the codes should be using 1 / aF * gF and not 1 / gF * aF
basically when the gF drops then the distance the vertices appear to move should be less
Not like it is now (1 / gF * aF) where the slower the gF the further the viewable vertex appear to move on each frame. 60FPS = 1.0. 30FPS = 2.0. boing boing boing
when do (1 / aF * gF) then 60FPS = 2.0. 30FPS = 1.0
Thanks, that’s a nice technical explanation regarding why the current implementation of avatar physics requires some work.
i just add on here for anyone reading who is making their own game and wants to do this kinda thing
the formula (1 / gF * aF) is the correct one when applying to a physical object moving in the space. Say like a vehicle. The vehicle should move at a constant comparable rate (distance travelled in the space) regardless of graphics FPS. So that a person with a slower graphics computer on a vehicle can keep up (compete) with a person on same vehicle using a faster graphics computer. The boing (stutter) still happens on the slower computer. However this is acceptable as it negates the advantage/disadvantage problem
avatar movement (in terms of it moving in space. Walk/run/fly etc) is coded same as a vehicle (distance travelled in the space). Same with hard tissue bones like arms, legs, head, etc. Like when drawing a gun for example. A person using a slower gfx computer should not be at a disadvantage bc lower FPS. Both persons arm bones should move at the same rate so to bring the gun into play in a comparable time
soft tissue bones like facials, fat/muscle/skin flex, etc is a visual effect. So need code it differently (1 / aF * gF) to avoid the boing
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