Kitely has just rolled out a significant update that brings physically based rendering (PBR) materials to life within its virtual worlds and the Kitely Market. This exciting development means users can now enjoy textures up to a whopping 2,048 by 2,048 pixels.
So, what exactly do PBR materials do? Essentially, they add a level of realism to textures by mimicking how light behaves on various surfaces, whether it’s the roughness of mud or the shine of metal. This technology offers an illusion of depth and intricate light reflections.
To experience this new feature, users need to have Firestorm version 7.1.11 or later. Notably, Kitely is among the pioneering grids to embrace PBR materials, adapting features from the anticipated OpenSim 0.9.3 release into their current OpenSim 0.9.2.2-based platform.
Oren Hurvitz, Kitely’s co-founder and VP of R&D, explained in a statement, “PBR isn’t widely supported across all OpenSim grids yet. While it will be part of OpenSim 0.9.3, that version isn’t quite ready, so many grids, including Kitely, still operate on OpenSim 0.9.2.2. We’ve managed to support PBR now because we’ve integrated the features into our version of OpenSim.”
In response to the update, the Kitely Market has expanded the “Textures” category to “Textures and Materials.” To aid merchants, Kitely advises mentioning PBR in product descriptions since items utilizing these advanced materials might not render correctly on grids without PBR support. As a backup, merchants can offer standard textures to ensure compatibility across all grids.
“Kitely Market, serving the hypergrid extensively, chose to adopt the latest graphics capabilities from OpenSim 0.9.3 even ahead of its official release,” Ilan Tochner, CEO of Kitely, shared with Hypergrid Business.
Furthermore, the update introduces reflection probes via LSL scripting, with fresh PRIM_REFLECTION_PROBE parameters now incorporated into the GetPrimParams and SetPrimParams functions.
While PBR can potentially enhance terrain textures, Kitely has faced several challenges during testing. Currently, world maps display objects using PBR materials, but only the basic color texture is shown; additional PBR attributes like normal maps or roughness aren’t depicted. As such, PBR terrain textures don’t yet appear on world maps.
For those crafting new content, Kitely has introduced a “Materials” folder in user inventories specifically for storing PBR materials. Content creators eager to delve deeper into PBR materials can explore documentation from Second Life, which offers an excellent starting point.
Maria Korolov, the editor and publisher of Hypergrid Business, combines her talents as a science fiction writer and an award-winning tech journalist, delving into topics like AI, cybersecurity, and enterprise virtual reality. You can check out her works on Amazon, follow her on her social channels, or watch her latest videos on her YouTube channel. Her ventures into the virtual world narrative have earned a spot on Amazon’s best-seller list with titles like “Krim Times” and “The Lost King of Krim.” Additionally, she’s behind MetaStellar, an online magazine focusing on speculative fiction.
