This week, in an exciting development for virtual world enthusiasts, Kitely announced its latest update, which brings support for physically based rendering (PBR) materials to both its virtual worlds and the Kitely Market. This new feature not only enhances the visual appeal by integrating realistic textures but also supports up to 2,048 by 2,048 pixels for textures, offering a more immersive experience.
PBR materials are game-changers in graphics technology, providing lifelike textures by mimicking light interactions with surfaces. This technology vividly portrays different surfaces like mud or metal, enhancing the visual depth and realism with precise light reflections.
For users eager to explore this feature, you’ll need Firestorm version 7.1.11 or later. Kitely sets itself apart as one of the first grids to embrace PBR materials by integrating elements from the anticipated OpenSim 0.9.3 release into its existing OpenSim 0.9.2.2 framework.
“When it comes to PBR, not all OpenSim grids have caught up yet,” explained Oren Hurvitz, Kitely’s co-founder and VP of R&D. He further elaborated that while OpenSim 0.9.3 will soon support PBR, the completion of this version is still underway. Hence, many grids, including Kitely, continue using the well-established OpenSim 0.9.2.2. Kitely’s current support for PBR is a result of integrating forthcoming features from OpenSim 0.9.3 into their platform.
Alongside these changes, the Kitely Market now features a revamped “Textures and Materials” category. Vendors are encouraged to note PBR utilization in their product listings to ensure users are aware that these items could display differently on grids lacking PBR support. To accommodate all users, merchants might offer conventional textures as a backup solution.
Ilan Tochner, CEO of Kitely, remarked, “Given that the Kitely Market is a primary marketplace serving hypergrid users, embracing the cutting-edge graphics options from OpenSim 0.9.3 was a logical step, even before its official release.”
The update doesn’t stop there; it also introduces support for reflection probes via LSL scripting, adding new PRIM_REFLECTION_PROBE parameters to the GetPrimParams and SetPrimParams functions. This feature enhances how reflections are rendered, adding another layer of visual realism.
While PBR materials can technically enhance terrain textures, some snags arose during testing. World maps, for instance, currently display only the base color of objects utilizing PBR textures, without additional attributes like normal maps or roughness appearing on the maps. Kudos to Kitely for being upfront about these challenges and setting expectations.
To assist creators, Kitely has also added a “Materials” folder in user inventories dedicated to PBR materials. If you’re curious about crafting PBR materials, Second Life provides detailed documentation that’s worth exploring.
Maria Korolov, editor and publisher of Hypergrid Business, who also enjoys a successful career as a science fiction novelist, brings this news. When she’s not crafting stories, she’s an acclaimed freelance technology journalist focusing on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and enterprise virtual reality. You can find Maria’s works on her Amazon author page, and connect with her across her social platforms or catch her latest discussions on her YouTube channel. If you wish to reach Maria directly, you can email her at [email protected]. Her insightful novellas, including Amazon best-seller “Krim Times” and her latest, “The Lost King of Krim,” are must-reads for fans of virtual world storytelling. She also spearheads MetaStellar, an online magazine dedicated to speculative fiction.
