Features

Thu, Feb 2 2012
Kitely starts charging; gives one free region to all

Kitely starts charging; gives one free region to all

After months of delays — months in which its users enjoyed free premium OpenSim hosting — Kitely begins charging today. The pricing plan is a bit different than what the company initially outlined,... 

18 Comments | Read More »
Fri, Jan 20 2012
Stanford offers tours of the virtual future

Stanford offers tours of the virtual future

Stanford’s newly renovated Virtual Human Interaction Lab is now open for public tours. If you want to see what your living room is likely to look like four years from now, come and take a tour of... 

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Sun, Jan 15 2012
Entrepreneurs key to OpenSim success

Entrepreneurs key to OpenSim success

New research released today dispels the myth that OpenSim is the sole product of work by people who expected no personal financial gain — academics, employees of large corporations, and volunteers... 

6 Comments | Read More »
Sat, Jan 14 2012
Log your visitors to Google spreadsheet

Log your visitors to Google spreadsheet

Also in: Scripts

I have a problem. I want to be able to see who visits my region in a nice spreadsheet. Specifically, a Google spreadsheet. There are reasons for this. For example, I want to be able to track who sees a... 

16 Comments | Read More »
Sat, Jan 7 2012
OMC users, grids rise in 2011

OMC users, grids rise in 2011

The number of people using the hypergrid-friendly OMC currently rose by a factor of five over the course of 2011, from just over 500 people at the start of the year, to 2,859 at the end. Meanwhile, the... 

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Wed, Jan 4 2012
Devs divided on scripted vehicles

Devs divided on scripted vehicles

Last week, our readers told Hypergrid Business that what they most wanted to see in OpenSim was vehicle physics. Of course, vehicle physics. Everyone — or at least 52 percent of everyone —... 

10 Comments | Read More »
Tue, Dec 27 2011
WonderSchool streams world to a tablet

WonderSchool streams world to a tablet

Open Wonderland — an open source, Java-based alternative to OpenSim — is now available on a tablet. According to WonderSchool, a subsidiary of Germany’s THINSIA, clients can now access... 

3 Comments | Read More »
Fri, Dec 23 2011
Teleplace gone; 3D ICC steps in to help customers

Teleplace gone; 3D ICC steps in to help customers

First of all, an apology. In May, we wrote that Redwood City, California-based virtual worlds company Teleplace, Inc. open sourced its platform in order to grow its market — and that the company... 

11 Comments | Read More »
Wed, Dec 7 2011
Niche grids, Kitely do well in survey

Niche grids, Kitely do well in survey

The results of the 2011 Hypergrid Business grid survey are in, with mid-sized grids serving language communities dominating the rankings. A record 459 people submitted responses this year, with a total... 

26 Comments | Read More »
Thu, Nov 10 2011
ReactionGrid to upgrade ‘in a few weeks’

ReactionGrid to upgrade ‘in a few weeks’

ReactionGrid was the early favorite in the race to provide a stable and safe OpenSim environment for educators and corporations. Over the last couple of years, however, the company has been falling behind... 

4 Comments | Read More »
Wed, Oct 26 2011
The hypergrid turns three

The hypergrid turns three

Three years ago today, on Oct. 26, 2008, Crista Lopes fired off the email that marked the birth of the hypergrid. Crista Lopes Lopes, an OpenSim core developer, is also a professor of informatics at the... 

2 Comments | Read More »
Tue, Oct 25 2011
Island Oasis testing OMC Pocket Money

Island Oasis testing OMC Pocket Money

The Island Oasis social grid has rolled out a custom fishing game, a vampire role playing game, an urban combat system and a speedway, and turned on hypergrid connectivity last week as part of a grid-wide... 

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Mon, Oct 17 2011
OpenSim considering patent protection

OpenSim considering patent protection

OpenSim developers are discussing ways to combat damaging patent litigation, including changing the OpenSim license to deter potential patent trolls. The Overte Foundation, which holds the OpenSim licenses,... 

9 Comments | Read More »
Wed, Oct 12 2011
Q&A with designer Linda Kellie

Q&A with designer Linda Kellie

Freebies are plentiful throughout OpenSim grids, where uploads are free and land is cheap — anyone can put up a freebie store. But most freebie stores can’t guarantee the provenance of their... 

22 Comments | Read More »
Mon, Oct 3 2011
HostaVirtualEvent a pricey, business-focused platform

HostaVirtualEvent a pricey, business-focused platform

There’s a new immersive platform in town. HostaVirtualEvent.com is focused on business users — like Venuegen and Web.alive. But it’s based on Unity, like ReactionGrid’s Jibe and... 

2 Comments | Read More »
Wed, Sep 21 2011
vAcademia pioneers 3D recording

vAcademia pioneers 3D recording

Russia’s Virtual Spaces LLC has released a new education-focused virtual world platform, vAcademia, that allows for both traditional 2D and 3D recordings. The platform, which is now in beta, is being... 

4 Comments | Read More »
Fri, Sep 9 2011
Unity’s Flash plans to spur adoption of Web-based worlds

Unity’s Flash plans to spur adoption of Web-based worlds

Unity 3D is currently the hot platform for virtual world development and it’s going to get hotter, experts say, now that Unity has announced that their environments will soon be exportable to Flash. Chris... 

8 Comments | Read More »
Sun, Aug 28 2011
Panel: Experts pick Second Life for community, stability

Panel: Experts pick Second Life for community, stability

Because of its community and stability, Second Life is still the destination of choice for companies looking for a virtual world platform, said experts participating in a Second Life Community Conference... 

17 Comments | Read More »
Fri, Aug 26 2011
Hyperfair offers 3D conference halls

Hyperfair offers 3D conference halls

San Francisco-based Hyperfair is the first to offer a fully immersive 3D exposition hall focusing on large-scale business expos. Max Bonfanti “We want to become the global reference model,” Max Bonfanti,... 

3 Comments | Read More »
Wed, Aug 17 2011
NPCs are coming to OpenSim

NPCs are coming to OpenSim

Thanks to a “small bounty” from Birmingham, U.K.-based Daden Limited, OpenSim has new NPC functionality — otherwise known as non-player characters or bots. David Burden “Having... 

14 Comments | Read More »
Tue, Aug 16 2011
Glass museum recreated in Blue Mars

Glass museum recreated in Blue Mars

History and ‘heat’ of glass factory comes alive with new 3-D virtual living museum Using photos from University Libraries to guide them, designers for Ball State’s IDIA were able to simulate... 

1 Comment | Read More »
Fri, Aug 12 2011
3D improves interest, learning outcomes in school

3D improves interest, learning outcomes in school

Students show more interest in class and have better learning outcomes when 3D technology is used, according to the Boulder Valley School District. Focused and attentive Len Scrogan Students focus on the... 

3 Comments | Read More »
Wed, Aug 3 2011
Controversy erupts over SpotON3D’s patent claims

Controversy erupts over SpotON3D’s patent claims

Competing OpenSim hosting companies are concerned that SpotON3D‘s viewer plugin patent isn’t original, will hinder innovation, and that the company isn’t playing fair with the broader... 

30 Comments | Read More »
Thu, Jul 28 2011
Virtual world usage accelerates

Virtual world usage accelerates

Virtual worlds gained 214 million new users in the second quarter of 2011, according to virtual worlds research firm KZero Worldwide. It was the largest quarterly increase since the company began tracking... 

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Thu, Jul 14 2011
Cariama vs. HGExchange

Cariama vs. HGExchange

If you’re launching a new grid, your number one problem is lack of content. Whether your grid is a corporate office complex for your employees, a campus for your students, or a large social and roleplaying... 

1 Comment | Read More »
Tue, Jul 12 2011
Can you be sued by your virtual employees?

Can you be sued by your virtual employees?

If you’re treating your virtual workers like regular staff, but paying them as contractors, you might be setting yourself up for a lawsuit — even if you’re paying your employees in a... 

10 Comments | Read More »
Mon, Jul 11 2011
Cariama offers no-fee, multi-grid marketplace

Cariama offers no-fee, multi-grid marketplace

Paris-based Cariama, a multi-grid marketplace, wants merchants to know that they can sell their goods to six different OpenSim grids, plus Second Life — without paying any commission. Those six grids... 

2 Comments | Read More »
Thu, Jul 7 2011
3Di scales back on OpenSim

3Di scales back on OpenSim

Japan’s 3Di Inc., the first vendor to release a business-friendly Web-based viewer for OpenSim, has cut back its development work on the platform in favor of Flash-based virtual environments. “Apart... 

2 Comments | Read More »
Sat, Jul 2 2011
OpenAvatar could help avoid vendor lock-in, improve appearance

OpenAvatar could help avoid vendor lock-in, improve appearance

The recently-released OpenAvatar kit for open source avatars could help enterprise users of virtual worlds reduce vendor lock-in and, eventually, lead to significant improvements in the appearance of avatars,... 

2 Comments | Read More »
Sun, Jun 19 2011
Curiosity, pioneer spirit drive hypergridders

Curiosity, pioneer spirit drive hypergridders

Simple curiosity and the pioneering spirit are driving the growth in hypergridding, despite technical challenges. According to data from The Hypergates, the total number of travelers using their teleport... 

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Thu, Jun 16 2011
Kitely calls for a push to the web

Kitely calls for a push to the web

Kitely CEO Ilan Tochner told Hypergrid Business this week that the Second Life and OpenSim viewer can be ported to HTML 5 and Web GL in a matter of months — and he’s looking for people to help... 

15 Comments | Read More »
Thu, Jun 9 2011
Public education a challenge for virtual health club

Public education a challenge for virtual health club

Club One’s two virtual weight-loss programs last year were a clear success — participants lost as much or more weight as in a similar program held in a real gym, and made more positive lifestyle... 

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Mon, May 30 2011
Hypergrid to have friends, instant messaging

Hypergrid to have friends, instant messaging

What’s the fun of teleporting to other grids and meeting new friends, if you can’t keep in touch with them afterwards? Crista Lopes That’s not going to be a problem for long, hypergrid... 

1 Comment | Read More »
Sun, May 22 2011
New owner of virtual exchange promises a clean game

New owner of virtual exchange promises a clean game

Second Life “financial institutions” such as virtual banks and stock exchanges have historically been magnets for fraud and mismanagement. But the Capital Exchange — formerly the SL Capital... 

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Mon, May 16 2011
Book: Virtual avatars have real impact

Book: Virtual avatars have real impact

The experiences people have in virtual worlds such as Second Life influence their behavior in real life, according to a new book. “There are consequences of spending 20 hours weekly using an avatar... 

3 Comments | Read More »
Mon, May 16 2011
OMC currency gains popularity in the first quarter of the year

OMC currency gains popularity in the first quarter of the year

The number of OpenSim grids accepting the multi-grid OMC virtual currency reached a record high in the first quarter of this year, as has the number of users of this hypergrid-enabled currency from Austian... 

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Thu, May 12 2011
FireSabre launches Starlight grid for educators

FireSabre launches Starlight grid for educators

Educators looking for OpenSim alternatives to Second Life are currently limited to ReactionGrid or Jokaydia Grid, which is operated by ReactionGrid — unless they want to set up their own grid or... 

22 Comments | Read More »
Sat, May 7 2011
Major OpenSim upgrade adds security, meshes

Major OpenSim upgrade adds security, meshes

OpenSim’s new 0.7.1 release supports meshes, media-on-a-prim, and adds additional security features for grid owners and content creators. The upgrade also promises increased stability and less lag.... 

2 Comments | Read More »
Wed, May 4 2011
Startled Cat immersed in stories

Startled Cat immersed in stories

Immersive virtual environments are helping to transform storytelling. The new technique – immersive, collaborative storytelling – can be used to expose people to the reality of living life a different... 

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Wed, May 4 2011
Why Teleplace went open source

Why Teleplace went open source

Earlier this week, Teleplace announced that it was releasing the current version of proprietary virtual world software to the open source community as OpenQwaq. The next generation of its software won’t... 

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Tue, Apr 19 2011
RealXtend Association formed

RealXtend Association formed

The developers behind the realXtend branch of the OpenSimulator virtual world platform announced the formation of the realXtend Association today. “The purpose of the association is to be a place... 

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Tue, Apr 19 2011
OpenSim 103: Securing your grid

OpenSim 103: Securing your grid

Also in: Getting Started, Resources

Enterprises rolling out new OpenSim grids are often concerned about security issues of running OpenSim, and justifiably so. OpenSim is alpha software and still poses some security challenges. However,... 

1 Comment | Read More »
Mon, Apr 18 2011
Designers offer OpenSim goods on Websites

Designers offer OpenSim goods on Websites

With the recent growth of OpenSim grids, both public and private, and growing demand for both low-end starter items and high-end content, content creators have recently launched several Websites to distribute... 

6 Comments | Read More »
Sun, Apr 17 2011
OpenSim 102: Running your own sims

OpenSim 102: Running your own sims

Also in: Getting Started, Resources

There are plenty of reasons to run OpenSim on your own computers. If you’re a content creator, you can have as many regions as you want, for free, and load them up when you need to work on them.... 

2 Comments | Read More »
Fri, Apr 8 2011
OpenSim 101: Renting land

OpenSim 101: Renting land

Also in: Getting Started, Resources

This is a primer for folks considering moving into OpenSim who have never used OpenSim before and who don’t have much of a technical background. Things move fast in the OpenSim universe, so last... 

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Sun, Mar 27 2011
Kitely brings Facebook, instant regions to OpenSim

Kitely brings Facebook, instant regions to OpenSim

In a major step forward for usability of OpenSim, Israel-based startup Kitely has created a Website that allows any Facebook user to create, load and enter an OpenSim world in less than two minutes. The... 

19 Comments | Read More »
Tue, Mar 22 2011
PioneerX offers no-fuss grid management

PioneerX offers no-fuss grid management

Back when 3rd Rock Grid first launched in the spring of 2008, it was one of the earliest OpenSim grids and the owners had to figure out everything on their own. The grid’s managers had to learn how... 

1 Comment | Read More »
Thu, Mar 17 2011
Design firm builds virtual tours, 3D learning games, university grid

Design firm builds virtual tours, 3D learning games, university grid

Working in the space of 3D virtual immersive environments (VIE) is a small, but dedicated group of people who are creating some really wonderful and powerful learning. The other day I had a chance to... 

1 Comment | Read More »
Tue, Mar 15 2011
Avination first with Vivox voice on OpenSim

Avination first with Vivox voice on OpenSim

OpenSim’s largest commercial grid, Avination, announced a major new milestone today — it will be offering in-world Vivox voice at no charge to its residents and region renters, as well as to... 

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Fri, Mar 4 2011
Study: People open to avatars at work

Study: People open to avatars at work

Employees willing to interact with a variety of avatars — except for those that are “creepy” Employees prefer to use more formal avatars to represent themselves According to a new study... 

1 Comment | Read More »
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