Ruth RC#4 Preparation

[aiaustin]

This issue is for discussion of the contents and preparation of RC#4 to document what may be included and decisions taken where there has been any debate.

[aiaustin]

My own suggestions are as follows...

1. That we fully document the whole process to build and create the release for both Second Life and OpenSim, including version numbers of all tools used and parameter settings for Blender exports to Collada/DAE, import settings to SL and OpenSim, etc.

2. We include all parts for body, feet and hands, head, root prim and HUDs.

3. We preserve the specific DAE made so there is a single common base for this.

4. We ensure all textures for the body parts and HUDs are available in GitHub and included in the master in world distribution separately.

5. For the skins, we also ensure they are on GitHub. We can refer to other skins, buts lets keep the core release fully open source available. Again these should be available in the master inworld separately.

6. It would be nice to include the skins in Shin Ingen's original skin applier HUD with dragon tattoo and non-tattooed versions to credit back to his kicking off the project.

7. For the HUDs I have a preference for the slate grey background variant we have mad from Shin's Ruth 2.0 RC#1 to RC#3 and Roth 2.0 RC#1 versions. Sean's bright red is a bit strong (for me). That colour also let's Sean differentiate his modified versions clearly. I would drop the dragon background on the HUDs though going forward.

8. Script details and how to build and modify then, how to add new skins, how to make a skin coloured attachment (like the Elf Ears) work, etc should be included.

9. For the final version in Second Life and OpenSim make available a single source in world for all assets so there is a common shared UUID for each asset and texture, to improve efficiency and reuse/faster loading where multiple Ruths and Roths are inworld together. Create an IAR for the OpenSim master asset “box”.

[seriesumei]

Thank you for kicking this off Austin!

5. I've been using Linda Kellie skins for now since the licensing on those is clear and they are available from well-known places. I am wondering if some of the things currently in this repo should be moved to a separate one because they are used differently or have different release cycles? (Austin and I have talked about this a bit already). A skin repo would be something that would not change regularly, mostly just have new textures added, and might be easy to do this with. We could leave a couple in the main repo as 'references'.

6. Totally! I recall looking for those in Github and not being sure I found them, are they in the repo now? I'll go look again later today.

7. I am with you on the colors and can go either way on dropping the dragon in the background, if we do that I'd suggest a slight gradient as totally flat can look, well, flat. :). But that's a detail. Is there a desire to use my combination HUD as the main one going forward? It doesn't hurt my feelings if not, I will finish and distribute it either way. Creating the HUD itself in-world is still awkward but most of it is scripted now. If we want to use it I'll wrap it up and propose it for the main directories and people with actual design skills can help make it beautiful :)

8. I've nearly finished the notecard loading version for skins that can also work as a stand-alone applier and optionally include Omega targets. I think to start at least we shouldn't try to make the default skin HUD do everything you would want, but be a good base, as some things by nature will work better in smaller packages. But then I am used to the common practice in SL of individual appliers for makeup, tattoos, freckles, etc. and the body HUD basically only having skin tones.

9. I've been keeping a box in my store that has the direct mesh uploads to keep track of what I've used. I believe this re-enforces the spirit of GPL licenses (we meet the requirements with the files in Github) by having them readily available for others in-world. Is there already a group to hold the ownership of 'release components' and whatnot?

[aiaustin]

I am a +1 on using your scripts as a base Serie. Reminder: that I could not work out how to set up the Elf Ears with your script setup. We used to just drop in the previous r2 head receiver script along with making the object description “head”... ditto for tails using the r2 body receiver script and description “lower”. We need to document how people make body coloured/textured attachments.

I personally am okay with several HUDs rather than one ginormous one that is extremely large with lots of textures. Especially to separate less frequently used functions from ones changed in regular use.

Good idea on the slate grey with a gradient as a background for the HUDs.. incorporating the small R2 in a circle as the logo where appropriate.

Good point about group. There is the RuthandRoth group in SL.. maybe we should get one set up in OpenSim (OSGrid?) too.

[AdaRadius]

Thank you Austin! (Do we call you Ai or Austin?)

1. I am gathering whatever I can find from contributors since RC3 and am working on them. I'll upload blend files (maybe three blend files - modeling//UVweighting, alpha cut proposals and normal/spec maps), dae files, and document within the Blender files the source files and version numbers of the software I'm using.
2. Change the organization at GitHub? Folders for uploadable dae and HUD assets seems reasonable: RothRC2, RuthRC4, etc.
3. I'm not sure what you mean by this.
4. We have a folder for skin textures at GitHub, that can be used on any version of the bodies. Do we need more than this? Textures for the HUDS should change for each RC, of course - maybe put them in with the HUD assets for each RC version?
5. All of the skins that are open source, or CC or whatever free licensing can be uploaded to GitHub, sure. Fred already has many at his website, so I think that's somewhat redundant.
6. Sure. I think, more important, is a good list of contributors on a texture and in a text file inworld. I'm listing the contributors for modeling, UV and vertex weighting in the Ruth RC4 blend files (and will do the same for RothRC2, but I don't know who has done what for HUDS and any other scripting. We have a lot of volunteers putting many hours into this, they need to be highly praised whenever possible.
7. Where inworld? I can maybe offer a long-term location - New Media Arts, Inc. (a 501(c)(3) nonprofit) maintains sims at Kitely - I can ask the board (I'm the founder, was once on the board, and may be again) if we can use space on Cookie II, or for some budget for a Ruth/Roth world. They're already hosting and maintaining the most complete Arcadia Asylum/Aley collection and host Community Virtual Libraries, and websites for more - virtual and online libraries is the core of their mission. Kitely is running a different OS version than most of the rest of OS, so Ruth&Roth would need another location running the bleeding edge version, so we can test compatibility. I'm never in SL, it gets too expensive to upload and maintain stuff there.
8. An issue I get asked about a lot - licensing. I can't figure out from the GitHub files which pieces are licensed how and who can do what with which. That needs some work. Who knows enough to sort it out?

[aiaustin]

OpenSim OSGrid group with name "RuthAndRoth" (to match the GitHub group name) created.

Second Life holder for group name "RuthAndRoth" (to match the GitHub group name) also created. But note on it that its best to use Hyacinth's existing "Ruth and Roth Community" group which already is being used.

[aiaustin]

Ai here Ada :-)

[aiaustin]

Fred is our licensing man and is the best to check any issues out with. Shin Ingen wanted to use AGP for the core, so that's essential now and not changeable for the core. Some other folks (like me) like CC-BY or CC-BY-NC.

I agree we don't need to repeat things that are already in repositories or accessible elsewhere... like lots of alternative skins. But a few of the things we directly include in the releases and all the skins and textures for that ought to be here for permanence. Repositories and web sites do disappear over time.

For a permanent location, Kitely is a bit problematic, as the folks there have said they might not allow Ruth 2.0 and Roth 2.0 because of the licensing as AGPL. They maye be more relaxed now its in more widespread usage, but there was a bit of discussion with Ilan Tochner on this.

[AdaRadius]

Thank you Ai!
Ya, I was the back end channel on the 'discussion' between Shin and Ilan. Shin was emphasizing that this is a teaching project, and that's my objective as well, which is one reason why I'm suggesting one of the New Media Arts worlds as a long term solution - another reason is that they're more likely to be around for longer than an individual's server.

I'll talk to Ilan. He is now working with educators on a new Kitely service, so his business objectives may have changed. I agree, one of the CC flavors is more adaptable to our various objectives, and that's what Ilan was asking for.

Can I assume that the core models are AGP, but the HUDS, feet, fingernails, toenails, animations and textures might be CC? UV maps and vertex weighting are more-or-less integral to the models, so they'd be AGP. Probably.

I know that the clothing designers would like to be able to include the Ruth or Roth models and customized HUDS with the clothing, and that Kitely Marketplace is set up (a work in process) to make it easier to list required attributions. No marketplace allows links to other sources within product descriptions, but Ilan has suggested putting that information into a text file with the items for sale. What I don't know is if that's allowed under AGP.

[aiaustin]

Ada, Fred might comment, but what you suggest I believe is compatible with the objectives that Shin had for the core body and any refinement or development of it. That just also has to be AGPL and available somewhere for free. Add ons and skins, etc can use the license that the developer wishes, and can use CC, be commercial, etc. And I believe anyone can include the AGPL parts (core body, etc.) and parts under other licences which allow it with their packaged open source and commercial releases. Using a notecard to describe the sources, credit developers, give license details, and give links to where to obtain refined versions of any AGPL parts makes sense. I always include a Read Me file with packages.

[seriesumei]

re licensing: My day job is in Open Source development, my understanding from our project experts is that CC-* licenses are useful for documentation and non-code things while *GPL (and variants) and the permissive licenses (Apache, BSD, MIT, etc) are better for code. I think Blender files are considered data so I'm unsure if one is better than the other. as nor exactly how the GPL license linking issues affect things like mesh. I suspect that we are OK here as long as the license mixing is compatible, what I have seen so far is. (i.e., the project default is AGPL but including Apache/BSD/MIT or CC- is OK; the opposite is not in most cases). I would be willing to re-license my scripts in a non-GPL form is someone is nervous about that. I like the GPL philosophically but pragmatically live in an Apache world most of the time.

Re the group in SL: I am fine to use whatever group makes sense. Most of my concern is that we make sure to guard against the single-point-of-failure like we had with Shin's Github repo. That has been taken care of with the new repo, I think doing something similar for the 'owner' of the in-world 'master' copy of things makes sense too. I have room in my SL store to keep stuff, need to go get set up in Kitely it seems (the little free parcel I had in OSGrid vanished last month :( ).

[aiaustin]

Fred Beckhusen provided some notes... 30-Mar-2019:

I've been following the emails about the license, it's pretty much what the email chains say. Shin and I picked AGPL to keep the body from being modded and making the changes exclusive to your server, without passing it on.

I agree that anyone can add any accessories and license those as you wish so long it does not contain the AGPL bits.

Anything that was uploaded without a license is automatically AGPL. Only the original author of that can change the license to something else. Any copies out there before it changes remain AGPL.

For example, assume someone loaded an unlicensed toenail. It's automatically AGPL. The author changes his mind and changes the license to CC-BY. Its now CC-BY, but prior versions or copies are still AGPL. One exception: CC-0 means no license. CC-0 is unusual in that anyone can mod that toenail like AGPL, sell it ( like AGPL) , even re-license it ( unlike any other license), then mod it without sharing the changes back (unlike AGPL). AGPL is the only license that prevents people from modding it, running it on their private server, and not giving the mods back to the community. Specifically, grid owners who want to use modified Ruths as starter avatars.

[AdaRadius]

OK. To make sure I understand this: The core model has been a team effort and there have been many changes to Shin's original ZBrush model to make it work for UV mapping to the legacy skins and vertex weighting to the SL/OS armatures, though its general appearance is still distinctively Shin's. AGPL, and we provide a link to this GitHub in the ReadMe, no matter how we distribute it, along with a link to the license itself. The fingernails, toenails, animations, HUDS and programming are also very much team efforts, generally with one originator, and are CC-BY if specified, and AGPL if not?

[aiaustin]

If I understand this correctly you are not quite right,. The HUDs as originally released are also AGPL aren't they. they do contain the AGPL "dolly" 3D avatar model anyway so I would assume so. But after a long discussion on GitHub and the Google+ Community pages it was agreed that CONTENTS could be added into HUDs (such as skins and textures, etc) that were licensed according to what the creator of that add in content wanted. All other parts can be licensed as the author(s)/creator(s) wish.

I am interpreting what I understand of the discussion here related to the AGPL basis of Ruth and Roth. I have not myself ever used AGPL for open source developments. I have wanted very widespread use and adaptation (free and otherwise). So, I have always used Lesser GPL and more recently and CC-BY (or CC-BY-NC in a few cases where elements needed to be kept free).

[AdaRadius]

And back to the main topic of this GitHub issue:
I am working in Ruth2.0_RC#4b.blend, which I expect to bring inworld today for preliminary testing. I took assets from these sources and contributors and further (I hope) improved vertex weighting and UV mapping, making minor changes to the model where needed to get the thing working with the legacy skins and SL/OS armatures:
From Release3_AdaShinEdit_SundanceEdit_16.blend - fingernails and UV last worked on by Sundance Haiku. Model by Shin Ingen. Skinning and vertex weighting by Ada Radius

Appended feet from OSRuth2_CurrentRelease_DEVKIT_CURIOUS_TAARNA_r2FEET_RC#3.blend - medium height foot, UV mapping

Appended feet from OSRuth2_02Ada2.1Feet.blend - labeled "posable" - weighted to more bones with the pose library for foot poses at a range of heel heights. .

Appended body and hands from OSRuth2_02Ada1.8_UV58.blend - Leona Morro UV mapping

CONTRIBUTORS TO THIS FILE:
Shin Ingen - modeling, vertex weighting
Ada Radius - vertex weighting, modeling, UV mapping, foot poses
Sundance Haiku - UV mapping, modeling
Curious Creator - UV mapping?
Taarna Welles - UV mapping
Leona Morro - UV mapping
Eloh Eliot - Starlight skin textures
Robin Wood - templates
Chip Midnight - templates

Software: ZBrush (original model by Shin Ingen), Blender V2.79b with Avastar Bento plugin v.2.5.18 - materials, UV mapping, vertex weighting, animations.

Note: there's an "a" and "b" version of this file - the "a" version has more draft copies and shows the workflow better, but it got corrupted, which happens often while working with simulation of the inworld sliders on the collision volume armature. For the 'b' version I opened a clean file, added a clean armature, and appended just the assets I'll need for uploading, and finished this draft.

[seriesumei]

I think that is very close Ada; if all authors of a particular thing agree, it can be licensed however they wish, ie, it need not be specifically CC-BY.

I'll do a bit of checking, I think we have some things in the repo that need cleaning or clarifying license-wise.