OSCC Keynote 2

This presentation from Infinite Metaverse Alliance® (IMA) and Thales Group discusses research and development progress towards improving open source code for: SceneGate and Future Viewer efforts, EchoVoice server and bridge applications, and a platform agnostic IMABox solution.

The discussion is focused on the development work progress to provide modernized solutions advancing virtual world technologies for everyone. The work of IMA and Thales is in general directed toward broadening use of the Metaverse for Public, Education, Industry and Government sectors but the community as a whole benefits from open source.

Frank Rulof & Lisa Laxton

Animesh is the ability to put armatures into mesh objects and animate them in OpenSim. I’ll rez some examples of critters that are not humanoid and even some machines that were made for animesh. These critters and machines have advantages over NPCs, starting with anyone can rez an animesh as if it was a regular prim, while NPCs are usually restricted to estate owners or managers.

By Kayaker Magic

DreamGrid is a free, pre-packaged Windows-compatible virtual reality metaverse system that is easy to install, easy to run, and powerful.

Anyone with Windows can run their own grid from home or at work with DreamGrid. DreamGrid automatically configures many routers for the Hypergrid with Plug and Play in Grid mode. It takes just a few clicks to launch a new Grid. The new Smart Start feature can easily create, populate, and run 160+ free regions with 10’s of gigabytes of DLC even on limited memory PC’s in under a few GB of RAM. Opensim region modules include Gloebit, jOpensim, Tides, Search, Birds, and Auto-Updating teleport sign system, and the new Smart Start. Smart Start includes Smart Boot on demand, which uses far less memory and CPU that standard Opensim. There is an Endless Seas and Land function, a Smart AI land generator and a Landscaping Manager. DreamGrid is preset with streaming audio and video for region-wide sounds and video. It includes an extensive searchble map system that shows exactly where people have been in each region, every minute. Web Front ends include jOpensim, Wordpress, Custom or Diva web pages.

By Fred Beckhusen / Ferd Frederix

After the onset of the Covid crisis, many of us expected 3D virtual worlds to be an obvious solution for connecting people. We discuss the challenges that still stand in the way. We present some possible solutions.

Ramesh Ramloll

Healthcare workers need to practice their skills to maintain competence, but this requires facility space, equipment and supervision. On the other hand, the high penetration of mobile smartphones and cellular network connectivity in many countries around the world makes virtual reality simulation training feasible. VR simulations can be engaged at the learner’s convenience with game-based automated feedback that is ideal for episodic learning.

However, many healthcare workers in resource-scarce settings have never experienced VR training. This presentation summarizes the lessons learned in development and feasibility testing of VR simulations among healthcare workers in a resource-scarce setting.

Rachel Umoren

Can undergraduate instructors and students in different areas of practice cooperate online to instill cross-disciplinary communication skills at the same time as they more effectively teach and learn their own subject matter?

College students from Montana State University Billings and Peninsula College Washington State were brought together by their instructors, online, in an authentic industry modeling scenario where a consultant group is hired by a corporation to improve performance, based on discussion with subject matter experts and studying work processes.

Operator and Designer students came together to focus on A) Effective visual communication cues in a dangerous operating environment, and B) Learning to communicate professionally across technical specialties.

Andrew Sullivan / Andy Sullivan , James Neville / Sitearm Madonna, Renne Brock / Zinnia Zauber

2020 brought us a terrible pandemic but an opportunity to provide high school students with an alternative form of interaction and productive participation. Hear how high school students participated and benefitted from a virtual prom on Avacon Grid and how a group of educators, in multiple remote geographic locations, volunteered their time and skills to make it happen.

Randall Deich / Logansan Deich, Tanya Martin / Gridjumper

Session will detail the results of a recent survey of educators (to find out about educators’ expected virtual world and virtual reality learning simulation use during the current pandemic-impacted academic year). Spoiler alert — most of the educators surveyed plan to expand their use of virtual world learning simulations (while the educators foresee a reduction in their use of virtual reality headset-based simulations).

Also, this session will explore the topic of “right sizing” virtual world learning simulations – as guidance [for new and experienced users] on how to maximize student engagement and learning outcomes.

Kay McLennan

The on-boarding experience for Virtual worlds such as OpenSim can be so frustrating for new users that they may never realize the power these environments have for social learning experiences. We argue that by using a very simple browser-based environment such as Mozilla Hubs or Frames by Virbela, we can demonstrate the potential of immersive learning and collaboration to new users.

By progressively showing the increased flexibility in more complex settings that address the shortfalls of the simpler environments, we can convert the frustrated user into an enthusiastic supporter of OpenSim-based worlds. We will present the progression from simple to complex using examples from a SJSU iSchool course and the use of the e-Campus room in Mozilla Hubs as a blueprint for getting people hooked on Virtual Worlds.

A Marie Vans / Amvans, Bethany Winslow

This presentation will highlight some basic best practices that have emerged over 15 years of bringing higher education students into VR environments. Then, areas where additional support and community could help stand-alone educators (with little institutional support) bring open-sim environments to expanded audiences will be raised, seeking to operationalize wiki-like areas of communication that could bridge educators and technologist through important shared concerns.

Topics integrate areas such as: professional and child-focused avatar creation, security, IT components, working with IT departments, institutional buy-in, instructional design support, and the like. The plea is to find collective and communal ways to share, develop and leverage a knowledge base that can facilitate conversations at the interstices of the expanding VR environments.

Eileen O'Connor / Eileen OConnor

Faced with evolving pandemic safety classroom protocols and procedures, and the ever present possibility (or probability) of a rapid switch to all online learning, educators across the academic spectrum are recognizing the need for flexible, adaptable online collaborative technologies that can alleviate the effects of Chronic Video Conferencing Fatigue (CVCF) and restimulate learner engagement.

For the past three years the SUNY Empire State College School of Graduate Studies has hosted half-day residency events in Opensim virtual reality as a means to introduce new students to the graduate programs to their peers, the faculty, and a broad range of interactive, immersive, collaborative technologies which they may consider for their individual degree programs.

The 2020 residency, held in October, hosted over three times the number of attendees than the previous year from a variety of different degree programs, a clear indication of the increased interdepartmental interest in exploring online interactive immersive technologies. Each successive annual event has incorporated participant feedback from the previous year into the programming development of the following event iteration This slideshow presentation outlines the iterative steps and methodologies involved in the creation of a large, successful, immersive, engaging and informative event in Opensim.

Scott Dolphin

Talking about Statistic usage of Open Simulator in the last year.

Mario Korolov

Welcome to the 8th annual OpenSimulator Community Conference. This year’s event features presenters across the globe who will be highlighting the user projects and core development work of the OpenSimulator platform. We will kick off #OSCC20 with an overview of the latest features in the OpenSimulator software update and conversation with Core Developers of the platform.

Find out where the platform is headed and learn more about the developers who make the software happen!

Crista Lopes, Cynthia Colongne /Lyr Lobo, Joyce Bettencourt / Rhiannon Chatnoir, Kevin Cozen / Andrew Hellershanks,
Melanie Milland, Robert Adams / Misterblue Waves, Ubit Umarov

In this presentation we will share our experience and lessons learned in designing virtual simulations for learners in high and low resource settings and explore the challenges and opportunities for co-creating virtual simulations with globally distributed teams.

Matt Cook, Rachel Umoren

Kevin Feenan, founder of Rockcliffe University Consortium, will be discussing challenges facing virtual environments over the coming years. Over the past 10 years, the competitive advantage of environments like Second Life and Open Simulator have not kept pace with technological innovation in general. This presentation will look at how we got here, what the immediate pressures are to innovate, and what we can do to change things.

By Kevin Feenan

Pursue broad questions that are fundamental to any efforts in research writing. Who is the author of the text? What period was the text about? How do we interpret the ideas? Hermenetutics has been useful as a way to interpret texts since Antiquity and called the ‘hermeneutic circle.’

The critique is imperative. Why do writers write? The answer is that characters, setting, mood, voice, and themes dynamically bring us to a state of relaxation and vision to understand truths. Literature is inspirational. My intention is to provide readers with tools to research the use of social justice as a reason to write and a methodology of applying the social justice paradigm for writing.

By Maryann DiEdwardo

We present the latest iteration of the RezMela Composer application. It has been shown to facilitate and speed up content production using various innovative techniques. Firstly, it provides access to a curated list of objects that can be assembled into useful 3d structures or powerful experiences. Secondly, the Composer offers a unique user interface which speeds up common but laborious and time consuming content creation tasks.

By Rameshsharma Ramloll

This presentation will showcase work conducted by Virtual Harmony in the prototyping of AI-augmented 3D visualization in the metaverse for supporting interdisciplinary endeavors with cognitive sciences across education, industry, and the military.

Highlights will be showcased from efforts with developing and using an AI strategy and concepts virtual observatory hub offering a learning neural net supporting metaverse AI-augmented client-server visualization tool for visualization of data collected from interactive learning simulations.

Andrew Stricker / Spinoza Quinnell, Cynthia Calongne / Lyr Lobo

The Kitely-hosted virtual world project, “CheriNet Creative HQ” serves as a vehicle for the integration of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), artificial intelligence art (AI art), and PoS blockchains into 3D immersive virtual worlds. It was created to provide NFT-related capacity building; to promote NFT awareness; and to showcase digital media projects including artificial intelligence generated art (AI/GAN art), Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs), and related videos.

Project visitors including real life and virtual-based artists will use the 3D immersive virtual world to view and share digital media collections while building a community for information sharing, informal discussions, training, and educational sessions pertaining to Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs); Proof-of-Stake (PoS) blockchains; and artificial intelligence generated art (AI/GAN art).

By Sally S. Cherry BS MT(ASCP)

Venture capital investment in the metaverse has nearly doubled this year, Facebook has changed its name to Meta, and metaverse hype is everywhere. With improvements in bandwidth and better headset design, we’re on the cusp of a new era. Many of the projects being announced are closed or proprietary platforms. OpenSim’s decentralized, open-source, hyperconnected universe can point the way to how to do it right.

By Maria Korolov

“Hybrid Tech” means combining multiple tools to blend their strengths and mediate their weaknesses, relative to the use case at hand. “Cross Dimensional Thinking” means shifting perspectives, again and again, to master hybrid tech tool combinations. We will review FIVE USE CASES demonstrating how tools and perspectives can be blended interchangeably, relative to the use at hand.

By James Neville / Sitearm Madonna

Panel discussion moderated by Mal Burns.

Panelists:
Dr. Fran
Doug Thompson

WE ARE GOING TO AMERICA. That was the message the Pilgrims followed in 1620. AMERIKA is a village in Germany carrying the German / Dutch / Africaans / Turkey name for America so the slogan goes also this way: WE ARE GOING TO AMERIKA. Common between all languages is that we are leaving the borders of the old worlds behind. In May 2022 will be the award ceremony in the real Amerika Museum in Germany.

One year ago the call was made at OSCC20 for an immersive art competition, called AMERIKA ART. At OSCC21 the Grand Opening will happen. The Italian machinimist WizardOz Chrome created a machinima AMERIKA ART 2022 that will be presented, then everyone is invited to explore the art show and to give a vote that will result in the public award for one of the Long-Legged Maskitts, designed as a bronze statue by the Canadian artist Bryn Oh.

By Reiner Schneeberger/ Art Blue

Groups of language learners, young and old, meet in immersive environments like OpenSim, Second Life or Minecraft and are asked to build a spaceship together. Or a village, or a power plant. They come from Italy, Finnland and Germany and need to communicate in English to achieve the lofty goals. Can building in OpenSim provide a venue to communicate in English in real-time? This potential will be explored in EXCALIBUR, a new EU funded project to come in 2022.

By Heike Philp

The focus of this presentation is on immersing learners in OpenSimulator for TESOL. It highlights the need to incorporate Virtual Worlds in order to keep up with educational needs in conjunction with contemporary technological habits.

(TESOL stands for Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages)

By Helena Galani

A panel will share a variety of digital citizenship elements relating to changing digital culture, the need for metaliteracy, and ways digital citizenship can be advocated in virtual environments. The target audience is educators, learners, and anyone interested in utilizing virtual worlds for specific purposes. Examples of the need for digital citizenship will be featured as a personal responsibility for each of us.

Sheila Webber / Sheila Yoshikawa & Valerie Hill / Valibrarian Gregg

This presentation from Infinite Metaverse Alliance® (IMA) and Thales Group discusses detailed research and development progress made by student interns, past and present, on the future viewer SceneGate 2.0 project. Areas of investigation include: documenting the viewer source code; exploring use of a more modern rendering engine; streamlining the source code where needed; and updating the development environment.

Frank Rulof & Lisa Laxton

This presentation from Infinite Metaverse Alliance® (IMA) and Thales Group discusses research and development progress towards improving open source code for: SceneGate 1.x, Future SceneGate 2.0, DreamGate, IMABox, and EchoVoice projects. The work of IMA and Thales is in general directed toward broadening use of the Metaverse for Public, Education, Industry and Government sectors but the community as a whole benefits from open source.

Frank Rulof & Lisa Laxton

This session will delve into how virtual world use was impacted by expanded online instruction during the pandemic. The expectation (based on a 2020 survey of educators) was that faculty would expand their use of virtual world learning activities during the 2020-2021 academic year. Still, faculty plans to increase their use of virtual world learning simulations did not take into account student interest in virtual world learning simulations during the pandemic.

Student attrition in combination with the Zoom class webinar scheduling demands on students during the pandemic led to lower undergraduate student interest in virtual world learning activities. One bright spot in the realm of student interest in virtual world learning was observed in a class of graduate students studying how to teach online. As a related topic, this session will explore how to better position the OpenSimulator virtual world platform to play a larger role in the expected continued expansion in online instruction.

By Kay McLennan

As a follow-up to the 10:30 presentation, Andrew and Cynthia will provide guided tours and explanations of the Barbara Truman Planetarium.

Search the grid map for “Planetarium” or click on the map signage to teleport.

The Barbara Truman Planetarium honors our dear friend, Delightful Doowangle, and her love for virtual worlds. Delightful devoted her life to virtual world simulation research, education, and Team Science. She supported the OSCC Organizing Committee and was the Community Manager for the Military Open Simulator Enterprise Strategy (MOSES) project. Join us as we reflect on how she continues to inspire us at Virtual Harmony.

Andrew Stricker / Spinoza Quinnell , Cynthia Calongne / Lyr Lobo

The Metaverse as a Distributed system: How we can react to Facebook’s conversion to Meta, and what their commitment combined with other technologies now available means for the future of the Metaverse. Businesses need different solutions than end users do. At the same time, we need those different systems to interact smoothly while addressing the privacy and security issues of today’s popular systems.

By Michael Christopher

As WordPress is one of the most popular CMS, I wanted to fill the gap and create an easy to setup front-end. While there were some attempts in this way, they were not ready to use solutions, more like pieces of puzzle to bring together. So started the development of W4OS (aka WordPress For OpenSimulator). The plugin is now tested and published, and allows showing the grid status, user grid registration and even the choice of initial avatar. Next goal is to add web grid profile, user region controls, some admin features and integrations like 2do HYPEvents calendar or web assets server.

By Magic Oli

Moderated by Maria Korolov

Panelists
Ann Cudworth / Annbelle Fanshaw, Cynthia Calongne / Lyr Lobo, Dauna Kiser / Ghaelen D'LarehDauna , Maria Korolov

Presentation of the International Spaceflight Museum’s Mars Base / Universal Habitat analog astronaut / colonist training facility. Will discuss the features of construction virtually, but will focus on how people interested in either learning more about colonizing Mars, or who want to begin training to colonize the Red Planet at some point in the future, to use the ISMs facility to begin that training process. How the facility portrays three phases of colony construction, how current technologies will be used to realize this construction using In Situ Resource Utilization of resources already present on Mars to drastically reduce the cost of both travel to Mars and to make living on Mars not only survivable, but to grow and thrive into a self sustaining colony capable of making mankind a multiplanetary species.

By Mike Lorrey