METAbolt 0.9.46.0 Does Not Support Physics Layer

Due to changing versions of libopenmv the current release of METAbolt does not support the physics layer. What this means is that your Pandorabot METAbolt bot should not wear any physics layer. There is a known issue with interaction of the physics layer and viewers not supporting the physics layer where the avatar may occasionally be "Ruthed" (take on the appearance of the Ruth starter avatar). To be safe, for now, do not wear a physics layer on avatars using METAbolt 0.9.46.0.

I have communicated with Legolas Luke, the primary METAbolt developer, and he indicates that physics layer support is coming. Stay tuned.

I Just Want a Greeter - What are my Options?

One common question I get goes something like:

"I'm searching for a bot who welcomes my guests and talks to them. Must my pc be running all the time with the viewer open ? Or do you use your own software ? Is the Bot always logged in ?"

Pandorabots come in several styles all of which can be used as greeters, provide artificially intelligent chat, query Wikipedia, deliver notecards/landmarks, and more. Your options for setting up a Pandorabot greeter/conversationalist include the following:

1. The 2-D Pandorabot V5 is basically a texture applied to a scripted object. The 2-D Pandorabot V5 does not need a viewer running nor is it logged in to Second Life - it is simply an object that is rezzed at your store or home. It can be configured as a greeter, chats, queries Wikipedia, spell check, and other features you expect from a Pandorabot. However, it is a static two dimensional cutout and is not as realistic as the other Pandorabots.
2. A 3-D sculpted Pandorabot V5 is similar to the 2-D Pandorabot V5 but is a sculpted object made to resemble a parrot. It can be rezzed in place or worn. It is a static three dimensional sculpted prim and does not require a viewer nor is it logged into SL.
3. An animated 3-D shape and particle display that contains a Pandorabot V5. Similar to both of the above, the Inner Spheres Pandorabot is a rezzed object, does not need a viewer, and does not need to be logged into SL. It is a rotating set of geometric shapes and particle displays - intelligent eye candy!
4. A 3-D animated avatar Pandorabot is the most sophisticated of the Pandorabots. These require a viewer and must be logged into Second Life just like any avatar. They provide a realistic animated avatar and, in some ways, are indistinguishable from a "real" person :) They use a thin text client as viewer so they consume very little computer resources. The viewer can be left running and minimized without undue strain on a normal system. The 3-D animated avatar Pandorabot must be logged in to be visible. They come in two varieties - the Actorbot Add-On and the METAbolt Add-On. I prefer and recommend the METAbolt Add-On as it is lighter weight, in active development, and supports the physics layer. Both are Windows only clients.

The prices for the models of Pandorabot described above are:

• 2-D Pandorabot V5 is L$245
• 3-D sculpted Pandorabot V5 is L$245
• 3-D Inner Spheres Pandorabot is L$245
• 3-D animated avatar Pandorabot is L$395

All are available on the Second Life Marketplace at http://tinyurl.com/3goercp

Update for METAbolt

A new version of METAbolt has been released. This is primarily a maintenance release with a few new features. See the forum post for details on changes and the download page for binaries and source code.

From the forum post:

[ Features ]

It's now possible to change profile picture by dragging and dropping image or texture on to it
Inventory items can be dragged and dropped onto the avatar profile photo as well as the give box at the bottom of the profile window

[ Ehancements ]

Checkboxes on Group Information window to list group on profile and disable group notices are now functional
Group roles can be created/deleted
Group roles can be assigned/unassigned to avatars
Chat/IM text is now in black instead of gray

[ Fixes ]

Logged in avatar was disappearing from radar
Object Manager was not updating if teleported while it's open
Land owner on About Land was not showing
META3D camera was not working
Land properties was not updating after a TP
The support email address on the Exception window was wrong
Worn Attachments and META3D windows were crashing if TPed while they are open

Pandorabots Facebook Page

You can "like" and follow Pandorabot activities on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pandorabots/219783958035664

Notice of updates, tips, configuration issues, and more are posted there. Check us out on Facebook!