Facelights

Facelights and other attached Lights

Everyone who knows me knows that I like to take pictures. So I have my own Flickr page with almost 1,400 followers and this blog. But I have thousand picture in diverse Albums in Google Images too. Sometimes I am a model for others, but often I do the pictures myself. Some pictures are created in a kind of shooting with a set scene, placed light and special poses. Many say, the pose is important for a good picture in SecondLife. But that is something static. Others help with Photoshop and change the picture. Both ways are artificial, but can also be art. I think the most important thing about a good picture is the light, and this included a facelight. But no, more important than anything else is the view for the moment, capturing a certain mood and situation. And that's what I want to achieve with SecondLife. But this is only possible, if every moment can be special and you are prepared. If you use a facelight or bodylight. Only about this way you skin shimmering, you can see reflections and other effects. So most of my pictures are a captured moment from my SecondLife, a look at what I see and experience in SecondLife.

You can read discussions about facelights in a diverse groups in SecondLife often. Mostly opened by senior users who are so experienced and believe to know how SecondLife should to be. So today too in a group where I am member. The discussion started with "Face lights are for noobs and spoil the atmosphere". The next one added "... you don't need face lights in 2019 period". In addition followed some dates, facelights would fit after 2015, or better 2005, added the opening person of the discussion "... face lights just look bad and cause lag ...". These discussions keep coming up again and again. They are discussed in some forums and addressed again and again in groups. In summary, facelights are superfluous and ugly and cause lag. They spoil the atmosphere in a sim. The users of Facelights are repeatedly insulted as Noobs, or are sent back years in time. 

The picture is also taken with a simple facelight + bodylight. At least I don't see anything that spoils the atmosphere or that it looks ugly. The picture isn't placed separately either, it was a moment I wanted to capture. I was just happy to have finished a new landscape in Secondlife for a new event in our Sim "Sunshine Realm". And the Windlight is deliberately not set for "Midday". I think its one of the [TOR] Sunset- Windlights. But I think even the greatest critic, Noob or "expert", understands that. 

But it's true. There are these nuclear-powered facelights from prehistoric times. They illuminate everything within a radius of 10 meters brightly. And in many Sims they are certainly totally corrosive and superfluous. Just like these blinking shoes and jewellery. But especially the critics themselves seem to be stuck in the year 2015 or more bad 2005. I can't take part at this discussions, my SecondLife started 2015. I don't know something about the SecondLife before. For there are now very discreet and directed facelights, which are not driven by a nuclear reactor, but rather by a small button cell. In addition, the critics usually say that facelights cause lag. And this is certainly not the case in the region, because the actual graphics are generated on the computer of each individual user. So they influence the individual FPS rate, but can't make a region laggy. 

Also this picture is with a facelight, this is offered by Catwa itself for the mesh heads, in my case it is a Catya head. Other criteria seem to decide about ugly and superfluous. 

But especially the loud critics always stress how powerful their own computers are, that we are in 2019 and they always use the "Advanced Lighting Model". However, this new feature makes an almost infinite number of light sources possible, and generates a much higher graphic load than the Facelight could ever do. Well, my computer has a 4k graphics card and enough power for good graphics. But I often turn it off too. It consumes a lot of resources, and not every Sim looks better. And so it is with the Facelights also, one should use them demand-fairly and considerately. And not all users are these power users, so I used the old computer of my husband for a long time, and it was already 3 years old when I got it. I started in SecondLife with a Notebook manufactured in 2011. I am happy that i can use now a more powerful Computer. And I know a lot of users who don't have high-end computers, and who are certainly not noobs because of that.

So it's just about the personal taste you hide behind the feared "lag"? It seems so. But it's simple. If other people's facelights bother you, you can switch it off, at least in Firestorm. Under Preferences / Graphics / Rendering there is the option "Enable Attached Lights". So there is only one click in the settings. I think this is also possible in other viewers. So if you think Linden Lab should forbid facelights in SecondLife, please use your settings. And spare the others with your personal opinion and don't spamming the groups. And don't named other as Noobs that's discriminatory. But hee, I use a Facelight. Here, me. I must be a Noob! My Advice for you: Look in the mirror! 

If only the facelight of an individual disturbs you, you can render him or her completely. Click the avatar with the right mouse button, in the appearing pie menu choose you first "More >" and then "Derender >". Here you can still decide whether you want it to be permanent or temporary. Problem solved! Mission accomplished! So why this excitement again and again, the call that Linden Lab should completely forbid attached lights? Why do some people talk about it again and again? Ok, older ultra-bright room-filling facelights are really annoying, and some don't see it because of their own settings or are looking for attention. Mosty its a short IM and people wear off the bright lights. But aren't those who criticize this again and again in public groups and forums and use facelights to sweepingly describe and insult users as noobs, not just seeking the attention?

The picture above is not taken with a facelight. But beware, do not rejoice too soon. It is really a "shooting". The pictures are taken in a pre-set scene for a poster, and instead of face- and bodylights I used LumiPro. This is also an attached lightsource, especially for photo shoots, and it uses three separate light sources and even a projector. But, Linden should not allow this?

Others say, you don't need facelights, especially not in SecondLife 2019. If you don't see right, there are the Windlight- Settings. Just turn on the Windlight for "Midday" or another bright light and everything is fine. What nonsense? This can only come from people who only understand SecondLife as a cybersex place and know nothing but sex sims. And who are not able to see the whole picture of a situation. I'm trying to imagine how all the picture before would look like with a "midday" windlight. But at the setting with the Surfboard were daylight pictures too, i changed really the windlight for different pictures. But i used here LumiPro too, than I must be a Noob.

So all this is stupid and has nothing to do with reality. On the one hand SecondLife is a virtual "complete" world, who goes dancing in the bright sunshine? Or who goes to the beach at noon to experience a sunset? So the Windlight has a different function. It creates the mood around. We change the windlight in the region for each event because it is part of the overall picture. And once again for all, the pictures so far are not posed, but are shots, as I have experienced my SecondLife in this moment, as I see it. 

So for some I seem to be a noob. And I decide I'm gonna be a noob. Welcome to my world!