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Project Roadmap
Project Mission & Summary
Infinite Metaverse Alliance® (IMA) and its strategic partner Thales Nederland BV share a common mission to focus on inclusive "design thinking" to advance virtual worlds, virtual reality, and synthetic environments. The SceneGate Viewer project is one of several integrated projects supporting this mission. The following summarizes the general viewer project requirements:
- Client viewer application project must be open source and distributable.
- Client viewer application reliably works with Windows, Mac, and Linux.
- Client viewer application must allow user access to active versions or derivatives of OpenSimulator regions including VAR types. (Specifically 0.8.x, 0.9.x, Halcyon, and WhiteCoresim server versions).
- Client viewer application must be adaptable for improvements in accessibility, usability, onboarding, performance, and security with a modern codebase.
- Client viewer application user interface should be customizable by users, allow custom adaptations for organizations, and be as standards compliant as possible.
To meet these requirements, after a full year of user testing and codebase comparisons in 2018, the modern Alchemy Viewer codebase was selected and forked as the SceneGate Viewer. Areas of focus and development include: accessibility, usability, onboarding, performance, standards, and security.
Timeline and Forecast
Milestone: August 2018
Project Start
Tasks
- Community and Developer Survey/Feedback Review
- Codebase/Feature Analysis and Selection
- Preliminary Phased Development Planning
- Community Project Artwork
- Initial Repository Establishment
- Branding Decisions and Changes
Usability Improvements
Initial Default Configuration Changes
Milestone: January 2019
Closed Alpha Windows Build and Testing
Tasks
Issues for Closed Beta Test Version - completed
Accessibility Improvements
1. Voice communication changes
2. New User Interface skinning
Onboarding Improvements
1. New simplified and extended modes
2. Separate UI defaults per mode
Performance Improvements
1. Graphics handling
2. Dynamic texture loading
Usability Improvements
1. New grid manager error checking
2. Preferences default changes
Milestone: May 2019
Closed Beta Windows Build and Testing
Tasks
Issues for Open Beta Test Version - completed.
Accessibility Improvements
1. New sound option updates to listen from all positions
2. New user Interface skinning
Accessibility and Usability Improvements
1. Camera changes
2. Settings updates
Onboarding Improvements
1. Simplified mode as default
Onboarding and Usability Improvements
1. Toolbars changes (associated with usability engineering review)
2. Fix Toolbar save changes
3. Help menu add for simplified mode
4. Label changes for move panel
Usability Improvements
1. Grid list changes
2. Slider and panel updates
3. Changed AltaVista label to Web
4. About floater updates
Usability, Branding, and Accessibility Improvements
1. Fix Windows task manager showing alchemy
2. Starlight CUI Decoupling
Milestone: November 2019
Open Beta Windows, Linux, and Mac Build and Testing
Tasks
Issues for 1.0 Release Version - completed
Onboarding Improvements
1. Expand simplified mode to include ability to open contents
2. Change Metaverse Depot splash page in all default grid lists to remove confusion
Usability and Branding Improvements
1. New installer images
2. Update strings for downloads and release notes
Milestone: January 2020
Initial Release 1.0
Tasks for Next Release
Rolling bug fixes
Issues for next Beta Test Version
Accessibility, Usability, Onboarding, Performance, Standards, and Security Improvements
1. Spinoff Project DreamGate Done
2. Continue third party library updates In Work
3. Continue Build Instruction updates In Work
4. Fix need login help link In Work
5. Add toggle option to update Unknown User TBD
6. Add Dyslexia fonts TBD
7. Support for secure login TBD
8. Add "Save As" Backup/Collada TBD
Onboarding Improvements
1. Continue nearby chat and conversation default changes (left collapse) In Work
2. Move avatar appearance button to lower button group for simplified mode In Work
3. Add support for Animated Mesh TBD
4. Add support for Bakes on Mesh feature TBD
5. Add support for Environment changes TBD
6. Add Estate/Avatar management changes TBD
7. Create a notecards panel for simplified mode TBD
8. Add ground sit button for toolbar and add to simplified mode TBD
Usability Improvements
1. Update CEF code to support live streaming In Work
2. Add new features: Area Search, 360 snapshot, and Discord (Status) TBD
3. Create/add Advanced Mode TBD
4. Disable analyze for mesh uploads/support code fix to analyze properly for OpenSimulator TBD
5. Fix/add/remove social media integration TBD
6. Add/update toolbar buttons TBD
Usability and Branding Improvements
1. Route any hard-coded SL menu items for reporting to the grid the user is reporting from (grid info) In Work
2. Continue rebranding and SL decoupling In Work
3. Address reporting and help menu issues In Work
4. Add any necessary API integrations TBD
Milestone: July 2023 (2021-2022 targets missed due to pandemic impacts on team availability)
Scheduled Beta Test Version
New Linux version pending.
New Windows version pending.
New Mac version pending.
Future Tasks
Rolling bug fixes TBD
Accessibility, Usability, and Performance Improvements
1. Add RLV features TBD
2. Investigate adding Keyword search TBD
3. Investigate adding UI layout choices TBD
4. Investigate adding option for white text on dark background for text entry TBD
5. Investigate adding Starlight CUI language and feature updates TBD
6. Investigate adding support for Hop addresses TBD
7. Investigate removal of NPC's from people radar and maps TBD
8. Investigate adding separate music and media icons TBD
Onboarding Improvements
1. Add Moderator support TBD
2. Add Avatar/Marketplace support TBD
3. Integrate EchoVoice TBD
4. Add VR headset support TBD
5. Add full audio/video Linux support TBD
6. Investigate support for Experiences TBD
Security and Standards Improvements
1. Make code changes as necessary to support server side changes TBD
2. Support system avatar skeleton and UV map changes TBD
3. Add private and conference features via EchoVoice TBD
4. Add support to import x3d formats TBD
5. Add support to import gltf formats TBD
6. Add support for export of gltf formats TBD
7. Add support for PBR materials TBD
8. Add support for Blender TBD
9. Add support for avatar animation via real-time motion capture TBD
10. Add support for webcam/video TBD
11. Add support for external scripting tools TBD
12. Investigate standards compliant modern UI re-design TBD
Future Roadmap Considerations: Trusted Grid support, Hypergrid issues, Security issues, Economy issues, Intellectual Property concerns, Mobile device support, and the ongoing Future Viewer Project.
How to Get Involved
The SceneGate Viewer project is open source with community participation welcome. To get involved, participants can provide testing, help maintain the wiki, write tutorials, report issues, request enhancements or new features, and get involved in code contributions. All of these pages are accessible via the wiki home page.
Infinite Metaverse Alliance® is a registered U.S. Trademark.
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