In the last couple of mentor meetings the transfer stations were discussed. Here's a summary of the specs. First, here are the most current ones, that were discussed at the mentor meeting of the 20 March 2013 (and a hat-tip to Marstol for her excellent meeting notes):
As for the design, each transfer station should be neutral in theme and shouldn’t clash with any destination world theme. They are prim only and very low on both prim and texture count. This allows the station to rezz very quickly.
... Everyone came to a consensus about having something in “space”. ...
[Key specifications (bullet points added):]
128m [phantom, hollow] sphere (64m diameter), 40-48m platform, 48m from the bottom of the sphere.
The landing point in the center of the platform.
The sign has to take up most of the monitor screen.
The equivalent of [four] 1024x1024 textures and sculpt maps total.
No more than 300 prims total for everything in the station including an invisible perimeter to cage the user with invisible prims.
It has to load very quickly and can’t have more than a handful of textures or people will have to wait too long to see the sign. It needs to not include non-phantom hollow prims. The sphere itself is phantom. The current station has a non-phantom platform, and invisible walls all around it - no ceiling so people will be able to more easily navigate with the cam. Ada Radius had been experimenting with a possible station and found that sculpt maps should be no more than 64x64.
For completeness, the original design specs from 15 September 2012 are here: User-Created Transfer Stations.
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Edit: First bullet -- should that be 64m radius, not diameter?
These users thanked the author Dot Macchi for the post:
Here's a link to a tweaked transfer station design, taking account of the revised specs. It's a concept, not a great build. (I'm not really a builder.)
I intend the interest to be in the intersections, interlocking shapes and angles of the structure.
Feedback welcome. In particular, the texture of the sphere needs further consideration. I find the change to a sphere makes the station feel more claustrophobic compared with the original cubical enclosure, so tried to counter this by using the lighter, closer-grained texture with a tint. However, I would especially welcome advice and help here.
These users thanked the author Dot Macchi for the post:
When people log into a world, like they do in the transfer stations, they always face north.
When people teleport into a world from another world they face the direction they faced before they teleported (unless the landing point facing direction is configured via a script).
Thank you all for feedback and encouragement. I've set up some test stations for positioning.
Please check whether the landing stations are positioned in the correct place for your avatar by using the following links (copy them into local chat, and click them):
hop://osgrid.kitely.com:8002/Vertex/127/126/178
hop://osgrid.kitely.com:8002/Vertex/30/30/81
hop://osgrid.kitely.com:8002/Vertex/224/30/81
hop://osgrid.kitely.com:8002/Vertex/30/224/81
hop://osgrid.kitely.com:8002/Vertex/224/224/81
If you fall through the floor at any time, do let me know. That will mean the positions need further adjustment. Thanks!
These users thanked the author Dot Macchi for the post:
Hi Dot.
I tried all the links more that once and landed fine each time. This is the first time I've seen your transfer station first hand. I love the geometric lines. Very detailed, especially considering the parameters.
These users thanked the author Marstol Nitely for the post:
Thanks for testing this and for the feedback, Marstol. Thanks are also due to Dennis, who contacted me inworld.
The key issue for testing here is whether the platforms work for very tall avies wearing high-heeled shoes (neither characteristic matching my own avie).
