HORIZONS PRO USER'S GUIDE

For easy reference, his guide is produced verbatim as it is included in the HORIZONS system. To my knowledge, information here is accurate. Read carefully.

 -- Advanced Virtual Reality System

A Novatech product by Cheshyr Pontchartrain

Version 5.0

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HORIZONS is an advanced and extremely versatile VR ("holodeck") system the likes of which has not been seen in Second Life. Features include a zero-config installation system, changeable interiors and exteriors, customizable chat commands and sound effects, a prefab packaging system, and a host of tools for content creators.

HORIZONS can be used as a home with changing furniture sets and rooms, a holographic roleplay area for sci-fi fans, or a demo rezzer for large or small objects. Capable of creating scenes as large as an entire region, you can easily change an entire sim, or one small room, at the push of a button.

HORIZONS is ever-expanding, with new content and features created frequently and available in our vendors.  With the professional model, you can even create your own scenes, shells or panoramas and distribute your creations. You'll find more information on this in the Builder's guide that comes with HORIZONS Home and Pro.

HORIZONS -- Unlimited imagination, boundless horizons, create your own reality.

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USER'S GUIDE

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For all versions of the system:

*   Drag the HORIZONS system from inventory onto the ground.  If you have a small parcel, try to place it near the center.

     For optimal results, try to leave a few meters between HORIZONS and the ground.  If you are resting it on a platform,

     put the "AVRS Cloak Platform" script in your platform pieces. This will cause them to vanish temporarily when scenes are rezzed.

*   If you have purchased additional scenes or shells, install them by following the instructions that came with them.

*   Touch the rezzer to get started.  A menu will appear with several options:

     Choose any of the following from the menu ---

        Scenes        -     Presents a list of interior scenes

        Shells          -     Presents a menu of exterior shells

        Clear            -    Clears the current scene

        Build            -     Scene editing tools

        Options       -      System options

        Help             -     Gives this notecard.

        

*  Click SHELLS and choose one of the available options. This will give you a building or platform in which to work and play.  If the floor

    of the building is underground, say "show" to reveal the rezzer, then drag HORIZONS up a little and re-rez the shell.

*  Unpack the Extras box for more tools and their documentation.

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SCENES & SHELLS

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When a scene  is selected from the SCENES menu, the system will rez it and quickly snap everything into place.  Browse and play in the scene for as long as you wish. It will not vanish until you select another scene or press CLEAR on the main menu. You may also clear programs by saying "clear" or "end program" in public chat.

If desired, you can turn on a timer (AutoClear) which will clear any rezzed scene if nobody is near the system for 15 minutes.  This timer can be toggled in the OPTIONS menu. You can change the length of the timeout, and sensor range, by editing the __config__ notecard, found inside the HORIZONS rezzer.

Shells are more permanent, as they are built to house scenes. You wouldn't want your house vanishing every time you bought a new sofa, would you?  To change shells, simply choose one from the menu as you would a scene.  To clear the shell, select CLEAR from the SHELLS menu or say "clear shell" in chat.

In addition to the menu, you can load scenes and shells using chat commands. Say "list scenes" for a list of available content.  To run a program by voice, say "load <name>".  For example, say "load hideaway" in public chat to load the Hideaway scene.  Capitalization is not important, nor do you have to type the complete name.

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ADVANCED SCENE OPTIONS

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Are some of your scenes showing bits of the shell through the walls? To fix this, edit the scene crate and add the words "hide shell" to the description field (on the General tab in Second Life's build menu.)

Do you wish a particular scene rezzed in a different position?  For example, 5 meters higher than normal, or rotated?  To change it, edit the scene crate and put an offset anywhere in the description field, using standard Second Life vectors.  For example, if you want the scene to rez 20m in front of its normal position, use <20,0,0>.  If you'd like it 5 meters higher, use <0,0,5>.  You can add a second vector to adjust rotation.  i.e., "<0,10,0> <0,0,90>" would rez 10m to the right, and rotated 90 degrees.

Once this is done, install the modified scene in HORIZONS, replacing the previous version.

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PANORAMAS

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Panoramas (panocubes) are a 3D optical illusion. Using special photographs and a large viewing chamber, this technology provides an exceptional feeling of depth that normal textures cannot duplicate. Due to size requirements, panocubes require a fairly large amount of free space around and beneath your HORIZONS rezzer.  How much space depends on the size of the cube you select.  The 20m cube requires about 7m of space below the HORIZON rezzer to properly display the environment. The 30m requires 12m or so, and the 50m cube about 20m beneath it.

If your HORIZONS room is located on the ground, try moving it up a few meters.  If it is sitting on a platform or other object, place the included "AVRS Cloaking" or "AVRS Cloak Platform" script in any object which interferes with the view.  When a scene is active, those objects will turn invisible and phantom, reappearing when you clear the scene.

To view a panorama collection, load one of the panocubes from the SCENES menu.  When the panocube has rezzed, use the panel in that room to choose scenes. To hide the control panel, say "hide" in chat. To reveal it again, say "show".  When you are finished, use the panel's CLEAR button or say "clear" or "end program" in chat to be returned to the holodeck.

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BUILD MENU

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The build menu has several options related to building scenes.  For Horizons Basic, the only options on this menu are:

    Track       - If you've moved the HORIZONS system, this button will move any rezzed scenes and shells to the new position. This allows the HORIZONS system to act like other rezzers. Using track, you can reposition the scene.

                    Also handy if an older scene failed to rez correctly, due to a bug introduced by Linden Lab in 2013.

    Freeze    - Freezes the current scene and shell, deleting all Horizons scripts from them. Only the owner may do this.

    Clear All - Resets the HORIZONS system and clears all rezzed scenes and shells in the region.  This is rarely needed,

                       but can be helpful if a scene appears to be stuck.

The build menu on HORIZONS Home and HORIZONS Pro has a few additional selections:

    Record             - Updates the recorded position of all scene objects rezzed or recorded by this system.

    New Crate        - Rezzes a crate for packing your scene.

    Test                  - Temporarily shifts scene objects up 50 meters to confirm they've been recorded. This works on a rezzed scene, temporarily clearing the scene, lifting the rezzer and revealing anything on the ground that you thought should have been in the scene. 

    End Test           - Ends the test, returning the scene to its proper position.

    Help                 - Gives you the builder's guide

For more information on creating scenes, please see the builder's guide.

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OPTIONS

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The OPTIONS menu has several choices:

• OFFLINE       - Turns HORIZONS on or off.  When off, chat commands won't work, and HORIZONS Pro won't record new objects.This is handy if you wish to make a scene semi-permanent without actually freezing it, or need to turn off one Pro deck so you can rez another for work elsewhere in your sim.  To facilitate this, turning a  HORIZONS Pro deck on (or rezzing a new one) automatically turns off your other Pro decks.
•     Access        - Brings up the Access Rights menu.
•     AutoClear    - Toggles the automated timer.  If nobody is in the Horizons room for several minutes, any rezzed scene is cleared to conserve sim resources.
•     AutoHide     - When active, the rezzer shrinks out of the way when a scene is rezzed.If AutoHide is off, you can use the HIDE and SHOW chat commands.
•     Kiosk Mode - In Kiosk mode, visitors cannot change shells and only see the scenes menu. The owner and anyone on your guest list (see below) can always change scenes and view the complete menu.
•     Set Channel - Changes the channel used for voice control.  By default this is channel 0 (normal chat.)
•     ShowNames - When active, the menus show a shortened version of the scene name.  If this is off, you'll seea numeric keypad with the full scene names listed above.
•     Scene Lock - When enabled, an active Holodeck cannot be cleared or changed by anyone, except the personwho rezzed the scene, your staff, or the owner..

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GUEST LISTS AND OTHER OPTIONS

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Many options, including staff and guest lists, can be set permanently by editing a notecard.  In the contents of your Horizons rezzer you will find a notecard named "__config__".  Edit this notecard to set your system's listening channel, access rights, timer and other options.  The syntax is explained inside the card.  Attached is a more complete card with all options: 􀀀

When assigning names to the notecard's guest and staff list, note that guests can rez and clear scenes, but cannot change the shell if KIOSK mode is activated.   Staff can do everything you can, except where Second Life's permissions prevent it (i.e., they cannot take your system or edit the notecard.)

Also available is a banned list.  Use this to prevent miscreants from using an otherwise public system.  i.e., you might have HORIZONS set to group access, but need to ban one or more group members from using the system.

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SORTING SCENES BY CATEGORY

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HORIZONS can group similar scenes into categories which you select.  The default notecard has most of the known scenes defined, but you can change all that, or remove it and start from scratch.  To create a category, add a line to the __config__ notecard that looks like this:

    CATEGORY=<name>,scene 1, scene 2, scene 3, ...

For example:

    CATEGORY=Horror, Resident Evil 1,Resident Evil 2

In the above example, we have created a category named "Horror" and placed the scenes 'Resident Evil 1' and 'Resident Evil 2' in it.  Scene names must be entered exactly the same as they appear in HORIZONS inventory.  Any scenes that don't match one of your categories will be listed on the ...OTHER... menu.

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INSTALLING NEW SCENES AND SHELLS

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Newer scenes include an automated installer.  For older scenes, rez the retail box you received and touch it.   In a moment you will receive a folder with your purchase.  Next, edit the HORIZONS rezzer (the large colored "eye") and drag the scene or shell from your new folder, into Horizons's contents.  If you cannot see HORIZONS, clear any active scenes and type "show" in normal public chat.  The system will reset, and notify you that it is ready for use in a few seconds.

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USING OTHER SYSTEM'S SCENES

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The Extras box that came with your purchase has several tools, including conversion kits for "Inside This World" holodeck scenes, and Novatech TARDIS rooms.  Details and instructions are in the Extras box.

For the holodeck aficionado, additional interfaces for OctoberWorks' "Paradise Blanket", and Garden of Dreams' "DreamScene" are available on any HORIZONS vendor or the Marketplace.  We also have Away Team, which connects HORIZONS to Novatech's transporters, letting you beam to and from scenes anywhere in the sim.

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HORIZONS AND THE TARDIS/EMDASH

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HORIZONS is compatible with any Novatech TARDIS or emDash.  After loading scenes into your HORIZONS system, simply take a copy and install it into your TARDIS as you would any other expansion room (with the "Install TARDIS" tool.)   To add HORIZONS to emDash, say "/install" to rez the tool installer, put your HORIZONS system in the installer's contents, then touch the installer.

If desired, you may also use HORIZONS as a TARDIS platform.  Simply rename HORIZONS to "PLATFORM Horizons" (or "PLATFORM Horizons Pro") before installing in your TARDIS.

When rezzed by the TARDIS or emDash, HORIZONS will automatically rez the TARDIS shell.  If you want to change this, edit the __config__ notecard an add a line like this:

    SHELL=Modern    // replace Modern with whatever shell you want to use

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CHAT COMMANDS

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Many of HORIZONS options can also be controlled by typing in normal, public chat.  As of this writing, chat commands include:

    list programs    - Displays available scenes.

            list scenes - Same as "list programs".

    clear                   - Clears the current scene.

            clear scene, end program - Same as "clear".

    track                  - Moves rezzed scenes and shells to their proper position

    run program      - Runs the scene specified.  For example, "run program asylum"

            load program, run scene, load scene   - Same as "run program".

    list shells           - Lists available shells

    run shell             - Loads the shell specified. For example, "load shell Holodeck 20"

            load shell   - Same as "run shell".

    clear shell          - Clears the current shell.

    hide                     - Makes the rezer invisible.

    hide shell           - Makes the shell invisible.

    hide floor           - Makes the shell's floor invisible (in supported shells.)

    

    show                   - Makes the rezzer visible.

    show shell         - Makes the shell invisible.

    show floor         - Makes the shell's floor invisible (in supported shells.)

    

    test                     - Temporarily moves the scene up several meters to make sure you've recorded everything.

                                    If desired, you can specify an offset.  For example, "test -5" to shift everything down 5 meters.

    end test             - Ends the test, returning the scene to its proper position

    arch, exit           - Rez a holodeck arch for easy access to the control panel.  This arch is temporary and will vanish in about 30 seconds or when the scene changes.

   

Any of these commands may be proceeded by the word "computer" for a more authentic Star Trek experience.  For instance, "computer arch".  Ambitious users can even change these commands by editing the __config__ notecard.  So if you want to run a scene by saying "operator, execute scenario ..." or "merlin, summon ..." you may.

When speaking shell and scene names, case is not important, nor do you have to type the complete name. You need only type enough to be unique, otherwise the system will load the first match.

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HELP & SUPPORT

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I would like to thank you for your purchase and hope you enjoy your HORIZONS system.   Please join the "Novatech" support group to stay informed of updates, ask questions, or locate other builders.  If you are interested in creating scenes for sale, please contact me in-world.  We charge a 20% commission and will advertise accepted creations through the group, and in vendors throughout Second Life and SL Exchange.

Sincerely,

Cheshyr Pontchartrain

Novatech

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Marketplace Listings: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/6116