If you look backstage at your favourite performance theater you might see a mesh logo like the one in the picture to the left, the MetaHarper harp-mermaid.
If you click this object, you will be given a notecard containing useful information for show creators. Some of this information will be of interest to MetaHarper Show Tools (MST) users, and some of this notecard will be of interest to anyone who creates acts for this theater regardless of the tools they use. You will find:
- The Theater’s official MST Centerpoint name.
- The Theater’s official centerpoint owner.
These pieces of information are useful to configure your MST Performance Engine (aka, the ‘newAct’ object) . You do not have to use the above pieces of information– you are free to rez your own MST centerpoints if you have access to do so, but using the official centerpoint will help keep the theater decluttered.
In addition to centerpoint info above, you will find a full permission, color-coded theater template, for anyone who wishes to make acts for this theater. An example of one is shown in the image below.
White areas show walls that your audience will see. You may wish to cover these with your props or retexture them.
Black areas represent obstructions that are built into the theater, such as columns, walls, stairs, etc. Avoid any movement in your act that would cross into black areas. It is also recommended not to cover these up with props or retexture them- leave them alone. Additionally, there is often a black prim near the lower-front of the stage to provide an indicator of how high above the theater floor the stage begins.
Grey areas represent backstage space where other performers or props can be safely out of sight of the theater audience. It is recommended that you use the grey areas to temporarily hold props or avatars that move in and out of your act scene.
Blue areas represent ‘thrusts’ in front of the main stage curtain that are visible to the audience. The blue areas can be safely retextured or covered to fit your scene, but be aware that it will be visible before the curtain opens.
How do I use these new Theater Templates?
You may use these templates by travelling to your build area of choice, opening the ‘MST Theater Template Instructions‘ notecard you received from the theater’s backstage harp-mermaid object, and clicking the embedded object icon next to the template’s name. You will be presented with a dialog asking if you wish to copy the template to your inventory. Confirm ‘Yes.’
From there, drag the template from your inventory to your build area.
If you are using the MST suite, navigate your camera under the template’s floor and find the bright white ‘centerpoint marker’. Edit this object in your viewer’s build window. Take a note of the marker’s position coordinates and rotation values. You may which to copy these values to your clipboard by clicking the lowercase ‘c’ button next to each section, then pasting the values into a temporary scratch space such as a notecard, chat window, or external editor.
Next rez your MST Venue Centerpoint, and set its position and rotation to the values you have recorded above. You may click the lowercase ‘p’ button to paste in the values from the clipboard directly, saving time. When you are finished, your red centerpoint should be lined up with the white marker under the stage floor. Give your red centerpoint a name that matches the suggested one in the template’s notecard.
Now, when you build acts on in your workspace, you will have confidence they will line up perfectly with your target theater!
Special Note: The white sections of the template are spaced out a little in front of the target theater so they can accept your own textures without “z-fighting” graphical interference you would normally get if you place two objects too close together.
If you wish to retexture the white or blue surfaces, unlink these prims from the template, retexture them as you like, and then pack them into your MST performance engine’s rezzer similar to any other prop. When you unpack them at the actual theater they will be in the correct location and look just as you would expect.
If your favourite theater does not have a backstage MST informational notecard giver like this, and you would like one, I’m happy to work with the theater owner to set one up.
Happy Show Creating!
-Arrehn Oberlander
