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MST 6.x- SmartCurtain

What is it?

MST SmartCurtain is a professional-grade performing stage curtain, designed from years of feedback from many of SL’s famous directors. You do not need to use it, but if you do use a straight curtain in your performances it will perform well.

At its heart, it is a runner that fits across the top of your rectangular stage, with hanging panels of cloth that sweep open and close from the sides.

Typically a venue or stage will have a curtain in front of the performance area that can open and close. This is done to hide the rezzing of set changes, getting performers into position, or just providing a clean stop and start.

What makes it Smart?

  • Resizes easily to cover any rectangular size
  • Nice smooth cloth panel motion.
  • Automatic lag detection- curtain will work reliably even at peak showtimes with a full sim.
  • Control can be performed via clicking the top curtain runner, a HUD, chat commands, or built in MST event list commands.
  • Simple notecard for allowing additional users
  • Separate open and close commands, so you always know what your curtain will do. It will never flap open and closed when multiple users try and use it at the same time, like curtains do that use a simple toggle.
  • Allows both fast, normal, and slow open/close speeds
  • When closed the curtain uses some prim magic to avoid moving anyone’s viewer camera, even when the camera moves as part of its opening effect.

How do I use it?

  1. Rez the MST curtain. You will see a long bar appear. Enable transparency and you will see an invisible rectangular frame that will show you the area the curtain will cover when closed.
  2. Move this bar so that is positioned along the top of your performing stage.
  3. Resize the MST curtain object, so that the invisible frame completely covers your stage front. The curtain has a front and a back. The front size is the side of the curtain where the invisible from is located. Ensure this side faces the audience for proper ‘no camera drag’ behavior.
  4. Click the MST curtain runner, the visible part along the top of your stage. A dialog box will pop up in your SL viewer. Select ‘repair’ and cloth panels will rez into place. Click the curtain runner again and choose the ‘open’ and ‘close’ commands to test your curtain.

Customizing the Look

You can customize the look of the curtain by editing the panels in the SL build window and applying your own textures or colors. They are full perm. When you have finished editing them, take them each one at a time into your inventory (there are 8 in total). Then delete the original panels from the contents of the curtain runner. Add your 8 customized panels back into the contents of the curtain runner. Finally click ‘repair’ to insure they are rezzed correctly.

Sharing with Others

If you want other users to be able to open and close your curtain, open the contents of the MST smartcurtain object in front of your stage and edit the ALLOWED_CURTAIN_USERS notecard. Add names to this notecard and save it.

Controlling the curtain via chat commands

If you want to control the curtain via chat commands, open the contents of the MST smartcurtain object in front of your stage and edit the CURTAIN_CONFIG notecard.

Change the CURTAIN_CHANNEL value to the channel you wish to use, and then change CURTAIN_OPENCOMMAND and CURTAIN_CLOSECOMAND if you wish.

Note, do not change these to be both the same command, and only choose single word commands without special punctuation. Save the notecard and test.

Any avatar you have shared curtain control to can also use the chat commands to control the curtain.

Controlling the curtain with the MST Curtain HUD or with MST Performance Engine 5.4.7 or higher

If you wish to use the MST curtain HUD or the MST Performance Engine’s native curtain commands, you must have a MST Venue Centerpoint rezzed at your stage or performing area where the curtain will be used.

Open the MST Venue Centerpoint’s configuration notecard and edit the CURTAIN_OPEN and CURTAIN_CLOSE values to match the channel number and open/close commands in your curtain.

After you do this and save the notecard in the centerpoint, any MST Performance Engine or MST Curtain HUD object that is rezzed or worn in the area will automatically work with your curtain.

Note: You may need to detach/re-attach curtain HUD objects that are already worn, or re-rez MST performance engines to make this change effective. This will only need to be performed one time.