Havok refresh on Second Life beta grid (1.18.6.77074)

Sidewinder Linden reports that the Second Life beta grid (Aditi) has been updated with a new version of the Havok 4.6 adapter code, ready for a weekend beta test.

There are a quite a number of good fixes in this refresh. Havok4 is starting to feel more like a physics system should, despite the engine not being ideally suited for tasks like it is being asked to perform.

Here are the listed changes for this release:

• SVC-1048: Forces from attachments are no longer defeated by the "landing" animation state

• SVC-1071: No-Mod objects can now be rescaled by contained scripts

• SVC-1072: Scripted objects rezzed between 1024m and 4096m altitude now work correctly

• SVC-1093: Hollow prims no longer go off-world when prim center is below terrain near a cliff

• SVC-1120: Estate Disable Collisions setting now effective on objects

• SVC-1121: No Object Entry setting now blocks object entry at parcel boundaries

• SVC-1124: Creating a Linden fern no longer crashes the simulator

• DEV-3882: Hover vehicle now turns while coasting

• DEV-5139: llTargetOmega will now rotate a non-rotating attachment

• DEV-6597: Objects no longer freeze (stick in place) when near an avatar

• DEV-7175: Rolling spheres now settle in a more natural way

• DEV-7414: Size limit checks now added to RCCS, so that objects larger than an avatar are not simplified under high physics load

• DEV-7617: Avatars no longer levitate and drop back down to platforms

• DEV-7710: Setting interpenetrating spheres to physical no longer causes simulator "deep think"

• DEV-8190: Objects now have the same mass, whether attached or not

• DEV-8351: llMoveToTarget scripted objects are now stopped at the boundary of a No Object Entry parcel (similar to SVC-1121)

Linden Lab says they're hoping for another bugfix round and refresh next Friday, with a little luck.

The whole project is geared at improving the overall stability and load-handling capacity of Second Life simulators, rather than adding new features. It's certainly done a good job so far of closing up a number of ways that physics could be exploited to crash simulators outright.

Catch up with more information about Havok4 and Second Life here.