What has Lunar been up to?

First of all I beg your pardon for my English or lack thereof, its very late for me but I am so happy to be building again. Since moving back to Idaho from Washington State my human fell into the deepest depression one could have. The only sanity in that time was Steelhead and for that both myself and the human are quite grateful.

From between meetings, classes and general RL mayhem rush before January 3rd when my time in SL will be quartered I have begun a mad dash to finish ten projects at once.

The Mad Rush - The need to finish Vista House was greatest priority as a team of K-12 educators came to Steelhead and had a tour of three places, St. Helens, Vista House & Multnomah Falls and the dock in Port Harbor. They were impressed with the recreations, the scenery and the build altogether. *I can breathe easy now.

More on the remake of Vista House to come.

There is one thing I am particularly proud of... its the rebuild of Port Harbor. Even among my own citizens I get asked the question, "I didn't know you did anything to Port Harbor." *sighs

- The Casbah was finished (Earlier post on the entirety of that particular build)
- The entire docks on the northeast side of the sim was torn apart and recreated, west... hell everything's being redone.
- The narrows into the bay was widened significantly
- The textures were darkened to give it a 'pirate' dark wharf feel
- Remaking all the lamps and rental poles

The list goes on... pictures are better ne?

Entrance from Harborside to Port Harbor

Landing point to Port Harbor

I am perhaps the worlds WORST texture creator. I used to have minions for this task but I am forced to do this on my own. I spent three hours on this texture, pathetic. But the sign looks pretty.









This is the new landing point into
Port Harbor, right smack on the docks facing this second lovely sign.








My worst critic once mocked me for such a small narrow gateway from the north of Port Harbor to the bay. I admit my fault for lack of foresight but I took this opportunity to remedy this.

Bridge not yet named.

View from The Casbah

View with The Casbah

I had no inspiration from any RL bridgework for this, but it spans over 60 meters high, the narrows over 64 meters wide and if you look closely... its... a...drawbridge. Soon to be working. Part of the mechanics are already in place and the rest are going to be scripted. Both sides will independently rise at certain intervals during the day.

But Lunar... how will you power this?

Two words... hydro... teslatron.

In 2010 for an RFL display Tensai created the Hydro Teslatron from a RL tribute to Nikola Tesla and his research in hydroelectric power, we're happy to finally find a home for it in Steelhead. (http://www.lestercreative.com/falls_view.htm)

The hydro Teslatron is the first... and ONLY recreation in SL with fully working and spinning turbines creating electricity for the new bridge. (Note: Someone had taken pictures of the RFL teslatron and laid claim as its creator. The post is now down but I hate to have someone take credit for Tensai's work)

So we have a hydro electric powered working drawbridge in Port Harbor. This is unique to Steelhead, never to be sold or used in another place.

Hydro Teslatron

The new skyline of Port Harbor
Can you find Lunar in this picture?

Shanghai rebuild.

I decided the Port Harbor pier scheme must extend to the other port city, Shanghai. Though that is still in progress my focus in Shanghai was a huge bare spot of land recently vacated by the Dragonlands. Almost a quarter of the sim was vacated at once. *sighs* The tiered design of the land remains though not in the severity as it had been before.

What is to come?

- An entire new dock
- Broken aqueducts
- An entire rebuild of the sun pagoda in prim/sculpt/mesh
- Fix the ground texture that has bugged me since I opened it.
- Underground opium dens underneath rentable parcels
- and.. alot more.

In the background I rezzed Shiabozai Temple, a build I created for RFL 2010. If you would like to visit the temple before I take it back into inventory it will be up there for the next few days after this post. The temple is a recreation of an existing temple in China stands higher than Mt St Helens and is over a thousand prims and was created before the introduction of big prims.

New lamposts for Shanghai/Port Harbor

Standing taller than Mt St Helens.

Shiabozai Temple as seen from underneath the aqueducts.

Guess what building is going to feel my wrath next?

Don't hide Pagoda, I can see you.

The current Sun Temple stands at over seventy meters dead center of Shanghai. It will be rebuilt entirely from the ground up to include sculpts and mesh as well as prims. Prim is not dead in SL and I aim to prove that.

Another thing of note, the 'broken' aqueducts are something new in Shanghai. They will, to add ambiance, remain broken and span from Main Steelhead through to the east sim edge of Shanghai. Do they look familiar to you? They should, they were part of my design for RFL 2011. All the changes you see in Shanghai were done over a single night, give me a week I'll have a great deal more accomplished.

The technology has changed and so must we. Earlier in the year St Helens was slated clean and we started over creating a truly secluded forest feel to an already frontier themed township. We are ever changing, Steelhead has never remained stagnant. What has been done can be done better and Tensai and I are very content to bring you more.

The only thing I want for Christmas is TO LEARN MESH.
Then I truly shall be dangerous.

Sun Pagoda, broken aqueducts and Shiabozai Temple.

That's the update for the madness, please visit Port Harbor to see the changes and keep visiting here to hear my rantings.

Gracias y buenas noches.

- Lunar