ANav
Automated navigation server system 98-1178-B
Name | NS ANav Server |
---|---|
MSRP | L$ 800 |
XVS server | xvendor:0 |
Permissions | copy, modify |
Land impact | 1 |
Attachment point | none |
Function | Sends pathfinding instructions to allow units and NPCs to move between waypoints |
SKU | CPD 98-1178-B |
Requirements | compatible receiver (ARES, Conversant, or ATOS/D) |
First release | Release 1 (2024-12-19) |
Latest release | Release 1 (2024-12-19) |
Related products | none |
ANav the Advanced Navigation Service by Nanite Systems Release 1 (2024-12-16) Server build 48 Tool version 1.0 Description ANav is a system for assisting automated path-finding by NPCs and avatars in Second Life. It augments SL's existing path-finding system to help scale its relatively limited understanding of motion by allowing the landowner to define waypoints ("nodes"). An ANav deployment consists of four components: 1. The ANav Client, which is built into ARES, Conversant, and other agent-based software 2. The ANav Server (included in this package), which calculates routes and tracks nodes 3. The ANav Tool (also in this package), which is used by the server owner to set up and manage nodes 4. Self-declaring ANav objects, such as Nanite Systems Telos teleporter pads, which automatically announce themselves to the ANav server as available nodes IMPORTANT: The ANav server should only be used by the parcel or region owner. Only one ANav server is allowed per parcel or per region. A region-level ANav server will conflict with a parcel-level server. Quick Setup 1. Rez the ANav Server in a discreet location, such as a server room, closet, or city hall building. It will temporarily change its name to 'Telos Menu' and probe for any available Telos pads, then change its name to 'ANav Server'. 2. Attach the ANav Tool and connect to the server by pressing the button in the top-left corner of the window. 3. Click the 'Set Server Scope' button. If you want the server to control the whole region, enter 'parcel' in the textbox that appears. Otherwise enter 'region'. 4. Walk through your parcel, clicking the 'Add Node' button at every street intersection, street corner, and important doorway. - Every node must have line of sight to at least one other node. Closed doors are not traversable (yet). - If your parcel is in-doors, regard hallways as streets. Provide text in the textbox as follows: a. If the node represents the entrance to a location (such as a building or room) that you would like to be regarded as a destination of interest, enter a (very) short nickname and name. For example, a laboratory might be "lab Laboratory" or just "l Laboratory" b. If the node represents an unimportant location, like a street intersection or corner, leave the box empty. A filler value will be generated automatically. 5. Click 'Node Directory' to see a list of all nodes that you gave names. Telos pads will also be shown. 6. Click 'Node Lookup' to get more information about a node. 7. Click 'Recalculate Nav Mesh' once all your nodes are placed. 8. Use 'Trace Route to Node' to generate a path from your current position to one of the nodes you named in step 4a. Using ANav in ARES - The @nav command automatically interfaces with any available ANav server. - Use @navto go to a location, e.g. '@nav lab' - Use '@nav dir' to see the list of available named nodes. - Use '@nav info ' to get information about a node. Using ANav in Conversant - See Conversant documentation. Conversant is not yet available as of this writing. Advice - If you remove nodes, or add new nodes after recalculation, you must run 'Recalculate Nav Mesh' again. - Press 'Regenerate All Nicknames' if you change the name of a Telos pad. - Press 'Node Probe' if you add or remove Telos pads. - If tracing fails, you probably need to add more intermediate nodes. Caveats - Every node must have line of sight to at least one other node. Closed doors are not traversable (yet). - Recalculating takes n^2 * 0.030 seconds per node, or about 30 ms per edge. - The ANav Server will run out of memory if you have more than around 100 entries. - ANav will try to use SL pathfinding to direct agents between locations when possible, but it usually fails. It is sensitive to strange parameters like the height of your avatar. Raycasting is used as a fallback to determine if two locations can reach each other, and is more reliable, but far from perfect. - Calculating a path between two locations takes longer the more nodes are in the system. A fully-loaded ANav service can take 2-3 minutes just to walk you down the street. When Conversant gets ANav support, it will cache paths to avoid repeated lookups. - ARES navigation is not perfect; it will sometimes stop moving even though there are still tasks left. Type '@nav stop' if this happens.