PBR mirrors in Second Life allow for realistic real-time reflections, significantly enhancing the realism of your virtual environment. This guide provides step-by-step instructions on enabling and optimizing real-time Physically Based Rendering (PBR) mirrors.
To experience real-time mirrors in Second Life, you must use a mirror-enabled viewer and adjust a few graphic settings.
Please note: You can only have one real-time mirror active at a time. Placing two mirrors close together or in a room with an existing reflection probe may cause visual glitches. Higher resolution and frame rate settings may impact performance.
Enable real-time PBR mirrors in Firestorm
- Press Ctrl + P for Preferences
- Go to the Graphics tab
- Check the box for Mirrors
- Set Reflection Detail to Static&Dynamic
- Set Reflection Coverage to Full scene
- Adjust the Mirror Resolution and Mirror Update Rate for the desired quality and performance
Enable real-time PBR mirrors in the Linden Lab viewer
- Press Ctrl + P for Preferences
- Go to the Graphics tab
- Navigate to Advanced Settings
- Check the Mirrors checkbox
- Set Reflection Detail to Static&Dynamic or Realtime
- Set Reflection Coverage to Full scene
- Adjust the Mirror Resolution and Mirror Update Rate for the desired quality and performance
If your viewer does not have these options, you cannot see the real-time mirrors yet. Ensure your viewer is updated or consider switching to one that supports these settings.
Tips for Optimal Performance
- Single Mirror Rule: Remember, only one real-time mirror can be active at a time to avoid visual glitches.
- Viewer Updates: Ensure your Second Life viewer is updated to the latest version to avoid compatibility issues.
- Performance Impact: Adjust the resolution and update rate to improve performance.
Fixed bug of mirrors turning gray
If you are experiencing an issue where the mirrors turn gray when using the texture change option, please note that this bug has been fixed in the updated versions. The corrected versions are:
- Dutchie Bathroom Sink Vanity Adult PBR Mirror
- Dutchie Bathroom Sink Vanity PG PBR Mirror
If you have another version and are experiencing this issue, please mail us or contact Michael Dereham inworld for assistance.
Report bugs to Linden Lab
The mirrors feature, especially with PBR, is still very new to Second Life and can sometimes have unexpected behavior. We highly recommend reporting viewer bugs to Linden Lab to help improve this feature.
Inara Pey has written an extensive manual on creating a prim mirror in Second Life. If this guide does not answer your questions, you might find the information you need in her manual.
We hope these tips help you create a more immersive and visually stunning Second Life. Have fun with the mirrors!
