MST Components

What’s in the Box?

When you wear the MetaHarper Show Tools package, you will see a disk with our logo on it appear in the center HUD position of your screen. Click it, and it will give you a folder with a few core tools as well as other optional subpackages. Seeing all of the contents at once can be a little overwhelming, but do not worry! You do not need to learn all of the contents, and most people only use a small part. You can browse the "Show Tools (MST)" section of the sidebar and simply use only components that are required for the particular type of activity you desire. However if you are curious, below is a list of all the included components along with a brief summary of what each does. This is only an overview, full documentation can be found in the sidebar on the left.

You might notice some of the names include underscore characters "_" instead of spaces. You might be wondering why we would do this. While the underscores can sometimes look funny, they are easier to use when tools talk to each other via scripts or in notecards, and result in less typos or syntax errors. For this reason we recommend to avoiding spaces when renaming these tools.

Core Components

• MST Choreo HUD SOLO – This is a wearable HUD. You can place it on the ground, copy in your animations, and then pick it up and wear it to arrange the animations into a nice timed sequence to support your acts. The “ChoreoHUD Solo” is a limited version of our other choreoHUD products, suitable for timing and recording single choreography sequences.
• MST_Centerpoint_rename_me – This is a single triangular object that you rez on the ground to define the general location of your performance area. Typically you rez this in the middle of your stage floor or stage template before using any of the other MST tools and rename this with the name of your stage. If you are planning on creating an act for someone else’s theater, you should rename it to match the name they have chosen for their theater’s centerpoint.

• MST_PerformanceEngine_rename_me – This is the brains of a performance. When rezzed on the ground, it looks like a simple triangular prim and contains most of the information about a particular act or stage set. It can include information about which props to rez, which scripted camera settings to use, and which choreographed sequences can be run. It is meant to be renamed something to specific to one of your acts.

• MST_Mover_rename_me – This is a square sheet you can rez on the ground. You can have avatars sit on this to ride it in a smooth timed movement path, or link it with objects you wish to move. You should rename this to match the role of the avatar or object you intend to use it to move.

• MST_VLPMover_rename_me - This is almost the same as the earlier mover. VLP stands for "Very Long Paths". This mover has slightly less features than the regular mover, but it is optimized to hold a little more waypoints and comes preconfigured to use two notecards instead of the usual one.

• MST QuickHUD This is a small hud with two buttons. It is used for quick access to your MST devices that might be rezzed out on the ground.

• ~MST rezTracker – This script can be placed in your stage props to allow them to be rezzed and derezzed quickly.
• Various Notecards "!MST README FIRST", "~Version 7.0 - What's New" are typical notecards included to help point new users at documentation and alert regular users to major new features.

Optional Components

Optional Camera Components

• MST Cam-Enabled Theater Seat – This customizable wooden seat is used by audience members to see scripted camera sequences. The scripts inside it can also be used with most other AVsitter (poseball-less) furniture you already own, and possibly other sit systems as well.
• MST Camera HUD – This is a simple one-prim HUD. It allows an avatar to see scripted camera sequences, even if they are not sitting in a seat. It’s useful for testing, particularly if you are not using the MST Interactive Theater experience on your land..
• MST Machinima Camsled – This is a blue disc that can follow the path of scripted cameras. By riding on it an avatar can gain the smoothest possible scripted camera performance. Typically this is used only for recording machinima and not for live performances.
• MST allow more seated avs – These are optional scripts that can be added to multi-avatar furniture to support scripted cameras for each sitting avatar beyond the first. This is rarely used and has largely been replaced by the MST Interactive Theater land experience product.

Optional Curtain Management

• MST SmartCurtain – This is a simple stage curtain that can be controlled via chat, clicks, or a wearable HUD. Rez it in front of your stage, resize the invisible frame prim and position it as needed, then click it and choose “repair” to rez the sliding flexi-cloth panels.
• MST Curtain HUD – Provides a quick little HUD to open and close the MST SmartCurtain.

Optional Outfitter / FX / Sync

• MST ObjectFX Script – This is a widely used, popular special effects script you can use to add common effects into your modifiable objects (fade in, fade out, colors, glow, particles, rotations, etc.)
• MST Outfitter HUD – This is a simple one-prim HUD. It allows an avatar to automatically wear or remove objects or clothes within special folders set up in advance in the wearer’s avatar inventory. This can be useful for changing costumes or attached props extremely fast during performances, either to improve reliability, timing, or to create a special effect of a rapid costume change. The MST Outfitter requires a viewer that can support RLV remote commands, such as Firestorm.
• MST camsync – This is an invisible, wearable original mesh object that helps prevent viewers from losing track of the wearer’s animations. Wear this while performing synchronized dances with others or on large stages where viewers need to cam around to see details.