# Hyperfy Discord - 2025-05-04

## Overall Discussion Highlights

### 3D Development & Technical Features
- **Skinned Mesh Bone Access**: Ashxn shared work on giving apps access to skinnedmesh bones, allowing for more efficient manipulation of 3D models with a single draw call instead of multiple meshes. This approach is similar to how GTA 5 implements cars with doors, wheels, and other movable parts.
- **Scale-aware LOD**: A new option was introduced that dynamically adjusts LOD distance thresholds based on object scaling, solving issues where fixed distances become inappropriate for scaled objects.
- **Lighting Techniques**: Vox shared methods using stencil meshes and sun positioning to create lighting effects without performance overhead.
- **Solana Integration**: Ashxn updated the official solana-v2 branch for use in projects like Fallen.

### UI/UX Design Philosophy
- **Editor Mode Concept**: Cru presented a concept for an "editor mode" as an alternative to build mode, sparking discussion about UI design philosophy.
- **UI Customization**: Several developers discussed the potential for docking/pinning UI elements to create custom IDE-like experiences.
- **Mod Management**: Peezy is working on a UI for managing hypkg mods that loads from separate folders to avoid conflicts.

### Documentation & Community
- **Documentation Recovery**: After Saori left the project and dropped the domain, dean.land performed a "gitingest" on the Hyperfy.how GitHub repository to make documentation available for LLMs in the interim.
- **Onboarding Events**: VTATV mentioned upcoming New York City events that will showcase Hyperfy and onboard users to web3 and metaverse experiences.

## Key Questions & Answers

**Q: Is there a way to change the color of emission?** (asked by Gert-Jan Akerboom)  
A: You can add a texture in the emission slot and use texture atlas, or use the same color for diffuse and emissive so the bloom is the same color. (answered by b0gie and Ashxn)

**Q: Do you guys get random disconnects in your servers?** (asked by vincentskele)  
A: Yes quite often (answered by vox)

**Q: Is there a way to get rid of any default skybox image that is built in core?** (asked by vox)  
A: The plan is to have no default skysphere and worlds start with a sky app that you can delete (answered by Ashxn)

**Q: What's the best way to get caught up with everything that's been happening here?** (asked by Edmnd)  
A: Check community calls on YouTube, progress in specific Discord channels, and Hyperfy.How tutorials for building on the platform. (answered by maximus)

**Q: If I instance many different items across the scene, each with 3 LODs visible at different distances simultaneously, do I get 3 times the drawcalls compared to using 1 LOD?** (asked by vox)  
A: Yes, but you're still far better off using LODs. (answered by Ashxn)

**Q: Do you think it would be cool to let builders `teleport` to an app or is that overkill?** (asked by b0gie)  
A: It's hard to find a place they can safely teleport to without ending up in a collider. (answered by Ashxn)

## Community Help & Collaboration

1. **LOD Group Behavior**
   - Helper: Ashxn | Helpee: b0gie
   - Context: Understanding LOD group behavior with active property
   - Resolution: Explained that a LOD group takes over control of its children's .active boolean, so you need to disable the entire LOD group

2. **Emission Color Techniques**
   - Helper: b0gie | Helpee: Gert-Jan Akerboom
   - Context: Changing emission color
   - Resolution: Suggested adding a texture in the emission slot and using texture atlas

3. **3D Baking Skills**
   - Helper: vox | Helpee: Shiffty
   - Context: Baking skills for 3D environments
   - Resolution: Recommended getting the simplebake addon, zenUV, and UVpackmaster to save time compared to vanilla baking in Blender

4. **Documentation Recovery**
   - Helper: dean.land | Helpee: Community
   - Context: Documentation unavailable after Saori left
   - Resolution: Performed gitingest on GitHub repository to make docs available for LLMs

5. **Onboarding New Users**
   - Helper: maximus | Helpee: Edmnd
   - Context: New user wanting to get up to speed with recent events
   - Resolution: Provided resources including YouTube links and specific Discord channels to review

## Action Items

### Technical
- Implement skinnedmesh.getBone(name) functionality to allow apps to access and manipulate bones in skinned meshes (Mentioned by Ashxn)
- Develop UI for management of hypkg mods with separate folder loading to avoid conflicts (Mentioned by peezy)
- Reinstate mesh.visible property to mean "not rendered but still raycastable" for right-click access to skinned meshes (Mentioned by Ashxn)
- Implement scale-aware LOD option for better distance threshold handling when objects are scaled (Mentioned by Ashxn)
- Consider implementing teleportation functionality for apps with collision detection solutions (Mentioned by b0gie)
- Implement "god mode" for builders to avoid collision issues (Mentioned by b0gie)
- Explore vertex painting for object detailing using techniques for secondary and tertiary "filler objects" (Mentioned by b0gie)
- Test UCUPaint for emissive painting capabilities (Mentioned by b0gie)
- Investigate potential avatar orientation bug when left-clicking during movement (Mentioned by TheMattEmpire)

### Documentation
- Update documentation for LOD groups to explain that hiding meshes requires disabling the entire LOD group (Mentioned by Ashxn)
- Restore Hyperfy.how documentation after domain was dropped (Mentioned by Ashxn)
- Consider documenting known visual effects from third-party apps (Mentioned by ash)

### Feature
- Create "editor mode" as alternative to build mode with a clean UI and strong overview for easier building (Mentioned by cru)
- Add ability to pin or dock widgets and tabs for UI layout customization (Mentioned by Shiffty)
- Implement VRM bone access similar to skinnedmesh bones for better player character animations (Mentioned by peezy)
- Create a pathway for transitioning from default skysphere to sky app (Mentioned by Ashxn)
- Add configuration option to show/hide teleportation possibility in apps (Mentioned by DevStarlight)
- Develop full world scaled weather system with new particle system (Mentioned by drdoge.eth)
- Plan events for onboarding users to web3 and metaverse experiences in NYC (Mentioned by VTATV)