Whirligig News

Hi everyone

Welcome to the long overdue update to Whirligig's default build. I've put this off for far too long, which means there are a lot of updates.

Backend updates:

• Unity3D updated to 2919.4.23f1.
  
• AVPro Video plugin updated to AVPro 2.x.
  
• Oculus SDK updated to latest build.
  
• SteamVR updated to latest build.
  
• Performance improvements in UI and video playback for Media Foundation.
  
• Improvements to the UI control system.
  

Features:

• Desktop Mirroring updated and moved to the explorer menu as a tab
  
• Webcam support added to the Explorer menu.
  
• Sharpness added to Image Adjustment Menu.
  
• Added support for external VLC installation.
  
• Added extra movement options to key assigns.
  
• Added thumbnails to save slots.
  
• Proper none VR support.
  
• Disable VR mirroring has been improved and now also displays a Whirligig mirroring disabled.
  
• Command -forcesteam if you wish to force Oculus to use Steam instead of Oculus SDK.
  
• compatibility with Quest/2 link cable.
  
• Virtual Desktop support remote play supported through -forcesteam
  

Bug fixes:
There has been numinous bug fixes and to be honest to much to mention. If you find more let me know. They seem to keep breeding regardless of how many I squash.

[h3]If you have issues with the update[/h3]
I've tried very hard to make this update not break Whirligig for people already using it. However it is important to note that it's very difficult to know how this update will effect all uses. Here are some suggestions that might help if you run into problems.

Return to previous default version
If you find that you are having problems with the update you can easy return the previous default build which will remain in the betas section in Whirligig Steam properties. I've created a tutorial to help people who haven't done this before, although I will say it's very easy to do. The build to return to is whirligig_early_access_v.4.762. Here is the tutorial:
https://youtu.be/z9pv-cgn4IE

Reset Whirligig to factory settings
Whirligig doesn't hold any information in the registry and saves all it's files out to ini files contain in a folder called Whirligig in the roaming folder of windows. By deleting this folder Whirligig is effectively return to factory settings. Here are instructions to remove this folder:

Close Whirligig.
Navigate here :
C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming
Find the folder called 'Whirligig' and rename or delete it.
Restart Whirligig.

That should reset Whirligig back to factory settings. To fully be sure that it's a clean install uninstall Whirligig from Steam and check it's install folder to make sure the Whirligig folder has been removed. My install location is "C:\Program Files (x86)\Steam\steamapps\common\Whirligig" but yours my be installed in a different location. Steam when uninstalling a program should remove the install folder but I've had a couple of reports where this hasn't happened properly and when updating old files aren't overwritten which causes problems.

Contact me
If you are having a problem with the update and wish to help me fix it please contact me or post on the Whirligig Steam forum. I'll do my best to find the problem and post a fix or help with getting Whirligig working for you again. The more bugs I can find and fix the better for everyone.

Email: [email protected]

Steam Forum: https://steamcommunity.com/app/451650/discussions/0/

[h3]Final Thoughts[/h3]

This update has been a long time coming and will hopefully help me move forward with more features, more improvements and more bug fixing in the future. I've been making Whirligig since 2016 and although there are several video players on the market now, I think that Whirligig still has a place for a certain type of user who just want that little extra control, projection format options or Whirligig has a specific function that isn't present in the other apps.

To everyone who has support Whirligig over the years I'm eternally grateful and look forward to updating and improving Whirligig in future versions for you all.

You've already supported me by buying Whirligig but if you want to do something else a good review is always gratefully received.

I look forward to hearing your feedback and wish you all the best of health and hopefully a great year ahead.

Until next time, keep watching

Phil

P.S.

I'm also working on a game and games engine (actually based around Whirligig). If you want to see what this is all about check out http://pageone-adventure.co.uk/

Hi everyone

So before Christmas I posted to say that I wanted to update the default build with the current beta and that if anyone was having problems with this version then please get in touch.

Well the version I wanted to use has been through the ringer and many of the changes I made to fix things broke things. The biggest one of these was updating to Unity 2021 (the 3D engine I use) which caused a slow down in playback for many people especially when combine with super-sampling.

So I've reverted back to Unity 2019 and updated everything else. This seems to of either kept or improved the performance so that's good.

So again the cry to arms goes out to everyone especially people who haven't tried the betas before to give this one a go and let me know if you have any problems with the update. I'm hoping there will only be minor bugs left if any (there might be bugs that are in the previous version and this one but hopefully I've not added any new ones).

The betas have been worked on for a long time now so there are lots of improvement including better desktop mirroring, improved performance, sharpening options and a load more.

If you're interested in trying the betas here is a link to a Youtube video helping to explain how to update to the latest beta and back again. It's very easy :)
https://youtu.be/z9pv-cgn4IE

I hope you like the update. If I don't get any complaints about new bugs I'll be updating the default soon. So if you do encounter problems I beg of you please let me know. The more I can get red of the better.

Apart from that I hope you are all well, looking forward to better times and if you're in the northern hemisphere the summer. If you in the southern hemisphere I hope your winter is brief and mild.

Until next time

Phil the one and only developer of Whirligig

Hi everyone

I've uploaded a new beta release 'whirligig_early_access_v.4.87'. I'll be updating the whirligig_early_access_latest_beta soon but this is a big update in sorts so I wanted to get a little feedback before committing to the larger release.

So firstly I've been wanting to update the default build for a while and the last beta update was, I was hoping, going to be the last before that update. However some people had problems and a there have been a few major updates to the Unity3D software and video plugins. In an effort to take advantage of the new tools, performance improvements and new feature I've spent the past few weeks implementing these changes.

'whirligig_early_access_v.4.87' is the first beta to have these changes and with any luck they will pave the way to more updates in the future.

Updates:
Moved to latest Unity3D engine 2020 build. The hope here is that the people at Unity3D will of improved Unity's performance and VR integration and by moving up to this version I'll be able to take advantage of that. Also this helps for future updates and means I can develop with the latest tools and benefits.

AVPro plugin update to version 2. AVPro is the plugin I use to drive the Media Foundation and DirectShow video playback support. The people at Renderhead have been working hard to release this new version of their plugin with increased performance and extra features. By moving to this AVPro v2 I can now take advantage of new features and any improvements they make. The first thing that should now work is support for videos with 3D meta data that fail to run properly before. Regarding new features, they have extra features for surround sound playback and I'm looking forward to taking advantage of these new features in coming updates. There currently is one know bug when loading videos where you will see a white flash. This should be fixed soon.

So what do I want from you?
Please let me know how this update has effected performance and playback and any other bugs you might come across. Anything I can iron out before updating the default build the better. The aim of these up and coming releases are to improve performance, improve stability and fix and underlying problems that are still there.

So any feedback is welcome. I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this release :)

I want to tell you this
So I also want to push something else on you. I'm currently making an adventure game called 'Page One' and I've recently released a demo. Please swing on over there and take a look: https://store.steampowered.com/app/1356030/Page_One/

I'll be updating this demo soon as well so keep an eye out for that.

If you're interested in the development of 'Page One' I've also got a blog which you can check out here.
http://pageone-adventure.co.uk/

Whirligig has a big part to play in Page One's development and you can read all about it there :)

Hope that's everything. Everyone have a happy new year.

Until next time

Phil

Hi everyone

I'm going to split this up in to 3 sections. The beta to default, SideQuest give away and "Page One" the game.

[h3]Beta to default[/h3]
So if you are a beta user of Whirligig you'll know there have been many changes over the last year, improving speed, fixing bugs, adding features, improving none VR support. I want to take this to the default.

So what do I want from you? Firstly if you haven't tried out the betas please give the latest a go. It's version 4.86 there are loads of updates to if from the default, too much to mention. It should be more stable and run smoother. Here is a tutorial on how to try the betas, it's very easy in Steam:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E0g9ICfaxbU

If you're already using the betas, please update to the latest version.

Now what I need to know is, are there any deal breakers? If I update the default to the latest beta am I going to break things for people who haven't tried the betas.

If you've moved from the the default to the beta you are very important to me. Did it break anything? If I did this would people who have an automatic update find they are confused or it's broken for them.

I want the update to go smoothly but I've held off for so long that I'm worried I've made changes that will effect people who aren't using the betas. It's totally my fault but what can you do :)

[h3]Whirligig on SideQuest give away[/h3]
So I've finally managed to get Whirligig released and working on the Quest. Currently it doesn't have DLNA support but I do hope to fix that at some point.

So what am I giving away? Well if you own Whirligig on any of the stores, Steam, Oculus or Viveport then I'll be happy to give you a free key for Whirligig on SideQuest. Just email me [email protected] and I'll send one over. This actually goes both ways so if you've just bought Whirligig on SideQuest then I'll happily offer you (although not so happily as it's cheaper on SideQuest) a key to your Store of choice.

This will be for a limited period. I haven't made any decisions how limited but expect it to be to the end of the year at least.

If you buy it on SideQuest or get a code from me and like using Whirligig on the Quest a review is always welcome :)

[h3]Page One (The Adventure Game)[/h3]
And thirdly. So I've been working on a game for a while now. A long while. Whirligig isn't just a video player. I've programmed a games engine into it. This games engine is an offshoot from Whirligig and you can download it and find out more from here:
https://pageone-adventure.co.uk/game-creator/

and the game here:
https://pageone-adventure.co.uk/page-one/
and on Steam here:
https://store.steampowered.com/app/1356030/Page_One/

and demo will be released soon so keep an eye out for that.

I've also posted on Reddit with much more info and a discussion is in progress. You can check that out here:
https://www.reddit.com/r/adventuregames/comments/k5bchr/im_making_an_adventure_game_myst_like_and_wonder/

I really want to make "Page One" a thing that I can release and that people will enjoy. I got into making Whirligig because I wanted to work in VR and make a game. I'd like to reignite that passion :)

[h3]And Finally[/h3]
I'd like to offer everyone who has purchased and commented offering suggestions for features and letting me know about bugs my thanks. I wasn't expecting Whirligig to sell and although I haven't made my millions from it. Everyone who has purchased it allowed me to reduce my hours at my job and work on it to improve it and hopefully making it worth using for those who like to fiddle, tweak and be overwhelmed by options.

Whirligig isn't the most polished VR video player but I think I've managed to make something that a lot of people have got pleasure out of using, from watching their favourite movies and shows to the pleasures of which we will not name.

I hope you all have a lovely holiday, I hope that life gets better for everyone in 2021 (not sure how it could get worse, although I wouldn't put money it not) and lets look to the future with the best example of hope that we can muster.

Until next time, happy watching :)

Phil

Hi all

So I've released Whirligig for the Oculus Quest on SideQuest;

https://sidequestvr.com/app/2171/whirligig-vr-media-player

and I'm offering for a limited time free codes to get it on SideQuest. Just email me [email protected] and I'll send you a code for the itch.io store that's linked to SideQuest.

If anyone of you want to take on the offer I'd really apricate feedback. I'm not currently sure if it works on the Oculus Quest 2. I've ordered one which should arrive on Sunday :) So I'll be able to test it then. If any of you have a Quest 2 and want to give it a go let me know.

Apart from that, thanks for your support over the years and hopefully I can continue to support Whirligig for the years to come.

All the best and best of health

Phil