New Avatar Type?

Under the Second Life Press Forum, there is an entry/link for an interview with Robin (Harper) Linden by GamerGod.com.

Second Life: Exclusive Interview

It starts out with the following:



The picture being referred to is attached.

Is this just a bird made out of prims OR a new avatar type that may be coming to a future update? If so, we may be able to play in non-humanoid forms. Perhaps even four-legged (or no-legged) avatars.

Or... maybe this could be a new lifeform for Second Life... animals with behaviors?

Has anyone heard anything about these possibilities?

(Edited to add article link.)

I have seen something like this done in ahern. maybe an cloaking script for the av and just an object undeneath that?

PAGING PSYRA TO THREAD #23702

Is there a link to this article?

Also it looks like that its just an avatar with an animation to crumple up the upper body (the legs stick out at the bottom) into the main bird body object. It looks to me like the bird is made out of prims. Really well done though.

Notice the discoloration between the feet and the legs and the body has hard points where two prims would meet, as a skeletal avatar rarely hase these unless edited.

However I could be completely wrong, but I doubt its a new avatar type.

I would love to see a new avatar type though, four legged and bird-like avatars would be awsome.

While both are possible through use of animations and attachments, its just not the same.

Edit: Oh another tip off is the feet shadows, they look like the regular human feet shape, while new avatars don't nessisarily need new shadow feet shapes, for a bird avatar that'd look a bit odd to have that kinda shadow shape.

Yeah, I was thinking that that looks like a Psyra Extraordinaire creation. He makes some amazing avatars.

That would be wicked! but i bet if they made animal avy's and with the name secondlife people would probably think this was some kind of game aimed towards buddist(is that the religion that thinks in your secondlife you become an animal?) and you know how people look for things to complain about!

I was thinking Psyra too.

That's very much like a Chocobo, that picture.

"DEEKIN!"

Funny, my first thought was "is this a Chobobo avatar?"

Bird avs have been around since ALPHA! Flyk Escher made a really cute bird av back in alpha... I've had the pleasure of seeing it a couple of times. Actually if she hasnt changed it in the mean time, its on her First Life profile pic.
I have seen avatars far more impressive than that little bird though!
Someone makes the most amazing star wars avatars, and one of them is some kind of alien riding an animal. Sorry I'm not a star wars expert
This kind of av is usualy achieved by attaching the lower portion of the av to the pelvis and the upper part to the head so they move independently.
Last Christmas there was some crazy chick at the morris building area that had a way cool reindeer av, but I forgot her name

kweh!?

Wark! The avatar was created on avalon.

*gives Chocobo a Star in Detective Work*

Chocobo Charlton:
Detective Work: *

Allright, I'm a geek. It's now been one hour I've had this in mind, and trying to remember if it's the black Chocobo that can cast the Choco Meteor in FF Tactics, or the red. I think it's the red. Isn't this the best, most useful thought of the day, huh. I think this means... I need a break! (and a de-addiction)

Oh, uhm, yes... avatars, birdies... err... if these birds are as nice as they're told, then I need to go have a look in world too.

Ah ha! I agree... excellent detective wark!

So it seems that this is a beautiful prim-based bird avatar costume with a custom animation that bends the wearer into a suitable shape to fit.

It is excellent work. And I'm glad that I've been able to also discover the nice designs of Psyra Extraordinare because of this subject. Still... I was hoping that we might have been teased with an evolutiuon of the avatar tools for Second Life that are built in to the client software.

Right now I don't think it's possible to have prim-based avatars that respond to all the animations and gestures a plain avatar can. Especially in the face. Mouths don't move. Eyes don't blink. etc. I have seen some examples of blinking eyes using animated textures but that is a bit diffferent.

I was hoping that this was an example of a new non-humanoid avatar type that we could utilize without having to use prim attachments. Especially considering some of the trouble that attachments have with teleporting and not rezzing properly.

Or, as I alluded to earlier, the possibility of introducing animals in Second Life that were mesh-based, like our avatars, and not prim based, so they were more life-like. These could have behaviors of their own or could be programmed to behave in certain ways. Would be cool to have as wildlife or pets inworld.

Hehe, I must point out that it was actually Chocobo Carlton that made this av, a talented avalon.crew member

Oh wow, I'd totally kill for quadrupedial avatars! I'd have so much fun abusing that.

YOU MADE THIS, CHOCOBO?

Well, your name might help to explain it... sooo cute Yay!

Kweh to you too! ^_^

Yes, indeed, that picture is Chocobo Charlton's. I remember when I first saw him in Ahern, I was all set to buy one. "You've only been in SL three days?" ... I figured he had to be the alt of someone to whip out something that good in half a week from first sign-on. =D

Either way, he knows I'm keeping an eye on him. The day that ava sells, if it goes on sale, I'll be put down for one. ^_^

I could offer some other helpful tidbits to improve the ava. Such as voice-activated intelligent color changing. Since I remember seeing a line of them in all colors in Morris at one time.

We have similar cuteness, but different styles. ;D

From what I understand at the moment, Second Life uses human models from Poser 2. This sadly means that prims attached to the chin will not move with the mouth, and you cannot attach objects to fingers, nor move either fingers or mouth with Poser animations at the moment (though the default anims can)

Another limitation is that limbs can only be 'stretched' in the limitations of the client. An example of part of my "best idea" for making bird wings would be to extend the length of the upper arms and shorten the lower arms and wrists/hands drastically... sadly, you cannot do this, you can only scale arm length.

You also cannot "disassemble" joints. Right now you need to use invisible prim tricks or a well-made Poser animation to mask out a lower leg for a pirate's peg leg attachment, for example. it would be nice to be able to have a radio button for every body "bone" allowing you to basiclly "make this part invisible". Maybe someday! I'd love this because I have been trying fruitlessly for some time to make a Naga avatar (lower body of a serpent) and invis-a-prims never work 100% for this.

I would like to see a slider added to adjust "limb ratio" as I would call it. So that instead of just editing arm length, you could select "Ratio of lower to upper arm"... so one could make something with much longer forearms than upper arms. This would affect torso shape and leg shape windows in Appearance.

Anyways, that's my L$2.

Which equates to L$1.59 from Canadian Lindens.

(It's just a dig, Psyra. Don't kill me dead. )

Kweh!

Just thought I would let all those interested, that the avatar that inspired this post is now available for purchase inworld Just IM me (as I dont have anywhere other than Washu's Wigs) to sell at.

Lol, Chocobo, I just saw Washu wearing it...

I have a mall you can sell from... if you like.