Maniquins

if anyone missed it the free program Tattoo that's mentioned in this thread is a very nice offline clothing previewer (and other things) if you use it with the sl avatar models we can download now. it changed my life and now it can change yours.

i'd be against the idea of npc's. if i wanted to play with robots i'd.........i dunno. build a time machine and go to the future? the point is i don't want to play with robots. i like how everyone i meet in sl is a real person. keep it real yo.

Shadow Weaver: Could you please pick your favorite idea from among the ones that you offered and expand it with detail, so that those of us who may have the ability and inclination to see if we might be able to implement it outside of SL, and make it available on a web-page, or a downloadable stand-alone tool, might be able to try to do so?

"...high-poly (compared to prims) models..."
Perhaps LL might help us to understand why so much of the rendering is being done on their serers, instead of via parameterized equations sent to our (thicker-than-they-are-now) clients?

"...create a bazillion of these just to make people crash, or lag..."
Anyone who tries to crash the system is violating the Terms of Service and, with repeated violations, would be suspended or banned. So, I doubt that a "denial-of-service" attack, in the manner that you describe, is likely to be much of an issue.

I have no business discussing this topic, since my knowledge is very shallow, but I can't help but wonder why no one has mentioned possible *shadier* uses of such a device.
For instance - love dolls . . . Would this be a downside? Or ????

And maybe sliding further away from topic...
Brings to mind a marketing idea--- imagine little figurines say, a foot tall, manufactured to duplicate your av, maybe some resin casting, etc. to stand on your desk?
Hmmm I hope I see some royalties on this.

Make it so, number one!

No comment about your first point.

On the resin models, though, I know there are 3d fabrication tools out there which can take digital data. For example, a quick google turned up http://www.ennex.com/~fabbers/publish/199707-MB-OriginDirection.asp which has a decent overview of computer-driven fabrication tools and costs. If there's enough demand for RL models of people's avs, it looks like the tools are out there for someone to set up a business doing this. You'd need a way to get all the av parameters out of SL and convert them to some form the fabber can read. Without an export method to Maya or something similar, I think this would be very hard to do. I think it could be cool, though. Imagine being able to buy an Aimee desktop model.

neko

Catch me on a slow night and I may just come over and sit on your desk.

Yeah, I don't think it'd be too bad since its harder to replicate avatars than other things. I imagine the same rules of copyright and privacy would come into hand and any un-allowed knock offs would be deleted.