Avatar modification

Hi all, maybe someone here can point me in the right direction

I currently working on a project which explores our relationships with our avatars. I though Second Life would be a great platform for this. I am now looking for documentation on how to temporarily modify someone's avatar(with their permission of course). I don't mean just changing clothing, or hair color, I'm looking for more drastic changes: turning someone into a blue cube, or a fish, stuff like that.

Does anyone here know how to do this, or where I can find info on this topic.

Thanks in advance,
Case

Hi Case, and welcome to Second Life!

Rest assured that Second Life allows the types of avatar modifications that you have described (and much more elaborate modifications as well). I should mention here that there is no way for you to modify another person's avatar - with our without their permission. You can, however, give them the items they need to make the modification themself.

Most modifications of the nature you describe involve a body shape and one or more attachments. The body shape would make the default avatar as short and thin as possible. Then one of the attachments would force the avatar into a tiny ball pose. Another attachment would feature an invisiprim that essentially hides the small balled-up body from view. From there, additional attachments could range from the blue cube, to the fish.

The essentials here are: make the default avie body as small as possible, hide it with an invisiprim, and attach the parts you wish to present to the world.

I recommend you search in-world for various avatar vendors and take a look at their products. Most will use techniques like I describe above. Buy a few and see how they work, before you try to create your own. It may also be helpful to note that before you start to experiment with avatar modifications you may want to save your body shape so that you can restore it later.

I am not an expert in how to do any of this, but if you have questions feel free to shoot me an IM when I am in-world.

Good luck with your project Case!

Hi Case-

What you are talking about is done every day in SL. There are avatars available in an amazing range of shapes and sizes, from celebrity look-alikes and various other 'human' shapes, to animal and human/animal crosses, to 20m long 3-headed dragons and 15m tall giant robots, to simple geometric shapes like your blue cube.

All of these avatars can be voluntarily put on like a suit of clothes, usually by dragging a folder containing all the various bits out of your inventory and dropping it on top of your character on the screen. There is *no way* to do this from outside, modifications to appearance, clothing, and attachments must always be performed voluntarily by the person controlling the avatar (the game was designed this way).

For examples, search in FIND using key word 'avatar' (or 'furry avatars' for the human/animal crosses - they are very popular).

Feel fre to look me up in the game if you have more questions... I am on-line most evenings after 6pm Second Life time. Good luck!

-Jamie

Not entirely true, you could have scripted atachments that change on input from another avatar. Can't change any avatar appearance settings unless it's your avatar though.

Thanks people!

If I understand this correctly, would it be possible to have the visitor change their avatar appearance themselves the first time and then just change the attachments automatically on my cue?

Case

Yes, once they've put on the special attachment, you could control it.
Afraid I don't have to to knock up a script for it, but this should be pretty easy to do. If the different shapes are made and put in the same attachment you can make them all turn invisible except one and then have a menu, chat commands or a HUD attachment to switch between different ones being visible. You might want to put the avatar into a scrunched up pose (often called a "meatball" pose) so that the models don't have to be too big (unless you want to animate the models, in which case you may need custom animations).

I can drop you a meatball if you need it. Also, if you script yourself or can find someone to script it and you or they can't get your/their head around it I'd be happy to explain how to do it.

I love coincidences. I am a blue cube and my friend Delta Epsilon is a fish! Meatball is the way forward. You may also want to check out tiny anim and big anim (kage's big steam powered things) used to be vendors for both on an island...somewhere...anybody?

Awesome, seems like my project can happen in SL! Thanks for your help. If anyone has more info, please share

AJ, I will take you up on that explanation once I know enough to understand it.

Thanks again everyone.

Case

Yeah! We need more non-humanoid avatars. I'm a sphere myself.

Sure thing, just drop me an IM when you're ready.