Question about Modifying Avatar Appearance

Question. I have been scouring the boards looking for a glimpse as to how its done.. but how are you changing the base SL Avatar? Example: Those people who are walking ducks, or a pint sized badger.

Are these prims/ojects that are attached to the various body parts? Are you actually changing the base avatar mesh in some way?

I've been able to gather that all "building" is done ingame.. and anims. texture and clothing is done in Poser, Photoshop etc.

My concept of the process is currently as follows.. please correct me where appropriate:

Body parts are designed (built) ingame much like any other object. Let's say a rabbit leg.

Body part is textured as appropriate. say Fur.

New Body part is attached to avatar where appropriate. say leg.

Body part is "edited" in to appropriate position (rotate etc.). pointed down.

Given this above I now have a wonderful textured rabbit leg growth moving along with my leg. What did I do wrong?

I ask simply because for example I saw a half human size rabbit (or what I've found is called 'tinies' walking around .. and I know that if I say made a "rabbit leg" object and attached it to the my "leg" it would just hang around like a growth gone bad... how do you "hide" the base avatar leg?

Any advice or direction to a "how-to" or "faq" would be great...

Thanks ahead of time for the help.

- Magick

Side note: I do have all tools available: Poser 5, Photoshop7, 3DSMax 6

Use your debug menu (alt ctrl shift d) and remove objects with, alt ctrl shift 9, and you will see the actual avatar inside the attachments. I have dont this and I have seen that different methods have been used to create a tiny AV, but it is common to see the arms and legs bent in half with use of an animation. The hand will be tucked up into the armpit, for example. Another method is to use an invisible prim to hide certain body parts.

Loki:

Thanks for the lead. I will try that this afternoon and take a look at the actual avatars and see how they do it.

So essentially then they are in a constant state of animation "scrunched up"? This animation is created like any other? hmmm..

Thanks again..

Keep the comments coming ... I havn't really found a compiled resource anywhere on this subject so.. the more advice the better.

I'd like to know this too. all the mech's and furries and whatever running around.

how the default av swapped out for something I build myself?
(not so much curious about tinys via animation, just swapping avs in general)

This is something I'd like to look into, as well...I had dreams of making a suit of clockwork armor to wear around the town.

Which won't get hot because I'm going to put an air conditioner on the back.

Beau Perkins (his store is Mr P's) sells an animation package which does the same thing (makes your av tiny). You should check it out if so inclined.

I have been trying to figure out myself how to create prim attachments and boy is it frusterating and I sure feel clueless.
I got this tiny av kit bit ago and its really hard to make prim objects around the shapes and I look so strange.
One thing too about being tiny is really hard to not have your avatar flip out and do weird animations when you send it out dancing
I would love to know more about just how to make realistic tinies that I can own full permission without having to buy and one that actual dances properly but alias it may take bit to just figure that one out.

I have a couple variations of a "Tiny" avatar. A little fox girl no more than 0.75 M tall.

On the smallest avatars, the body is scrunched up to an ultra-small size by a special animation, and then the prim parts are attached to the stunted limbs. Some parts may be concealed by 'invisiprims', prims with a special texture that obscures some other types of prims.

One serious drawback with a "Tiny" is that because the actual Avatar body is scrunched up by a special animation script, most other animations DON'T WORK. For example, if a Tiny sits on a chair, they float well above it. If the chair is scripted to position the legs, the Tiny suddenly looks like they have been subjected to the Rack, with spindly legs streached back out to normal length. Don't even consider trying to use dance animations or sex animations... There is a whole market for custom-designed furniture that works with "Tinies".

I don't use my Tiny very much any more. It's cute for just walking around and talking to people. But there are so many things you can't do in one, and also... a lot of people will see it and assume that you're into some sort of kinky age-play activities, because you look like a "baby" furry.

When you get to something about the size of a medium-sized dog, the avatar body doesn't necesarily have to be so badly distorted. For example, I have a Jakkal's Werehouse "Critters" avatar that is a quad wolf. The avatar body is actually almost half visible, with a 'body fur' skin texture. Prim parts make up the rest. This style of avatar doesn't look all that bad with normal animations. If I turn off the animation override, the dog or wolf looks like he's standing on his hind legs, but still looks pretty normal.

Most of the avatars yoiur refering to are commonly built by adding well textured and place prim apendigeas over the existing ones. In some cases AO (( animation overriders)) are used for small things (( ie walks sits ect )), as well in some cases an "invisi" prim or prims are used.

invisi prims are a normal prim but have a speical script in them that renders the prim and nearly anything behind its surface invisabl, includeing the base SL avatar (( these are more comonly used to created custom leg shapes ie digitigrade ))

along with prim replacement parts the base skin is also swaped out for a fur (( or outher )) body texture to match prim parts

Does anyone know where I can get tiny poseballs. There used to be someone that gave them out free in a box. But I can't seem to find where I saw it. I know abramations sells poseballs, and a tinies AO, but I need poseballs that are copiable so I can use them in my building. Thanks for any leads or ideas.