SL Avatar Review Files

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New Post now on SLARF, @ http://www.slarf.org/kahoots-painted-dog/

Kahoots - Painted Dog

Kahoots brings us their newest addition to the pool of canine avatars with the Painted Dog – a species native to Sub-Saharan Africa. Out of the Box: Features Permissions and Statistics Talkjaw with jaw and tongue states Eyelid states with pupil ...

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New Post now on SLARF, @ http://www.slarf.org/srs-corp-okeia/

Srs Corp - Okeia

Srs Corp – while perhaps best known for its production of weaponry, has delved into the world of anthropomorphic avatars. Utilising a combination of rigged and unrigged components, Srs Corp brings us the Okeia; an original proto mammal. Out of the...

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New Post now on SLARF, @ http://www.slarf.org/orange-nova-skadi-sergal/

Orange Nova - Skadi Sergal

Orange Nova adds to it’s ever extending family of rigged mesh avatars with the inclusion of the Sergal – a conceptual creature by Mick39 (http://www.furaffinity.net/user/mick39/). We will take a closer look at ONA’s take on the species, and the visual result of materials used in conjunction with the rigged mesh.

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New Post has been published on http://www.slarf.org/kahoots-fox/

Kahoots - Fox

Kahoots – as the name may imply, is a collaborative effort between Atticus Vulpes (atticus.zessinthal) and Booger (Boogmonster). The Fox is their first official release under this name. Herein lies a whistle-stop tour of this popular species.

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Total Shift Productions Dimetrodon

New Review! - Total Shift Productions Dimetrodon -

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Pound Lunt – Lizard Avatar

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Orange Nova - Bifrost Bunny

Orange Nova brings us another example of what can be achieved using fully rigged mesh. Catering to…

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CarpetShark Avatars - Husky

The  Husky is a fairly new addition to the growing family of Carpet Shark Avatars, and is their…

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Avatar Planet - Otter

Otters are a vastly under-served population within Second Life. Neglected, most users have had to…

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Kinzart Kreetures - Rift Dragons

Initially released as hidden prizes as part of the Twisted Hunt  - KzK have re-textured and…

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SLARF *MIGHT* look a bit messed up for a day or two.

Heya folks!

I just enabled a new module for SLARF. It will speed things up nice and quickly, but…

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Kinzart Kreetures Fox (V4)

KZK comes to the market with their new fox avatar, rebuilding the old fox from the ground up. Let’s…

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Good News and Bad News

Okay, bad news first:

We haven’t been posting or keeping up to date.

Good news second:

We’re not…

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Avatar Planet Bat

Bats are the only mammal capable of sustaining true flight and are found on almost every continent…

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Orange Nova Luddi Lamb

Given the rarity of sheep and goat avatars in Second Life, Orange Nova’s Luddi Lamb is a refreshing…

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Kinzart Kreetures - Domestic Cats

Over the years, KzK have brought us tigers, leopards and servals. This time they bring us their…

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CarpetShark Avatars - Corgi

Here i€™s the debut avatar release from Carpet Shark Avatars. The small, charming canine popular with Space Cowboys and the Queen. Let u€™s introduce the Corgi!

Out of the Box:

Features Permissions and Statistics

Male/Female PG Skiins

Planti/Digi Legs

Planti/Digi Feet

Long and Docked Tails

Ear/Eyes/Mouth/Tail options in HUD

Speech Gestures

Alpha Textures for:

Digi legs and hands

Planti legs and hands

Just digi legs

Just planti legs

Just hands

Modifiable

Copiable

Not Transferable

Avatar Rendering WEIGHT (ARC)

92435

Script Info:

(with HUD): 32 scripts, 2Mb memory

(without HUD): 15 scripts, 912Kb memory

Observations:

Build and Skin:

The Corgi avatar comes with male and female PG skins, with the main visual difference present in the muscle definition upon the abdomen of the male version. The skin is defined with simple shading with large brush strokes. This means that there are no issues with the finish being too grainy or distracting. The textures are executed to a good quality, and conform to a pleasant and simple style. There are two mutations available for these avatars, representing both the dual and tri-colour varieties.

Overall, the avatar is put together to a great standard. Examples of this show in the construction of the head and ears.  Symmetry is easily achieved through the sculpting process. There are instances of wrinkling in the upper portion of the digitigrades legs, though this is mostly covered by extra prims and the position of the knee.

Body:

The avatar comes with two kinds of feet depending on whether or not the user is interested in planti or digitigrade legs. The plantigrade feet are slightly longer in shape. Both versions contain small clawed toes with pawpads on the base. The ‘digi’ version is substantially shorter, and is shaped as such to better transition to the appropriate leg attachments.

The Digitigrade legs are based around one main sculpt, with smaller sculpts to give the impression of ‘fluff’ around the rear ankle and knees. There is minor wrinkling at the top knee, which is mostly covered by the aforementioned fluff. At a glance, when one bears in mind that the lower portion of the leg is the ankle and foot portion of canine anatomy, it can seem slightly on the long side, but it is amore likely to be a stylistic choice for this avatar rather than an anatomical oversight. The plantigrade legs are short, simple and sweet. There are added tufts of fur at the ankles to aid the transition much like with the other set, and they blend fairly well

The corgi comes with two tail options – both made with flexible cones, one of which is short and stubby, listed as ‘docked’. This short tail is textured in the same way stylistically as the skin of the avatar, so there aren’t any glaring issues with blending from the lower spine to the tail. The longer tail version uses the same textures but is constructed in a way that makes it longer, and slightly less fluffy with a pointed tip. The tail can be set to either still or twitching with up or down options present in the HUD.

The hands are simple but effective constructions, with a sculpted prim for the palms, and elongated fingers and thumbs tipped with claws. They do a good job of merging the idea of paws and human hands, creating a hybrid effect.

Head:

The main focus of the corgi – the head, is well executed. The main skull portion of the head is comprised of just one prim, where the eyelids operate separately. The eyes have three settings, varying from relaxed to open and closed. The nose is also a separate prim, should the wearer want to add interactive scripts, for instance. The avatar also comes with default hair.

The eyeballs themselves are independently recolourable, and you are also able to colour the ‘primary’ and ‘secondary’ areas of the iris, creating your own interesting two-tone effects. You can actually modify the colours within the offered pallete in the HUD, both the eyes and HUD will actually react and update accordingly, giving much more of a sense of freedom when it comes to colour combinations.

The jaw is as well sculpted as the skull portion, lined with teeth, housing a tongue and is overall well textured. There are sliders available, allowing the user to control the angle to which the jaw is open, and includes the option to have the tongue hanging out. The large ears are very accurate in reflecting the species, and are textured to the same standard and level of detail as the rest of the body. Users have a selection of three ear presets.

Features and Heads-Up Display (HUD):

The HUD is incredibly simple and user friendly. There are very few words, and the majority of the options are illustrated to give a better idea of the settings you are toggling. The layout is very tidy and straightforward, and can be ‘closed’ into the corner of your screen with the click of an arrow.

Customisation:

Shortly after the release of the corgi, mod kits for it have already begun to pop up around the grid and on the marketplace. I feel that this is due to the simplicity of the sculpts and texture layouts. The head shape is also very accommodating for users who wish to use their own third party hair. The overall avatar is not cluttered, and leaves most of the body free for clothing layers.

Conclusion:

I feel that the corgi is a wonderful addition to the family of canine avatars on the grid. It’s promising both in its overall design, and modification potential. Its charming face and considered build make it a versatile and pleasant avatar. Personally, I’m looking forward to seeing what else users can add to the corgi by means of modification.