Design Custom Avatar

[Delilarax]

hey all,

just wondering if it is possable to get a external design/creator program to build and design a custom avatar, like body shape, race (creatur, human, robot ect) or if it is a internal program thats build into second life,  because i would get others to make/design it but i have skills in this area and other editor related area's and i figured why not put them to the test, so i guess my point for this being "wanted" is... is there a program (out side of SL) that you download to do this or is it part of SL its self, and what other programs would be needed (if things like photoshop are needed or can be used with it)

any infomation or tips/help any one has is greatly appreciated.

D.

 

EDIT: i should also say, i have searched the net with-in the last 27hours non-stop (with the exception of some sleep) looking for the program/app that i seek and i have only found, tut's, referance pack's, other people's work, base file's/parts (eg, body's/part's, texture's ect) file pack's, and all these are used in/with what i seek but no name of the program/app or where to get it/use it...

[Sassy Romano]

Google "blender"

don't expect it to be easy.

[Delilarax]

yes i would have though so because its never easy but every bit and detail helps and i'll cope

EDIT: just what im after as well, but better

[PeterCanessa Oh]

Shape: Created/adjusted in SL

Race: No such thing in SL - define your own

Skin: Graphic files (normally .PNG) created with any graphics application.  Photoshop is probably the most popular but is expensive - especially if you live in the UK where Adobe use USD1 = GBP1 - GIMP is the most talked-about free alternative in SL.

Hair: There is system hair for the head within SL but it's more or less a definition of newb look.  Other hair is exactly the same as any other 3D Attachment (see below).

Movement: Animations are BVH files (max 30s).  These can be created in a number of external programs such as Poser and others which are very expensive and only recommended if you're working with them in other applications.  Specialist mocap (motion capture) equipment and even studios are required for maximum effects, but that's going a bit far!  Qavimator is the usual free-download used by non-professionals in SL

Sound Effects:  Sound files in SL are WAV files (max 10s).  Sound Recorder is included in Windows, other OSs have similar tools, but these have limited use.  Audacity and other applications are widely used, although ultimately this can go to a full, spcialist, studio if you're looking for professional results (at professional investment prices).  Sounds can be played through gestures or by scripts (both made in SL, but see 'Other Effects') 

Visual Effects: Graphics files used for skin/texture and particle effects in SL support the same formats as skin.  See that section and 'Other Effects' below.

Other Effects: Interacting with anything in SL and 'doing something' other than moving around & chatting requires LSL (Linden Scripting Language) scripts (programmes).  These are written and compiled in SL but there are a number of external editors that can make it easier.  Because there are so many of these I hesitate to make a recommendation but the Eclipse plug-in and stand-alone LSL Editor are both popular.

3D Attachments:  Non-shape and skin appearance of an avatar is created with attachments created in SL,  These are just objects created from prim(itive) like anything else in-world but 'worn' on a particular attachment-point of the skeleton.  It is because of this that they move with the avatar according to its animations (see above).  Until sculpties were introduce that's all there would have been to say about attachments but since their introduction, and now mesh, you can also design 3D objects in external programmes.  Sculpties are BMP files so can be created in almost any graphics application from Windows Paint up.  GIMP and Blender are the more popular free alternatives with Photoshop, 3DS Max and others offering the expensive alternatives.  NB: While you can use the 'drawing'-type packages (GIMP/Photoshop) for creating sculpties they are not normally the ones you'd use - depending on what you're making.  It is more likely that you'll want the 3D-modelling applications like Blender/3DS Max.  Sculpties can be regarded as a 'simple' form of mesh object, for the proper thing you'll almost certainly want one of the proper 3D-modelling tools.  Mesh objects in SL use Collada files, common to many 3D applications and games.

Bearing in mind that I ALWAYS forget something that you can do in SL because there is so much that means that a full suite of applications for content-creation (and an avatar includes just about everything) would be:

Free: SL, GIMP, QAvimator, Audacity, LSL Editor, Blender

Expensive (and some of this stuff can be REALLY expensive!): As above plus Photoshop, Poser, Maya, 3DS Max, sound-editing and motion-capture studios to taste.

ETA: For below - thanks, one day I'll make this a definitive article instead of making up wach time *grin*

[Sassy Romano]

Great list Peter.  As soon as I read in the original "creatures and robots" my first thought went to custom mesh but yes, lots more options available.

[Delilarax]

bit more complex then other programs iv used and i mean complex as in more to do

[PeterCanessa Oh]

SL is a user-generated world so asking what you can edit is a bit like a fish asking where the showers are :-)

Explore the world a bit.  The Lindens have created some things but with very few exceptions everything you see was created by us residents using SL's built-in tools and the sort of applications I've listed.  Jewellery (very small primitives, highly decorated with textures), buildings (really big primitives with holes in and scripts to make the doors open), vehicles (sleek primitives with smooth textures and scripts to make them move), and even the avatars themselves are not only editable but entirely open to your creation.  Almost the only limit is Intellectual Property rights - don't steal other people's work (although of course, stealing their ideas - erm, I mean being inspired by them - is just part of the fun, lol).

Plus you can sell anything you make in-world from your own chain of shops and/or on the e-commerce 'marketplace' that LL provides.  (Watch that last one though, there are a lot of non-delivery errors reported every day).  It is easily possible to make enough money by creating and selling things to cover your costs of renting a home an shops in SL, or whatever you wish to do.  Several people make RL amounts of money or even a fulltime living here.

[Hot2Trot4U]

Did you ever find someone to make your avatar? I have a picture of an actress, and I would love for a shape that would make my face similar to hers. I don't need skin, just the shape. I can pay!!!