“Rigged Mesh Avatars” have been used in Second Life and OpenSim for the last few years and allow replacement of the default avatars used in these virtual worlds.
Avatars can be created in normal 3D modelling tools such as Studio3D Max, Maya and Blender, “rigged” with an underlying skeleton and joints, and then exported as a Collada (.dae) mesh. If this is uploaded to Second Life or OpenSim it can be “worn” along usually with a complete alpha texture layer to make the underlying base avatar shape be completely transparent. However, the shape and size of this underlying base shape is used to compute physics collisions and interaction with the ground – such as determining the level of the feet with respect to the ground.
Four good example mesh avatars, available as open source, along with tutorials to help users create them and variants are available.
SimpleBot is a Linden Labs Second Life tutorial and simple rigged mesh avatar.. useful to act as an underlying bare bones core onto which other elements can be added.
- http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Mesh/Uploading_and_wearing_a_rigged_mesh
- http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Mesh/Rigging_Fitted_Mesh
Seymour is a Linden Labs Second Life tutorial of a rigged and textured mesh avatar.
- http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Mesh_Walkthrough:_Complex_Mesh_Upload
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_F8zqJ_6Tc
- Seymour Avatar by SLB Wirefly on OpenSim/OSGrid at
hop://login.osgrid.org/Reticulation/228/196/22
Gerrymander the Lizard rigged mesh avatar by Fred Beckhusen (SL avatar: Ferd Frederix). Tutorial for Second Life and OpenSim…
Sintel is a Blender Foundation open source movie lead character rigged mesh avatar which has been modified for use in Second Life and OpenSim by Salvatore La Bua (SL avatar: SLB Wirefly)…
- http://www.sintel.org/news/sintel-lite/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gGfk4I1zvuY
- Sintel Avatar by SLB Wirefly on OpenSim/OSGrid at
hop://login.osgrid.org/Reticulation/228/196/22
The SimpleBot simple core mesh avatar was used along with a transparent alpha layer to hide that core and a number of attachment parts to make the “Robert the Robot” avatar…
Image of “SimpleBot” upload panel from Linden Lab’s Second Life Wiki. Image of “Gerrymander the Lizard” and “Boy Next Door” avatars from Fred Frederix Gerrymander tutorial web page. “Seymour”, “Sintel” and “Robert the Robot” images by Austin Tate.