– Leaning more towards the darker and demonic side of anthro avatars, we open the curtain to the Volfur. This is an original creature design from [GrGr], and in this review we will be taking it apart for a closer look.
Out of the Box:
| Features | Permissions and Statistics |
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Observations:
Build and Skin:
– The avatar comes with detailed PG skins included for both male and female versions of the avatar. The Volfur is more of a fantasy based avatar, it’s skin is of good quality and the creator is able to able to achieve ‘difference’ without being over the top. In all, it is neither simplistic nor overly complex. There are some instances of visible seams in the avatar, particularly within the inner thighs. The texture of attachments are good for the most part, though there some instances of prims that are tinted in place of set textures, which may be beneficial to those who are interested in modifying the avatar to suit their needs.
– The sculpts in all are symmetrical, with every piece created showing definite purpose. There are minor instances of wrinkling, particularly upon the tips of the ears. More instances of possible sculpt issues lie in the muzzle, where blinking triggers a kind of ‘shift’ in the patterning on one frame of the ‘blink’ animation. This is mostly prevalent in the white edition of the Volfur, as the contrast between the lighter and darker shades are much less gradual.
Body:
– The Volfur feet are unusual in that they are more akin to reptilian, or even hand-like in their appearance. Pawpads have been added to the feet via the texture to offer a softened look, and each toe is equipped with a large claw. The quality of the texturing on the feet varies, there are instances of airbrushing for softness, but others where the fur hasn’t quite been blended. For the most part the sculpts are smooth, and there example of soft shading to complement the transition between the feet and digigrade legs.
– The legs of the Volfur are offered in two sets, one with invisi-prims, and another without for viewers that support alpha textures. They are fairly narrow at the ankle, and taper into a thicker shape towards the knee, accommodating the large overall shape of the avatar. Sculpted fluff rests on the heel, adding a little more shape to the overall leg.
– The tail of the Volfur is peculiar in it’s unique design. It’s a mixture between a sculpt, and a forest of flexible cone prims to give the impression of spiked fur. The tail has a defining black stripe, which stretches the length and meets to blend with the spine and trail up towards the shoulders with further sculpted fur. The tail is animated via the HUD, and can be set to ‘wag’ in an either up or down position.
– The Volfur also comes with an under-fluff attachment, which juts out from the pelvis with skyward-facing fur. Further sluff attachments are included to add to the chest of the avatar, with the option to cover only the chest, or also add a trail of fur to the spine (in continuiation with the tail).
– Moving on to the hands, the style has been successfully mirrored from the feet. These humanoid features sport three fingers and a thumb, also equipped with large claws and set in a relaxed posture which can once more be altered in the included HUD to a variety of combinations to point, make a fist a peace sign and so on.
Head:
– At a glance, the head appears to have a mixture of canine and feline influences, and is comparatively small when compared to the default shape of the avatar. The mouth and nose come off as canine, for instance, where the added cheek fluff and shape of the ears create a much more hybrid-lynx concept.
– Whilst the head is consciously textured to reflect the style of the rest of the body, the dark stripe from the tail comes to a sudden halt once it reaches the head, which is not textured to receive it. It’s safe to assume that with this, there is the expectation that hair should be worn with the Volfur to cover this.
– The long, canid muzzle comes with a list of customisable options within the HUD. The user can choose to have the mouth surrounded by slobber or blood, and can match this with a set of expressions involving the tongue and position of the jaw. The jaw itself will also animate to ‘talk’ when typing.
– The eyes are relatively simple and well-made. The HUD allows the user to tint them any colour with glow levels, and comes with a selection of pupil shapes. The eyes are animated by the top sculpt of the head. The state of which can also be altered. As previously mentioned, the animation does cause a minor jolt in the texture, which slightly affects the muzzle and brow area.
– The head is topped off with a small pair of horns comprised of one single sculpt. These are tintable, so the user can easily modify them to suit their individual needs.
– Long, pointed ears rest on either side of the avatar’s head. The positions of which can also be changed, along with the option to have them twitch or not. They will also fold into the ‘down’ position upon typing.
Features and Heads-Up Display (HUD):
– The included AO is very simple and straightforward. Most of the options are illustrated through symbols, removing any unwanted complexity. This makes the HUD very user-friendly, and the included images are well-made and overall fairly charming in their design.
Customisation:
– The head shape of this avatar makes for easy addition of objects such as shirt party hair, and it’s modification permissions allow for any serious modders to pull apart, add to, or alter any parts of the Volfur that they desire. The larger shape that comes with this avatar may mean that the user will have to alter sculpted clothing, or alter the default shape, but this is easily achieved.
Conclusion:
– All in all, I must admit that I’m a fan of avatars born from original ideas, and this creature really is no exception. Whilst it makes it difficult to really compare it to any real-world creatures, the overall idea has been well executed with a positive outcome and darkly interesting style that I feel will be enjoyed by many. Despite the minor issues with some aspects of the build, it is a nice addition to the pool of original avatars to the SL grid.
