The Instinct Lion takes their one-of-a-kind style and brings it back as a Lion avatar. Let’s get right down to it and discuss the avatar that has been a long time in coming.
Out of the Box:
Measurement
Value
Script Time with HUD
~0.6-1.0
Script Time without HUD
~0.4-1.0
Avatar Rendering Cost
~2246-2462
Eye color controls
Tail wag controls
Talking Muzzle Function
Typing animation override support (put any animation into the lower jaw and it will be played while typing / speaking)
Tongue controls
Facial expressions (Smile, Snarl, Sleep, and Show Surprise)
Eyelids, jaw and tongue Control
Ear movement controls
Retractable claws
Mane can be given any color (Male Only)
PG and Mature Skins (Female Only)
Build and Skin:
From the start, the skin on this avatar stands out by using a technique in texturing not normally found on many creators’ works. The result is that at a good distance away, the fur is believably fuzzy and obviously aims for realism. For the most part, the skin does its job well, giving the shape definition along the ribs, pecs and abs, as well as transitioning between colours very well. The only downside is that when one gets close to the skin, it looks fairly less attractive because of the good deal of bump-mapping. Outside of this, though, the texture-style works to the avatar’s advantage. The avatar comes in both male and female forms (sold separately), but like other creators, there are stark differences between the sexes of an avatar both in skins and in the head.
We should also note that the avatar comes with a fair deal of shadows across the head and the body. There were mixed feelings on the usage of shadows on the Instinct Wolf, but the Lion makes it very subtle so it does not bring too much attention to itself. In fact, the light shadow actually helps give the avatar’s body a bit of aesthetic depth and realism.
The feet are generically feline but with very strong divisions between the toes and convincing paw-pads on the undersides. Each toe is tipped with retractable claws (via the HUD) that don’t draw too much attention. The digitigrade leg is designed to look organic, especially thanks to the shading of the fur textures which accent each joint and curve nicely. For some users, however, the digitigrade legs may seem to have too much of a ‘curve’ from the back of the foot up to the kneecap. This is not a major issue by itself, however. Do note, however, that if you take off the digitigrade legs, you get a large space between the foot and leg which means you will likely need prim attachments or modify the foot in order to wear pants.
The hand-paw attachments mirror the feet in style, but are designed to mimic ordinary human hands. The hands do not come with poses, but the default state is organic as the fingers are positioned into a ‘relaxed’ pose. The finger-tips have pads on the ends, but the palm itself is devoid of a pad. The hand textures are slightly stretched on the palms, but few look there very often. Like the feet, the hands are tipped with claws that retract.
The tail is very much the conventional lion’s tail; a fairly cylindrical length with a semi-transparent tassel at the very end. In general, there is not much that is overly notable about the tail. We should note that the avatar comes with fluff accents; semi-transparent prims that accent different parts of the body. In particular, the wrists are covered by this fluff, and both genders get an amount of it just above the area between the legs. Females also receive an extra bit of transparent fluff on the chest just above the breasts.
At last, we reach the key part of most avatars; the head. The head itself on this avatar steals much of the spotlight from the rest of the body. The face carries character and life, which is always a good quality that any avatar should have. We will discuss the included expressions a little later.
From the front, the Lion head is very aesthetic. The eyes are bright and large, the eyeballs move well, and while a tiny bit choppy, the sculpts that make up the eyelids make for a good blink. The textures help to emphasize the boxy nature of the lion’s muzzle while giving it depth even from the front. The nose is well sized and the general shape of the muzzle as a whole definitely reflect a lion’s.
The interior of the muzzle is exceptionally well done, perhaps most marked by the fact that the roof of the mouth has been sculpted rather than just textured. The teeth themselves belong in no other animal than the ‘King of the Jungle’. A nice touch is that when the tongue is sticking out, we can see a shadow on it; a very nice effect.
However, if viewed from the side, we see a few other slight problems. In particular, the end of the jaw is quite fine, but the area that joins the jaw to the head (close to the neck) makes a bit of a bulbous curve downward. This little curve connects the jaw with the head well, but looks out of place from a side-view. The only other issue with the jaw is not with the structure but the animation when talking. When the user speaks, we see a little bit of ‘motor-mouth’ as the speed isn’t too bad, but fairly noticeable. Otherwise, the face from this angle is pretty solid. This avatar does not have the same issue that made the previous Instinct Wolf look “Simian,” which is likely because the eyes are positioned in better relation to the muzzle bridge.
As a whole, the head is decently shaped, though slightly pointed towards the top; making the head more of an oval shaped. This means that the top of the head is a good bit taller than the gently sloped forehead, so using third party hairs may be difficult, but not impossible.
This brings us to our next observation; particularly the hair. Normally, hair is ignored or a last-minute part of an avatar for creators, but not so on this avatar. Males receive a luxuriously styled mane of sculpted prims that looks like it borrows just the slightest from anime influences. The hair and mane really give the male head more dimension, and while you can detach the mane prims, the head looks bare and exposed without it. Females are treated to Dreadlocks rather than a mane. While not as impressive as the Male Lion’s mane, the Dreadlocks give the female lions a touch of African style.
The ears are concave and rounded with inside lining of fluff prims. All in all the ears are proportionate and affective at adding to the avatar’s head. Now, we move onto the differences between the sexes.
To keep close to our word limit, we detail the major differences between the sexes in Table Form form.
Male Lion Head
Female Lion Head
Wider, Boxier Muzzle that portrays Masculinity
Pronounced Chin-Fluff
Exuberant and detailed Mane and hairstyle
Slimmer, Smoother Muzzle that portrays Feminimity
Pronounced, dark Eyeshadow and large Eyelashes
No mane, but pronounced cheekruffs
Dreadlock Hairstyle
Beauty Mark on the Right Cheek
Now that we have picked apart the head and its various strengths and weaknesses, it would be prudent to bring up the general demeanor and the flexibility of facial expressions that come with the avatar. The head itself is extremely expressive and full of character, giving the avatar life and emotion, especially when users opt for some of the facial expressions that are offered. The above picture shows the impressive nature of each of the facial expressions.
Heads-Up Display (HUD) and Features:
The HUD controls all of the functions of this avatar; there are no text commands. The HUD is user-friendly and effective at allowing users to access their options.
Head: Talking Muzzle Toggle, Typing AO Toggle, Muzzle State (Open/Close), Tongue In/Out/Panting, Facial Expressions, Eyelid State Toggle, Jaw Angle Toggle
Tail, Ears, and Mane (In Male): Tail Movement Settings, Ear Movement Settings, Claws In/Out Toggle, Mane (and Tailtuft) Colour
Eyes: Individual Eye Colour Choices, Eyelid State
Customisation:
The Instinct Lion is Copy-Modify, so people can change different parts of the avatar at will. The result is that the avatar is easily customisable, and the creator has even included a notecard to help people out.
Conclusion:
The Instinct Lion stands on its own as a strong second avatar from its creator. It surpasses many of the limitations that plagued the first avatar from the company and impresses with its expressive face. While the body cannot compare to the head by itself, the avatar channels the Kings and Queens of the Jungle with ease. It is very pleasing to see that despite the aim for realism, the creator has ensured that the avatar will come with personality.
SLURLS (Click to Teleport)
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Satellite Stores:
The Instinct Lion takes their one-of-a-kind style and brings it back as a Lion avatar. Let’s get right down to it and discuss the avatar that has been a long time in coming.
Out of the Box:
Measurement
Value
Script Time with HUD
Script Time without HUD
Avatar Rendering Cost
~2246-2462
Build and Skin:
From the start, the skin on this avatar stands out by using a technique in texturing not normally found on many creators’ works. The result is that at a good distance away, the fur is believably fuzzy and obviously aims for realism. For the most part, the skin does its job well, giving the shape definition along the ribs, pecs and abs, as well as transitioning between colours very well. The only downside is that when one gets close to the skin, it looks fairly less attractive because of the good deal of bump-mapping. Outside of this, though, the texture-style works to the avatar’s advantage. The avatar comes in both male and female forms (sold separately), but like other creators, there are stark differences between the sexes of an avatar both in skins and in the head.
Take Notice: The pictures under this link are rated Mature – Click here to view the Female Adult Skin
We should also note that the avatar comes with a fair deal of shadows across the head and the body. There were mixed feelings on the usage of shadows on the Instinct Wolf, but the Lion makes it very subtle so it does not bring too much attention to itself. In fact, the light shadow actually helps give the avatar’s body a bit of aesthetic depth and realism.
The feet are generically feline but with very strong divisions between the toes and convincing paw-pads on the undersides. Each toe is tipped with retractable claws (via the HUD) that don’t draw too much attention. The digitigrade leg is designed to look organic, especially thanks to the shading of the fur textures which accent each joint and curve nicely. For some users, however, the digitigrade legs may seem to have too much of a ‘curve’ from the back of the foot up to the kneecap. This is not a major issue by itself, however. Do note, however, that if you take off the digitigrade legs, you get a large space between the foot and leg which means you will likely need prim attachments or modify the foot in order to wear pants.
The hand-paw attachments mirror the feet in style, but are designed to mimic ordinary human hands. The hands do not come with poses, but the default state is organic as the fingers are positioned into a ‘relaxed’ pose. The finger-tips have pads on the ends, but the palm itself is devoid of a pad. The hand textures are slightly stretched on the palms, but few look there very often. Like the feet, the hands are tipped with claws that retract.
The tail is very much the conventional lion’s tail; a fairly cylindrical length with a semi-transparent tassel at the very end. In general, there is not much that is overly notable about the tail. We should note that the avatar comes with fluff accents; semi-transparent prims that accent different parts of the body. In particular, the wrists are covered by this fluff, and both genders get an amount of it just above the area between the legs. Females also receive an extra bit of transparent fluff on the chest just above the breasts.
At last, we reach the key part of most avatars; the head. The head itself on this avatar steals much of the spotlight from the rest of the body. The face carries character and life, which is always a good quality that any avatar should have. We will discuss the included expressions a little later.
From the front, the Lion head is very aesthetic. The eyes are bright and large, the eyeballs move well, and while a tiny bit choppy, the sculpts that make up the eyelids make for a good blink. The textures help to emphasize the boxy nature of the lion’s muzzle while giving it depth even from the front. The nose is well sized and the general shape of the muzzle as a whole definitely reflect a lion’s.
The interior of the muzzle is exceptionally well done, perhaps most marked by the fact that the roof of the mouth has been sculpted rather than just textured. The teeth themselves belong in no other animal than the ‘King of the Jungle’. A nice touch is that when the tongue is sticking out, we can see a shadow on it; a very nice effect.
However, if viewed from the side, we see a few other slight problems. In particular, the end of the jaw is quite fine, but the area that joins the jaw to the head (close to the neck) makes a bit of a bulbous curve downward. This little curve connects the jaw with the head well, but looks out of place from a side-view. The only other issue with the jaw is not with the structure but the animation when talking. When the user speaks, we see a little bit of ‘motor-mouth’ as the speed isn’t too bad, but fairly noticeable. Otherwise, the face from this angle is pretty solid. This avatar does not have the same issue that made the previous Instinct Wolf look “Simian,” which is likely because the eyes are positioned in better relation to the muzzle bridge.
As a whole, the head is decently shaped, though slightly pointed towards the top; making the head more of an oval shaped. This means that the top of the head is a good bit taller than the gently sloped forehead, so using third party hairs may be difficult, but not impossible.
This brings us to our next observation; particularly the hair. Normally, hair is ignored or a last-minute part of an avatar for creators, but not so on this avatar. Males receive a luxuriously styled mane of sculpted prims that looks like it borrows just the slightest from anime influences. The hair and mane really give the male head more dimension, and while you can detach the mane prims, the head looks bare and exposed without it. Females are treated to Dreadlocks rather than a mane. While not as impressive as the Male Lion’s mane, the Dreadlocks give the female lions a touch of African style.
The ears are concave and rounded with inside lining of fluff prims. All in all the ears are proportionate and affective at adding to the avatar’s head. Now, we move onto the differences between the sexes.
To keep close to our word limit, we detail the major differences between the sexes in Table Form form.
Heads-Up Display (HUD) and Features:
The HUD controls all of the functions of this avatar; there are no text commands. The HUD is user-friendly and effective at allowing users to access their options.
Customisation:
The Instinct Lion is Copy-Modify, so people can change different parts of the avatar at will. The result is that the avatar is easily customisable, and the creator has even included a notecard to help people out.
Conclusion:
The Instinct Lion stands on its own as a strong second avatar from its creator. It surpasses many of the limitations that plagued the first avatar from the company and impresses with its expressive face. While the body cannot compare to the head by itself, the avatar channels the Kings and Queens of the Jungle with ease. It is very pleasing to see that despite the aim for realism, the creator has ensured that the avatar will come with personality.