Purple Pony Creations: equines

Showing posts with label equines. Show all posts

5.04.2017

SL :: Evolution of an Avatar

It should come as no surprise that I am constantly on the lookout for how to improve my avatar. I am also indecisive as fuck when it comes to how she looks. So I'm going to (re) share some of the past looks she's had, starting with my first mod.

Click on the pics to expand.

So this is the one that started it all.. I had very little clue of what the fuck I was doing, and, let's be real, it's not a very good mod. The original Aventity horse was more of a bitch to mod than the new version, and when you're trying to do it without any kind of UV map... x_x But it's the start of it all. This was the day after my birthday, February 6, in 2010. This is 7 years old. You can find the original post about it here.

The next major update came when I found out about the Kani Pony Muzzle. Most people in SL met me with some variation of this head. This was May 29, 2010. So this is also coming up on 7 years old. This is the favorite head I've ever used, and I am still using a variation of it to this day. You can also see the first use of the Invisible Designs horn. I have used it ever since. Original post link here.

I did some minor updates on it over the next few months, so the next couple pictures and post links (if applicable) will be those.
Post link, from June 7, 2010. This sheet is from an update on August 26, 2010.

I either didn't make a post about these, or I didn't tag it, but this and the next are with the legs from Eversky Aeon, and her 2.0 hooves. This and the next are from sometime around January 2, 2011.

This was a sort of random thing, when I was feeling not my best. I also wanted to play around with making a dark skin, so this kind of covered both bases. Again, no post, apparently... Flickr has a date of December 3, 2010 for the version of this coloration with the previous legs and hooves. I either never did a turnaround for the older legged version, or it's has been lost to computer moves.

One year after the original mod, on February 6, 2011, I switched to using the legs from the DSD ram. I would continue to use primarily these legs, except with the Raawr horse, and until the damn things made my avatar complexity shoot through the roof. No turnaround done for these, and there's that weird ass line on the right that my old laptop was doing... But here's the original post about them.

On February 11, 2011, I briefly left my Kani Pony as my horse of choice, and started wearing the Aventity 2.0. ... Then I realized how much of a bitch it was to retexture.

I know I was wearing the dark version, with the modded DSD ram legs, into July 2011, as there's a post in which I was updating the turn around for it. This was mostly because I had decided to change the hair color from white to this bluey-black.

August 20, 2011, I posted this to my Flickr. I was, for whatever reason, being a bad blogger and not posting anything. For some reason, I reposted it on Sept 25, 2011. But it wouldn't be the first or last repost I've made to that gallery! I was still flipping back and forth between the two colorations, because

there are pictures of me in my garden on the land in Mena Serena in the dark version.

February 11, 2012, I posted this to Flickr. It should look familiar, if you've known me for a while. This little Pony doodle, as a test of my adoptable base, was the start of the most "me" coloration I've ever done in SL.

And there is is. February 18, 2012. This is what I called my "Purple Bay."

February 26, 2012, I made the turnaround/reference sheet for her. Again, I was being a shitty blogger and didn't make a post to chronicle the history. I liked this look so much, it became my character's appearance outside of SL. I actually did her first ever actual reference sheet, based off of it, in May of 2012. I think that was the first thing I fully completed on my new PC. Using the technique I figured out in Paint Tool SAI on the linked picture, I made the dapples I've had in my store (and used on my avatar at times) ever since.

There was some weirdness in there... This was August 3, 2013, so it's been like a year and a half in this coloration at this point. I'd later swap those droopy ears out for the Aventity wolf ones, and go full doge. I started playing around with mesh bodies soon after this, since those were becoming a thing that was happening.

I mean, I became candycorn for a short time... Shit was getting weird.

I even toyed around with being a Friendship is Magic styled Pony. She was this coloration as it was easiest to make fit that body, before I got into ever texturing it. And I never did. (Explanation below...)

November 1, 2013, the Raawr horse was released. I had it retextured before the release party was over. I did actually make a post, but as I've gotten irritated with Raawr and DSD since, those pics came down. That texture job wasn't my best but... I wouldn't have to live with it long.

At the very end of 2013, I had a really bad fight with my then friend and the owner of White Noise, Kendrix Darkstone. In the 3+ years since, I have realized what this was, in large part, spurred on by my now ex-fiance. Still. I fucked up. I really regret it now, more than I did then. I've sent an apology over SL, but she has not logged on in quite some time. I don't know if I should press the issue further. Still, this set me into a pretty awful state, so I changed my avatar to match how I felt.

In February of 2014, I made the decision to make some life changes. I changed up my SL avatar once again, going to the "canon" coloration for the character in my novel, towards the end when she's going through the worst part of her life. But she comes out in the end.

Notice, I'm still not really blogging here. I didn't change much of this avatar over the next while. I added the Blunderforge "Dat Lip" because, let's face it, that bare face is way too plain. Life was about to get crazy.

Before it did, I took a stab at modding the Aventity equine again. Went about as well as could be expected. I also bought my first mesh body part add on: the Lolas Tango breasts. That did, for some reason, warrant a blog post.

At the end of May, 2014, I packed up as much of my shit as my car and my step-dad's truck could carry, and left my fiance of 8 years. Abusive relationships are the fucking worst, and no one deserves to feel like they have to stay in one.

After getting back home, and setting up camp on my childhood friend's couch, I started my life over. ... I didn't feel that I needed to update my avatar just yet. So I threw together a reference for her, with the nice mesh boobs, and my new partner's stamp on her ass. I wrote a post in August of 2014 about the coloration, sorta.

There was really not a major update or change to the avatar until I moved away from using the Raawr head (because, seriously guys, fucking listen to your customers), save the ears as I haven't found a replacement I really like. This was in January of 2016. I mashed the Moufette muzzle onto the Chinchilla head. It's not perfect, they aren't supposed to be mashed together, but I've never been able to make the muzzle fit the moufette head.

I slowly added mesh parts. I added the Slink hands, and then the Slink body. I was never able to get the Blunderforge lip to fit the muzzle, but the Donut Steel one more than workable. Note, I'm still using the DSD Ram legs here. This would be the last update with them.

January of 2017, almost 3 years later, I finally decided to update my avatar a little bit. There had been some huge life changes. I had moved from my home state of Tennessee, to western New York, then to central Texas, with another move back to NY on the horizon, because fucking shit Austin is expensive. I'd had a baby (!!). I'd lost my father after a very short battle with cancer. It was time for some updates. I pulled in some hints of the 2012 version. For some reason, the retexture on the DSD legs almost doubled my avatar complexity, so I ditched them and temporarily used the Aventity legs.

Was I done? Hell no. I've been missing my old coloration. I see my SL avatar as being both an extension of me and how I feel, as well as being very fluid. Ever changing. Plus, damnit, my store is called "Purple Pony Creations." Do any of those old colorations since December of 2013 look purple to you? (They are, but only technically being in that range.) Time to pull out some old tricks.

But wait. I sold those old colorations to help fund my getting the fuck out of my abusive relationship.

wat do!?

Remake it, that's what. Better this time. So while this is not complete, I have some work to do on the leg markings, and I want to add in more influence from the swirly original, here is the latest version of my avatar.

I have toned down the body shape some, just slightly, but only because my AO clips terribly.

Fucking welcome back, SLSno.

Labels: characters, Curious Inc, equine, equines, furry, history, lara, maitreya, mesh bodies, mods, pony, SL, teal deer, unicorn
(0) Comments

11.01.2013

SL :: New equine!

Finally, there's a new anthro equine on the grid.

Don't get me wrong, I love the AVentity equine, but it's been almost 3 years since it was released.

Raawr just released an equine avatar tonight (the first release party isn't even over as I type this), and I had a little extra from getting a commission, so I picked it up.

I'm not going to do a review, I'll let SLARF handle that, I'm just going to say I am VERY pleased with it and the build quality and now I'll spam you with quick pictures.

I already modded mine to look like my character... :3 Easiest mod I've done.

Edit: And, of course, I've made a halter for it.

Labels: equine, equines, horse, mods, raawr, SL
(0) Comments

2.12.2011

SL :: AVentity Equine 2.0

(LOTS OF PICS. Slow internet people, beware!)

Yes, finally, version 2 of the AVentity equine is out.

Yes, I am currently rocking the FUCK out of the updated zebra.

So, let's take a look at it!

(Sorry this pics are of the white version, I hadn't gone to get another color yet... :p)

To start, these do NOT include wings or horns like the version 1. There are a million alicorns across the grid, I'm sure you won't die. As for wings... the original ones were very high ARC, and while I'm not a horrible "OMG GET YOUR ARC DOWN TO ONE" like some people can be, it can be a concern. The wings were high prim, with alpha textures, so, yeah, I'm sure you can find replacements. (I'm sure there are some in the part store that's around the AVentity vendors now.) They also do not include hand attachments, but I never really used those much any more.

All that said they ARE cheaper than they were at release, now costing L$640, down from L$800 a little over a year ago. Mephitis has lowered the price of all her avatars, and you get both sexes, so they're a really good deal. Honestly, one of the best deals on the market. The price is why I can't complain TOO much about the small issues I have with the avatar. The biggest of which is, again, lack of out-of-the-box Viewer 2 compatibility. The legs and hooves still use invisiprims. It's a simple as hell fix for me, and I'll take care of it as soon as I can, but if someone is not savvy in how to edit this, it can be a problem.

(Meph, please, if you read this, everyone will be FORCED to go to a V2 compatible viewer soon. Yes, forced. Might as well make those legs V2 compatible! :3 I've got a free digitigrade alpha texture that I created (because all the other free ones I tried were no mod and/or not well done) I will -GIVE- you, full perm, so you can include it and stop using those archaic invisiprims.)

The other issue I have is more of a personal one, and it is... av height. Yeah, I like short avs. But again, it's not a hard fix. And at least it's not as tall as some.

Anyway! Onto the av. :3

This is what you first drag to the ground...

Then you get a folder from that with two other boxes, one for the male av, one for the female. We're gonna look at the female av...

The first thing I notice, and love, is the fixing of the avatar's proportions. The arms are no longer too short, probably having to do with the lack of hand attachments. The figure is pretty extreme, but there are versions of my own, personal shape that are similar. Due to how SL does the joints, they always look stick thin, regardless of how muscular the limbs are. This is a SL issue, not one Meph caused with her shape, though toning down the muscles on the legs can help alleviate the strange look. Also, this shape is slightly knock-kneed, like the wolf was, so the width of the calf and the hoof becomes problematic (*smoosh*) on a pose stand like the one I'm on. In normal use, you don't really notice it. Modding would help too, if it's a problem for the user.

From the side, the av is pretty thin, and almost looks bottom heavy with the size of the legs. Again, I think the average user would alleviate this look some if they were to mod the avatar's legs. Over all, I DO love these legs and hooves so many times more than the old legs. No longer are the toes of the hooves super long and the heels severely under-run. I'll touch more on the hooves later. The new tail is flagged, and reminds me of an Arabian, fitting well with the face shape. The new female hair style is similar to the style of the KZK horse, with it being like an actual mane and pulled to one side. Several years back, Wingless Emoto did this with her old horse avatars, and you can still find those across the grid.

(A note about the fingers: There is an optional, tintable "glove" that adds the tips to the fingers. I was wearing it while photographing.)

From the back, you can see the style of the mane, and also how fluffy the tail is (in the first image) and the shading of the backside (in the second). The av looks great from pretty much any angle.

Back to the head for a moment... I'm not sure if I'm sold on the eyebrows but... I think I can deal with them. The difference in this face shape over the original is pretty signifigant.

And yes, those appear to be the same ears. I loved the original ear sculpts, and I'm glad she kept them.

Now, onto where I am going to nitpick every horse avatar I come across: the hooves. There is a saying: "No hoof, no horse." The hoof is the foundation of every equine, and to see it neglected is just... appalling. That said, the hooves are MUCH improved over the original.

To start, this avatar does come with a system shoe. Most ever horse av has this, and it really throws off my re-scaling. ... Just sayin', guys... :p

I'm not sure what's with the coronet area's discoloration on the white av. I don't really notice this on the zebra, and I forgot to look on the chestnut. The hooves are short, yes, but they're not over grown, as the old ones appeared. It fits with the chunky look, and a user can modify this, as the hoof is a prim of it's own.

While the outside of the hoof looks good, I am kind of "meh" about the lack of attention paid to the sole and frog areas of the hoof.

Still the hoof is nice and proportional, with the length and width being about even. Some other makers ignore this, so it's nice to see attention paid to it. (Had to take one hoof off, otherwise, you'd have seen something that looks kinda like a butt.)

Over all, I'm so damn happy to see this. The original, while a good av for it's time (early sculpties), hadn't aged as well as one would hope, especially considering there's a lack of GOOD anthro equine avs on the grid.

AVentity halter update will be out in a day or so, and I will also be taking a look at the updated AnthroXstacy horse, and comparing it to the original (which I didn't really care for...) Let's just say I bought a second AX horse.