Note:\\
  - This page is  rated "PG" / "PG13".
  - Pages beginning with "Avatars" located under the "Shork Industries" / "Avatars" section are rated "PG" / "PG13"unless stated differently in their header.
  - All other pages located under the Shork Industries" / "Avatars" section are rated "Adult" unless stated differently in their header.
  - Treat all pages outside the Shork Industries" / "Avatars" section as "Adult" unless stated differently in their header. Viewers discretion is advised.  

====== Shork Avatars ======

Shork avatars are intended for both normal use as well as learning, how avatars are made and function. As we have no rigger (Feb. 2024) so far, we can't offer an avatar that's mesh, rigged and using the Bento skeleton.\\

Instead something useful for when you work with the Shork avatars or one day your own components:\\
To import the meshes correctly into OpenSim / Second Life,  you sometimes might have change the import settings. An example can be seen below:\\
{{ :avatars:shork_import_settings.jpg?nolink| Mesh component import settings for OpenSim}} \\

Our first models was made in the size of 28 mm scale (tabletop figurines). On average, we found that the "Scaling Factor" of 10 during import gave perfectly sized components for OpenSim / Second Life.\\
By now, we try to prepare the packages more thoroughly. As a result, you should always check an avatars pages instructions. In case you're unsure, try importing the mesh parts in OpenSim, find out the perfect settings for your needs, and only then upload them in Second Life. \\
Scaling issues affect only the Avatars from Ironwood115 (Shark & Lion; Scaling factor x10) and from Silverim ( Dark Dragon and Light Dragon, scaling factor should be fixed ).

Other steps typically include:\\
  * Model Name: Give each component a meaningful name. Their internal names just aren't meaningful. When it is a complete avatar pack, i.e. several components in one package, you have to rename the parts when you "Edit" => "Unlink" the parts.
  * Tab "Upload Options": Scale: Default Scaling factor is either given on the avatars page, or you can find out your optimum setting by trial-and-error in OpenSim. 
  * Tab "Upload Options": Checkbox "Include textures": Per default, we marked the tickbox. Seriously, none of us knows what actually happens when we do not select it other than that we get white instead of black default meshes in the end. We got that one from a Youtube Video on how to import mesh into Second Life. Some Avatar packs might try to include the textures, but we haven't found out yet how to make that automatic ourselves, so best to assume you'll have to upload the textures later on yourself and apply them.


The UV Maps we provide can be used as a transparent overlay to create your own individualized Skins. Again, for a beginner we recommend to use one of our provided skins and edit it before creating a new one from the ground up..\\


As a note on the eye textures: \\
After uploading an eye texture, applying it to an eye of a Shork avatar needs one adjustment:\\
{{ :avatars:eye_texture_settings.png?nolink |}}\\
In the Texture tab of the Edit window,  "Horizontal Scale" should be equal 1 and "Vertical Scale" should be equal 2.
Again, it just works best this way. When you want a different effect or create your own eye textures, play with these values to find your desired effect.\\
And yes, it is like this because we somehow made an error and gave up trying to fix it in March 2024. Rotating the image is easy enough and just works.

==== Facial Expressions System ====

Facial expressions are provided by a scripted component, named "Eyecontroll (linkset)", we got from one of our supporters in OpenSim:\\ 
Xentor Antarix.\\
To access its menu, click your Shork avatars nosetip and you'll be prompted by a blue popup requestor window.
Not all expressions work equally well with all avatars due to the different facial geometries.\\

Instead of writing more, have a short video, recorded by Kute Toodles in OpenSim:\\

{{ :avatars:v2_shork-industries-lion-facial-exp.mp4 | Eye based facial expressions by Xentor Antarix}}\\

Thanks go to:\\
  * Xentor Antarix @ OpenSim for the Eye Expressions Module
  * Kute Doodles @ OpenSim for recording the Video
  * [[https://pixabay.com/users/daddy_s_music-22836301/| Daddy's Music]] for the royalty free background music and
  * [[https://pixabay.com| Pixabay]] for the wonderful royalty free content library.

Note: The Expression system is currently only available in OpenSim.

----

For the already deployed avatars, check the pages listed on he left beginning with "Avatar_" or "Avatars_".\\
You may laugh, but we forgot to define exactly how our concurrent documentation processes should actually name the pages, so, as a result we had two people working on it - and two different naming conventions as a result.\\
Learn from it for your own projects.

Below is the list of the still outstanding, but already planned avatars from Shork Industries for Open Simulator.
Some may be available in Second Life, too.

**Birds:**
  * Eagle
  * Owl
  * Blue-footed Boobie

**Vulpines:**
  * Redfox
  * Arctic Fox
  * Fennec

**Canines:**
  * Dalmatian
  * Golden Retriever
  * Husky/Malamute
  * German Sheperd
  * Border Collie

**Lupine:**
  * Jackal
  * Coyote
  * North American Wolf
  * Timber Wolf

**Big Cats:**
  * Lynx
  * Cheetah

**Equine:**
  * Palomino Texture, Brown Texture, White Texture
  * "Anthro MLP" style equine ( Pink, Yellow, Blue, Black, White, Violet, Green )

**Lapine:**
  * Alternative Bunny Textures: Grey, Black, White, Mixed
  * Angora Bunny ( Floofy Bunny )

**Reptiles:**
  * Gecko ( Various colors )
  * Giant girdled lizard
  * Comodo Dragon
  * Sand Goanna

**Amphibians:**
  * Frog ( Various Species)
  * Salamander
  * Axolotl