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Using Animations Part 3:
Animation Overriders
Animation Overriding is the act of overriding Second Life's default avatar movements with custom animations. This is typically accomplished by attaching a scripted object to your avatar which repeatedly checks to see what posture your avatar is in. Whenever the script detects that your avatar has changed posture, it stops the animation SL associates with the new posture and starts your custom animation in its place.
You can purchase Animation Overriders in Second Life which come pre-configured and loaded with custom animations. If you have the scripting ability, you can create your own AO. You can also pick up open source animation overriders for free which typically contain the scripts necessary to run the AO, but not the animations. You add your own animations to these AOs and configure them through a simple process which involves designating the animations you wish to use when on a notecard.
Animation Overriders can be configured to allow you to play multiple animations in place of a single default animation. This is a great feature to have because it means that you can create separate animations for different parts of the body and use them together in different combinations. Animating different body parts individually also enables you to set different priorities for each body part. (See Uploading Animations for further discussion on Animation Priorities.)
Some Drawbacks to Using Animation Overriders
- Animation Overriders cause lag! Because your AO script is constantly checking to determine what state your avatar is in, it creates load on SL's servers. It also creates load client-side because everyone who can see your avatar now needs to download your custom animations from SL's servers and render them instead of simply playing the readily available default animations. Please be considerate of your fellow citizens. If you are attending a crowded event and the host asks you to remove scripted attachments or take other measures to help reduce lag in the area, please turn your AO off.
- Animation Overriders can conflict with other scripts which attempt to animate your avatar. Therefore, if you are giving another object (such as a dance machine) permission to animate your avatar, you may wish to turn off your AO first.
In a low-lag environment, Animation Overriders are nifty tools for allowing you to customize your own unique style of movement, but sometimes you just want a specific animation to play when you (or someone else) is in a specific place - perhaps sitting on a chair, or lying in a bed. For this purpose, you might want to use a Pose Ball.
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