Avatar Impostors

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Avatar Impostors is a performance-improving feature that renders distant avatars more "cheaply" — instead of being drawn in full 3D as usual, impostors are two-dimensional, like cardboard cutouts.

This means they look rougher around the edges and aren't affected as fluently by inworld effects like lighting, but it may be worth it for the Viewer FPS (Frames Per Second) you gain, making your overall Second Life experience smoother. This is especially noticeable in large crowds, so go to a popular club or hot event and compare before/after.

Avatar Impostors is usually on by default. To toggle Impostors:

1. Go to Edit > Preferences and click Graphics tab.
2. Enable Custom checkbox to show additional options.
3. Enable or disable the Avatar Impostors checkbox.

Furthermore, the Avatars Mesh Detail slider controls the relative distance at which avatars become impostors. Moving it to the right (High) means avatars become impostors at a further distance, which is preferable if you have a powerful computer.

If Avatar Impostors is on, muting a Resident render thems as a generic gray form:

File:Muted with Avatar Impostors on.png

Get technical details about Avatar Impostors.