What are Props and Avatars?

Props and Avatars (Avs) are the objects and costumes you can use to dress up your smiley face and manipulate in various ways. You must be a registered user to use most props in The Palace, although even "Guests" will be able to use a few existing props.

To The Palace program, there is no difference between a prop and an av. They are made in the same way, stored in the same, way, donned in the same ways, and so forth. The difference is conceptual. We tend to think of props as those objects that you can use on The Palace and that do not make you into a different person. An av is a prop or set of props that cover up the smiley face completely and do make you into a different person.

Donning a Prop

Props are stored in the suitcase near the bottom of the main Palace window, next to the trash can. Open the suitcase by clicking on it. Scroll through the list of props on the right side of the dialog box. When you find one that you want to wear, double click it.

Donning a Set of Props

Sometimes props come in sets that need to work together. A single prop is limited in size, but you can wear up to nine of them at a time. To don a set of props, simple double click on each member of the set in your suitcase. They will all be put onto your smiley face and automatically appear in their correct positions. This works for animated props, too.

A large set of props can be up to 132 x 132 pixels, but it consists of several smaller props that are displayed right next to each other. Palace will automatically divide a large prop into smaller ones for you when you make it. To put on a large prop you may have to drag each part to your avatar. Point the cursor at your nose (or where you nose would be if you had one) and the prop will snap into position when you release the mouse button.

Animated props are similar but have the different smaller props stacked on top of each other on your avatar. When you set the right commands for the props, they will flip through them so that they look animated.

In either case, you can have up to nine props on at one time, no more.

Obtaining a Prop from a Room

If a room contains a loose prop that you would like to have, in most cases you can simply drag it to your avatar (again pointing the cursor at your nose). Release the cursor and, voila!, you are wearing it. And it is stored automatically in your suitcase.

Removing Props

To remove a prop, drag it to the trashcan at the lower right of the main Palace window. It will still be stored in your suitcase.

Automating Dressing