Variable rendering of virtual universe avatars

A method for a service for viewer-responsive transformation of avatars in a virtual universe, the method comprising:

• providing a computer infrastructure comprising a processing unit in communication with a computer readable memory and a tangible computer-readable storage device;
• wherein the processing unit, when executing program instructions stored on the tangible computer-readable storage device via the computer readable memory:
• defines a plurality of different avatar appearance attributes for use in rendering a first avatar of a first user to a virtual universe client of a second user of a second avatar within the virtual universe wherein the different appearance attributes comprise visually different clothing attire items or visually different hairstyles;
• associates each of the different defined appearance attributes with a different key of a plurality of keys and with different ones of a plurality of unique identifiers;
• in response to the second avatar encountering the first avatar within the virtual universe, analyzes an inventory of assets of the second avatar to determine a nature of an item possessed within the inventory of the second avatar and determines if a unique identifier assigned to the second avatar is one of the plurality of unique identifiers assigned to the different keys;
• renders the first avatar encountered within the virtual universe by the second avatar in a virtual universe graphic user interface display of the second user as wearing one of the defined appearance attribute clothing attire item or hairstyle that is associated with one of the keys that is associated with the determined nature of the item possessed within the inventory of the second avatar and that is associated with the unique identifier assigned to the second avatar;
• and
• renders the first avatar simultaneously to a third user of a third avatar encountering the first avatar within the virtual universe environment as wearing another appearance attribute clothing attire item or hairstyle that is distinct and different from the defined appearance attribute rendered as worn to the second user, as a function of an inventory of the third avatar not possessing an item having the determined nature of the item that is possessed by the inventory of the second avatar.

An article of manufacture, comprising:

• a computer readable physical storage device having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the program code comprising instructions which, when executed on a computer system, cause the computer system to:
• define a plurality of different avatar appearance attributes for use in rendering a first avatar within a virtual universe, wherein the different appearance attributes comprise visually different clothing attire items or visually different hairstyles;
• associate each of the different defined appearance attributes with different keys of a plurality of keys, and with different ones of a plurality of unique identifiers;
• in response to a second avatar of a second user encountering the first avatar within the virtual universe, analyze an inventory of assets of the second avatar to determine a nature of an item possessed within the inventory of the second avatar and determine if a unique identifier assigned to the second avatar is one of the plurality of unique identifiers assigned to the different keys;
• render the first avatar encountered within the virtual universe by the second avatar in a virtual universe graphic user interface display as wearing one of the defined appearance attribute clothing attire item or hairstyle that is associated with one of the keys that is associated with the determined nature of the item possessed within the inventory of the second avatar and that is associated with the unique identifier assigned to the second avatar;
• and
• render the first avatar simultaneously to a third user of a third avatar encountering the first avatar within the virtual universe environment as wearing another of the appearance attributes that is different and distinct from the defined appearance attribute clothing attire item or hairstyle rendered to the second user as worn on the first avatar as a function of an inventory of the third avatar not possessing an item having the determined nature of the item that is possessed by the inventory of the second avatar.

A system, comprising:

• a processing unit;
• a computer readable memory and a computer-readable physical storage device, each in communication with the processing unit;
• and
• a network interface in communication with the processing unit and a virtual universe region;
• wherein the processing unit, when executing program instructions stored on the computer-readable storage device via the computer readable memory:
• associates each of a plurality of different avatar appearance attributes for use in rendering a first avatar within the virtual universe with a different key of a plurality of keys and with different ones of a plurality of unique identifiers, wherein the different appearance attributes comprise visually different clothing attire items or visually different hairstyles;
• in response to a second avatar of a second user encountering the first avatar within the virtual universe, analyzes an inventory of assets of the second avatar to determine a nature of an item possessed within the inventory of the second avatar and determines if a unique identifier assigned to the second avatar is one of the plurality of unique identifiers assigned to the different keys;
• renders the first avatar when encountered within the virtual universe by a second avatar to the second virtual universe user in a virtual universe graphic user interface display as wearing at least one of the defined appearance attribute clothing attire item or hairstyle that is associated with one of the keys that is associated with the determined nature of the item possessed within the inventory of the second avatar and that is associated with the unique identifier assigned to the second avatar;
• and
• renders the first avatar simultaneously to a third user of a third avatar encountering the first avatar within the virtual universe environment as wearing another of the appearance attribute clothing attire items or hairstyles that is different and distinct from the at least one of the defined appearance attributes rendered as worn on the first avatar to the second user as a function of an inventory of the third avatar not possessing an item having the determined nature of the item that is possessed by the inventory of the second avatar.