is it possible to get a free avatar that isnt mesh? having issues!

[Lezboi55]

I have been told that all the free clothes ive got at free shops will not work on the free mesh avatar that comes with the game... I dont want to spend real money if i cant even make the free stuff work that is for sure. I need help!!!!! im getting so frustrated that Im about to just delete the entire game. I AM willing to put real money in and make my avatar just like me, but first i want to try out the game and at least be able to use the free clothes ive got.. when i try and wear them they wont show up and the only answer im getting is that i have a free mesh avatar and the freebie stores clothes wont work on the mesh avatars... help!!! this is becoming more of a hassle than it is fun

[Abigail Longmeadow]

This is complicated. There are several different types of avatars. Most of the free starter avatars are mesh, and don't work with most clothes. However there should be an avatar chooser button on the main screen, that lets you switch between starter avatars, and it includes some "classic" avatars (non-mesh ones). The avatar chooser is the easy way to switch starter avatars.

[Theresa Tennyson]

The new avatars are only a "digital rubber full-body mask" over the old avatars. All you have to do is go to the "Appearance" button, click on the "Wearing" tab, and detach the mesh avatar parts (shown by orange boxes) and the "alphas" (shown by white T-shirt icons with a grid of lines. That will leave you with the old avatar your free clothes were designed for.

[Lindal Kidd]

It may be less complicated than you think.

Click the Avatars button on the left of your screen (looks like two people.)  Then choose from among the avatars depicted there, but choose a "classic" avatar, NOT a "mesh" avatar.  Voila!  Now you can wear traditional shapes, skins, and clothes.

EDIT:  On re-reading your post, I see that you want to make your avatar "just like you."  Even with an editable avatar, this may be harder than you think.  The avatar mesh isn't flexible enough to show fine details...that's left as the skin's job.  And you might not be able to find a set of shape settings and a skin that get your avatar looking much like your RL self.

You can certainly try, though.  My suggestion would be to take a couple of photos of yourself in RL, with your hair pulled back, face on and profile.  Use these as guides when adjusting the shape sliders.  Then go in search of a skin that looks good on the shape you've created.  Try the demos, don't buy anything until you find "the one".

It's possible to use photos of yourself and apply them to a skin template, creating your own custom skin.  However, the results I've seen using this method look pretty creepy.

But my REAL suggestion is, don't try to mimic your RL self.  Be a new you in Second Life, the best you that you can create.

[Nalates Urriah]

Lindal's answer is the best for solving your problem.

If you want the long answer, read on...

There are new the starter avatars, which we call mesh bodies or just mesh avatars. There are also the older avatars which we call classic avatars. The classic avatar skeleton and skin are the base avatar. To use a new mesh body the skin of the classic avatar is hidden using alpha layers.

Clothes and skin made for the classic avatar apply a texture/image to the mesh surface that makes up the skin of the classic avatar, which we usually just refer to as the system (original) skin. We call these clothes and skins system clothes or skin.

If you use GIMP or Photoshop you are familiar with layers. In the classic avatar the skin is the bottom layer. On top of that we composite the tattoo, undershirt, shirt, and jacket layers. On top of that the mesh avatar places a new mesh surface. The two surfaces are so close to the same position we hide the surface used for the classic avatar, so it doesn't show when it pokes through mesh avatar surface - which it does as the avatar moves. It’s a basic limitation of modeling and animating all 3D avatars in any world that surfaces conflict.

The viewer always applies system skin, tats, shirt, etc. to the system or classic avatar. This is why when you wear a mesh avatar and make changes you see no result/change. The change happened on the classic avatar skin/surface, which is HIDDEN UNDER the mesh skin/surface.

Special skins and clothes are needed for use with the newer mesh avatars. With mesh clothes another mesh surface is placed over both the classic and mesh skins. A top will fit over both. A mesh jacket will be another surface that fits over all the inner surfaces; shirt, skin.

We use 'Appliers' (a HUD that usually comes with a skin or other attachment) to place textures/images on the new surface that makes up the mesh avatar skin. We must composite the skin and clothes ourselves, if we want to place skin and clothes on the new avatar skin. But, it is intended that we use mesh clothes with a mesh avatar. So, in general we only place skin on the mesh skin.

Unfortunately, skins made for the classic avatar won't work with the mesh avatar. The skin makers are modifying classic skins they made to work with Appliers they build, which put the skins on the new mesh avatars.

Mesh clothes are used with the new mesh avatars and classic avatars.

If all this seem unnecessarily complicated... you're sort of right and the thinking is understandable. But, the necessity for it comes from the Lab's habit of making all new things as backward compatible as possible. Classic avatars came first. We are now in a transition to newer things. We expect these complications to be removed in the coming SL2.