Low Render-cost Hair?

[Kelli May]

This my current go-to hairstyle:

I've used it for a while now, and I still like it. I've just noticed it has a rather high draw weight of something over 40K. This is probably due to the combination of sculpts, flexies and possibly multiple, large textures. For comparison, I have elaborate mesh styles that are less than one-tenth the weight. 

With all the recent talk of reducing render costs, I've set about streamlining my avatar*. Can someone suggest a similar style in mesh which will ideally be much more efficient to display?

I've been around some of my favourite stores... Truth (where this style originated), elikatira, ploom, Emo-tions and Magika. I've still not found anything that ticks all the boxes. It doesn't have to be identical, but I'd like a style of similar length and volume that hides my ears**.

 

*I also found that the tail I usually wear is a shocking 200K alone, compared to my entire mesh body which comes in well under 50K when I removed a rarely-used clothing layer.

**my regular avatar ears, not the raccoon ears that poke through my hair.

[Sonja Smedley]

Hey, did you check out this new one from Magika?

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Magika-DEMO-Things/6915341?

 

 

[Kelli May]

Thanks. I tried that one and it made the shortlist, but not quite my thing.

[Pussycat Catnap]

Heh... looks like we're on the same search. I've found some mesh only (no flexi) hair that is much lower in render cost (and some mesh that is absurdly high...).

This one might do for a similar look:

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Wasabi-Pills-Freya-MESH-Hair-Blacks-Pack/6505398

- everything I have tested from Wasabi Pills has been low render cost.

enVogue also has low render cost hair, but not in the style you have.

I'm still looking, I've located a few low render cost dreads... but those are way off from what you've got.

Runaway Hair too maybe:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Moonfall%20Dream/41/160/3017

 

 

 

For tails, look for the Jerboa Tail - high configurable. Medium draw weight:

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/NV-Fluffy-Tail/4788653

(OK, Jerboa Tail is its old name...)

 

 

[Kelli May]

I've found an Emo-tions group gift that's very low (approx 3k). It's unrigged so it looks rather stiff, and it's a little different in style, but hey, a change now and then is good. Tameless looked promising too, but their being no-mod put me off. 

The tail is another issue. I've swapped back to an old stacked-flexi tail that I used to wear. Most of the time it looks OK. Good raccoon tails are hard to find . I've had the Jerboa tail bookmarked for a while but there's no demo. I've seen it a few times in-world and it usually looks good. Thanks for the recommendations; I'll check them out.

[Bobbie Faulds]

Check Dura for the hair. Lots of good stuff there. You might look at Sweet Hair. I've not checked the render costs but she does have a nice tail there and the hair she has there would match. Again, as I said, haven't checked the costs....

[Pussycat Catnap]

I've made everything from a bunny tail, cat tail, fox tail, to a Na'vi tentacle thingy using the Jerboa Tail.

Sadly as I start exploring Draw Weight... it seems to hate all of my flexi stuff, and I'm rather fond of mixed Mesh/Flexi hair...

 

[Kelli May]

Dura have some really cute hair that would work, but they range from moderately high (25k for a mesh style) to very high (I think a mixed sculpt/flex style I tried was over 70K). Thanks for the suggestions though.

[SaraCarena]

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Pussycat Catnap wrote:

Draw Weight... it seems to hate all of my flexi stuff, and I'm rather fond of mixed Mesh/Flexi hair...

 

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Yeah my fave hair weighs in at over 100k but not giving it up..EVERRRR :smileymad:

I think it`s great to be aware of draw weight and go low lag to busy places but it`s still ok to go OTT sometimes. Have a Tameless hair on my on my 18k outfit and it`s pretty nice.

[Sonja Smedley]

Look at that one, I found an inworld store with lots of hair, maybe you find something there....

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Faces/152/43/270

[Kelli May]

Thanks all for the continued suggestions. I've switched to the Jerboa tail which has saved a huge amount of weight already, and I have some choices of hair that have reduced things still further. Between three small changes I've got my draw weight down from 400k plus (I know!) to around 75k. I'm still looking for options on hair, but they'll be 'as and when' rather than a priority. Obviously any further suggestions are welcome; they'll help me as well as anyone else looking for advice.

There'll still be times when I say to hell with it all and wear huge draw weight outfits, but it's good to have the low(er) weight av as a base. Eventually I'll put a truly low weight look together too.

[Penny Patton]

LL is planning to introduce a viewer feature which will automatically keep avatars over the draw weight in "Avatar imposter" mode. 

It might be a good time for people to start pestering content creators to make more optimized versions of their content.