why does my avatar have ugly lines at the side of her nose?

[Naomi38]

I'm pretty new to second life about a month old. I'm having trouble to get my avatar looking nice i bought a new skin and shape and in certain light it just looks ugly. How do i get rid of these lines near my avatars nose?  I'm also having problems dressing i can't resize shoes and dresses, i find it all really confusing. I don't want to give up on second life but i'm finding it more and more complicated please help

[Luc Starsider]

The problem you see is a combination of the shape of the SL avatar - how it's built - and the windlight settings you use, which is probably default in the viewer.

The lines is really nothing you can do anything with, but you can do something with the windlight settings. Have a look at this page for more information: http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/WindLight_Settings

Basically, you change windlight settings from the world menu. The last two items in the menu lets you change or edit the settings. (I don't remember the excact name for the menu items...)

Finally, we all have the same issue, and cope with it any way we can.

Shoes and clothing. If the seller did not provide resizer scripts for them - which you normally access by clicking the item, you can right click the item and choose 'Edit' from the meny. If the item is modifyable, you can then select the 'Stretch' option (or hold down ctrl+shift) and drag one of the white cubes marking the corners of the items bounding box to resize.

But be careful. If the item is copyable, make sure you create a copy of it in your inventory first!!! (Rigtclick and select 'Copy'. Then paste)

- Luc -

[Dianne Melson]

Every time they update the viewers it seems a lot more things become ugly and/or unconvincing.  I find the older things mostly just don't look nice at all in the modern viewers.  A lot of this is down to them having been made with low resolution textures and there's nothing you can do to improve them.  Getting clothes and hair and shoes and accessories to fit has always been a fun game for one.  Staying in to wash your hair in RL is staying in to fit your hair in SL   There are so many different ways things are made and so many different ways of fitting things the best thing to do is get hold of all the free things you can find and have a 'staying in to fit my clothes' night.  Just take the time to come up with outfits which looks nice one by one, just like you do in RL.  After only a month I'm sure you find SL very confusing, just enjoy the things you can do easily then occasionally try a few things you find harder, that way you'll learn at your own pace and it'll be more fun than problems

[emmettcullen93]

linden labs ask that we be patient while they update and then fix the updates. so they fix things and make things not work again. we have to bear with it. now as for the "ugliness" of your avatar. maybe it isnt a good made avatar. how much did you pay for it and from who? (dont have to answer that to us just to yourself.) i find noya avatars to be cheap and quality but not 0L cheap they are a preatty penny so to say. as for resizing your clothes are they modifyable? if not they you may be stuck with cinderella shoes on a shrek foot.

[Madelaine McMasters]

Hi Naomi, welcome to Second Life and the forums!

If you are taking about the little "crinkles" on either side of the nose near the bottom, I'm afraid that's the result of imperfections in SL's computer model of the face. It is possible to edit aspects of the nose in "Edit My Shape" (right click on your avatar and you'll see that option) to potentially improve things (or make them worse ;-). Those crinkles used to drive me nuts. I've just had to make my peace with them. (I recommend that solution to many of SL's problems, just accept 'em and move on.)

As for editing shoes, it's probably easier to edit the size of your feet! Most women's shoes are designed for a foot size of zero. If the shape you purchased is modifyable, you can reduce the foot size in "Edit My Shape" if it is not already zero. If your shape is copyable, make a copy before you edit, or remember to "Save As" rather than "Save".

I sympathize with your frustration over Second Life's steep and never-ending learning curve. I've been here for four years and still find SL really confusing!