missing avatar

[Craig Hilbert]

 

Hi, I just returned after a long absence.  My avatar seems to have disappeared.  I look like a puff of smoke.  How do I get my avatar back?

Hi Rolig, I tried to change my appearance (my shoes) as suggested in the link.  It says "Editing Appearance - Loading" and the message never goes away.  Also, my Appearance window is stuck on Editing Shoes even when I close and reopen the Appearance window.  I noticed that I have no Outfits; does that matter (I don't recall Outfits the last time I logged on.  Is that a new feature?).  I tried closing and relaunching sl several times - that did not help.  Nothing wrong with my internet bandwidth.

Thanks Rolig, I really appreciate your help.  I am using Second Life 3.5 viewer (when I launched SL yesterday it required an update).  My "Appearances" window shows "No Outfits", but "Currently Wearing" has everything there, and my inventory seems intact.  I don't recall Appearances structured that way with my old viewer (I don't remember the version), but maybe that is irrelevant.  My avatar is still a cloud.  I would hate to start over with a naked, default avatar - such a pain!

Hmm, the "Reset All Settings" option seems to be missing:

Now I'm really starting to wonder ... . I see from some surfing that there are several non-Linden Labs viewers available.  Could it be that the Second Life (Linden Labs) viewer I have, even though updated yesterday, is totally obsolete and no one is using it anymore?  If so, what viewer should I use and where do I get it.  Would a new viewer take my current settings, inventory, avatar status and stuff?  Is that what "Firestorm" & "Phoenix" are about?

Did a clean reinstall.  No avail.  Here is the About screen:

Second Life 3.5.0 (273444) Apr 3 2013 12:48:32 (Second Life Release)
Release Notes

You are at 258,398.0, 262,853.0, 104.6 in Lanestris located at sim6503.agni.lindenlab.com (216.82.11.74:13005)
Second Life RC LeTigre 13.04.12.273874
Error fetching server release notes URL.

CPU: Intel(R) Core(TM) i7 CPU X 920 @ 2.00GHz (1995.08 MHz)
Memory: 16309 MB
OS Version: Microsoft Windows 7 64-bit Service Pack 1 (Build 7601)
Graphics Card Vendor: NVIDIA Corporation
Graphics Card: Quadro FX 3800M/PCI/SSE2

Windows Graphics Driver Version: 8.16.0011.8737
OpenGL Version: 3.0.0

libcurl Version: libcurl/7.21.1 OpenSSL/0.9.8q zlib/1.2.5 c-ares/1.7.1
J2C Decoder Version: KDU v7.0
Audio Driver Version: FMOD version 3.750000
Qt Webkit Version: 4.7.1 (version number hard-coded)
Voice Server Version: Vivox 3.2.0002.10426

Built with MSVC version 1600
Packets Lost: 0/9,042 (0.0%)

 

[Rolig Loon]

It has nothing to do with your absence, Craig. That's a communication problem between your computer and SL's servers. It's a very common problem, but one that will soon go away for all of us. Information about your appearance has to be "baked" onto your avatar on your own computer, saved there, and then uploaded to SL before it's fully visible there. If the necessary information is messed up in transmission, you may end up with a borked file on your computer, or SL's servers may end up with a borked image. Either way, your av's appearance defaults to a fluffy cloud. What works to repair the damage for one person won't necessarily work for the next person, and it may not be the same thing that works for you tomorrow. See the full list of possibilities here >>> http://wiki.phoenixviewer.com/doku.php?id=fs_bake_fail . Start with the simple things at the top of the list and work down until you find what works for you today.

You may find that the bake fail problem comes back repeatedly, even after you fix it with one of the suggestions on that wiki page. If so, you have a chronically weak Internet connection. There are many steps to take for repairing it. Perhaps the simplest ones -- ones that work best for most people -- are: (1) Don't Use WIRELESS. Wireless connections are inherently less stable than direct cable connections and are more vulnerable to interference. Then, (2) Reboot your router. Unplug it from the power for a few minutes to let it clear its RAM. Then plug it back in and let it get a fresh hold on an IP address.

[Lindal Kidd]

Your avatar hasn't disappeared, it's just not able to rezz completely.  This is called a "bake fail", or what we used to call "Ruthing".  The usual cause is a poor internet connection, or more rarely, a corrupt avatar part (clothing, hair base, skin, etc.)

Go to this page for some things to try:  http://wiki.phoenixviewer.com/fs_bake_fail

[Lindal Kidd]

Craig, try forcing a default avatar.  Open the Advanced menu (CTRL+ALT+D) or Develop menu (CTRL+ALT+Q), depending on what viewer you're using.  Find the item Avatar/Character Tests/Test Male.  It will make you look like a noob.  Once you've rezzed, put on your normal appearance items one at  a time.

[Rolig Loon]

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Craig Hilbert wrote:

[ ... ]

Hi Rolig, I tried to change my appearance (my shoes) as suggested in the link.  It says "Editing Appearance - Loading" and the message never goes away.  Also, my Appearance window is stuck on Editing Shoes even when I close and reopen the Appearance window.  I noticed that I have no Outfits; does that matter (I don't recall Outfits the last time I logged on.  Is that a new feature?).  I tried closing and relaunching sl several times - that did not help.  Nothing wrong with my internet bandwidth.

 

---

What viewer are you using?  If you don't see an Outfits folder, you must be on an ancient viewer.  Outfits were introduced with V2.0, which was extinct two years ago.    Beyond that, if you are stuck on editing appearance, chances are good that your settings files are also ancient and maybe borked.  If you were on a current viewer, I'd suggest clearing your settings.  Since you seem to be on an older one, I suggest doing a clean re-install of a current one take your pick, V3 or a TPV).