Can't wear nothing

[Rolig Loon]

I am going to guess that you are using a mesh avatar, not a standard, classic avatar.  I am going to also guess that you bought system clothes that are meant to be worn on a classic avatar or meant to be used with an applier to a mesh body.  Try reading

https://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Controlling-your-avatar-s-appearance/ta-p/700709

https://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Buying-clothing-that-fits-your-avatar/ta-p/2570096

https://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Customizing-a-classic-style-avatar/ta-p/2940719

https://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Avatar-attachments/ta-p/700031

 

 

[Rolig Loon]

I am going to guess that you are using a mesh avatar, not a standard, classic avatar.  I am going to also guess that you bought system clothes that are meant to be worn on a classic avatar or meant to be used with an applier to a mesh body.  Try reading

https://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Controlling-your-avatar-s-appearance/ta-p/700709

https://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Buying-clothing-that-fits-your-avatar/ta-p/2570096

https://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Customizing-a-classic-style-avatar/ta-p/2940719

https://community.secondlife.com/t5/English-Knowledge-Base/Avatar-attachments/ta-p/700031

 

 

[Nalates Urriah]

I'll explain how avatars work in SL. Most of the other information given sort of assumes you know some basics.

There are different types of avatars in SL. There are the sort of new starter avatars, which have what we call mesh bodies or we just call them mesh avatars. There are also the older avatars which we call classic avatars. The classic avatar skeleton and skin are the base avatar for both mesh and classic. When using a new mesh body the skin of the classic avatar is hidden behind it. As the classic body will poke-through the mesh body when animated the classic body is hidden using alpha layers.

Clothes and skin made for the classic avatar are a texture/image applied to the classic mesh surface as a tat or shirt or other system item. We call these clothes and skins classic, system clothes or skin. You can think of the images as being like decals stuck on the mesh surface that makes up the classic body's skin.  These are the clothes we make with GIMP or Photoshop. Only an image/texture is needed. The mesh part is already built into the system.

If you use GIMP or Photoshop you are familiar with layers. The classic body and clothes system uses layers. In the classic avatar the skin is the bottom layer. On top of that we composite the tattoo, undershirt, shirt, and jacket layers. We can also wear ‘attachments’ on top of all those layers.

Over the classic avatar body and those ‘system’ layers the mesh avatar places a new mesh surface, which is literally just another attachment. The attachment can be a head, hands, feet, body, all of them, or any combination.

When wearing a mesh body and/or parts there are two similar surfaces which are so close to the same position we have to hide the classic surface as it pokes through the new style mesh avatar’s surface when the avatar moves. It’s a basic limitation of modeling and animating in all 3D worlds. It is just the state of the technology we have. Note, this hiding also hides the system clothes applied to the classic skin.

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

Special skins and clothes are needed for use with the newer style mesh avatars. With mesh clothes another mesh surface is placed over both the classic and new style mesh skins. A rigged mesh top should fit over both skins. A rigged mesh jacket will be another surface that fits over all the surfaces below/inside it.

Mesh clothes can be used with the new mesh avatars and classic avatars. How well they do or don't fit each type varies.

System clothes can only be used with the system/classic avatar, unless they come with an Applier.

If all this seems 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/Project Sansar.

So, what can you do? Go into your inventory in the Library folder (at the bottom of the list) in Clothes and play with those. They are mostly mesh skins and clothes.

To get to the classic avatar, you need to open the menu's Develop tab. If it isnot showing press: Ctrl-Alt-Q

Then revert to the test avatar: Develop->Avatar->Character Tests->Test Male/Female. Once your avatar is a classic avatar try changing clothes.