how I can update my avatar for mesh?

[ChinRey]

Simply put: you buy a mesh body and wear it on top of your old avatar.

To clear up a misunderstanding here: a mesh body is not a replacement for your regular avatar, it's an attachment you wear on top of the system avi, jsut like a hair or a piece of mesh clothing etc.

[ChinRey]

Simply put: you buy a mesh body and wear it on top of your old avatar.

To clear up a misunderstanding here: a mesh body is not a replacement for your regular avatar, it's an attachment you wear on top of the system avi, jsut like a hair or a piece of mesh clothing etc.

[Lindal Kidd]

I would not spend a lot of money on a mesh avatar body just now.  Project Bento, which adds more bones to the avatar skeleton, is here, but it is very new.  Give creators a couple of months to create products that take advantage of the new features.  

[angeoco]

You should also be aware that a lot of your existing clothes might not work with a mesh body, so it is recommended to try a demo first and be prepared to throw out half your wardrobe. Lots of people who have been around a long time do not feel the need to change to a mesh body. They are better-looking but a bit more restrictive than a classic body.

And as Lindal said, there are big improvements taking place right now so it might be worth waiting. You can keep an eye on developments at http://meshbodyaddicts.com .

[Syo Emerald]

I'm not sure, if you understand what mesh bodies (or to be exact: body parts) are.

They are not an update in terms of replacing your avatars body, they are objects worn above your original body, which gets made invisible with an alpha layer. The bodies and body parts are products, that you can buy...just like everything else. Its...sort of a fashion choice.

If you want a mesh body, please be aware, that it will behave differently than the original avatar. You have to get used to a whole bunch of new things and a few limitations. If you don't have patiance or aren't quick with new technology, it can be overwelming.

[Nalates Urriah]

Everyone is giving good answers. However, Lindal's needs to be expanded on.

This month Linden Lab released Project Bento taking it live. The Bento changes are now part of the main SL system. 

Bento added bones to the old avatar skeleton making it easier to make quadrupeds, winged things, and add tails. Along with those bone additions are the bones needed to animate the face, hands and somewhat the toes. Expect hands and heads to under go massive changes. You can get more details and chatch up on the Bento news here: http://blog.nalates.net/tag/bento/

Also, Strawberry Singh has made several videos showing the changes to hands and heads. She writes a fashion blog and does great photography. Mesh Body Addicts has reviews of the heads and hands available now. Maitreya is the most popular body followed by Belleza and Slink. Catwa seems to be the leading Bento head maker just now.

These new hands and heads are just starting to appear in SL. Viewers are updating to support the feature. You must have a Bento capable viewer to correctly see a Bento rigged avatar. The Linden made SL viewer has the feature now. We are sort of expecting Firestorm to release their updated viewer any day now. As 2/3's to 3/4's of SL users use that viewer, Bento items won't take off  until it releases.

Since we are at a transition point in SL with Bento waiting is probably a good idea. I'm waiting for those that make mesh bodies to all be making Bento hands and heads before I decide to update. But, grab the demos and try things out. Decide which brand or brands you like.

To make dressing easier, consider building a starter outfit. I have several. I have a nude me outfit made using the classic body and another nude me using the Slink body, hands, and feet. I wear those to start making a new outfit.