Help a guy understand the new wave of AV creation

[ChrisDiamond865]

I've been around SL for over 5 years now. Not every day by any means. I'll play casually for a couple months. Break. Couple more months. A year break. Play a few more months. Etc etc.

 

I try to keep my AV looking up to date but I am finding it hard to stay in the know and up to date on everything in SL.

I've been using "FRUK Knox Skin" for a while now which isn't a mesh AV but I wear mesh clothes and still get compliments.

I've always used the same hairstyle from MADesigns too as it's the only one I ever found in SL that I like. It's not mesh though and people have suggested mesh hair to me before but I never found a hairstyle similar to the one I have been wearing that I really really like.

 

I guess I'm here for upgrade guidance as it would be nice to have a brand new skin/shape and hopefully I'll find some hair during the journey.

I've heard the newer stuff can even lower Sim lag so that's great news!

 

Sadly. As I said earlier. I'm not in the know or anything so I have no clue what the new stuff is or where to find it.

 

Was hoping someone could point me to a guide or something where I can read up on it and how to use it. Where to find it. Etc etc.

[angeoco]

Skins and hair (whether mesh or prim) work just as they did before, and you can easily alter your shape by adjusting your appearance settings in the viewer. If you buy a skin make sure it comes with a classic layer rather than mesh-body appliers (a modern trend). If you're thinking in terms of a mesh body, well that makes things a bit more complicated and expensive, and if you're happy with your classic body then don't feel pressured to change. I assume from your name (edit: and the thread subject, lol!),  that you have a male avatar, so I can't offer help re designers etc. However, it's easy to find good stuff in the Marketplace.

 

 

Edited April 26, 2017 by angeoco

[ChrisDiamond865]

I don't mind how expensive it will be.  I just want to know about this new stuff..   so I can begin planning for it and trying things on.. shopping.. etc etc.

 

I want to flat out know what's the NEWEST TREND RIGHT NOW in SL    and I wan't to know all about it. Like a dummies guide.

 

For instance.. I'm not sure this is it or not but I've heard words thrown around like there's new AV tech that is on an actual skeletal structure..   I've heard the term Bento and Catwa thrown around..   is that the new stuff? 

 

Can someone point me in the right direction?  I don't want to live in the past. I want to grow and adapt to this new wave of Second Life no matter the cost.

[AnnistynSL]

Meshbodyaddics

This has a lot of information. Hope this helps 

[angeoco]

Basically, mesh bodies are the trend du jour. The most popular option is to buy a set of mesh body parts, excluding the head, which you wear over your classic body, which makes it look far better. You can also buy mesh heads separately (Catwa is one brand) to wear over your classic head. As AnnistynSL said, Mesh Body Addicts is a very good site for advice on mesh bodies. Bento is simply the name given to the extra bones that were added to the SL skeleton last year, which enable more hand gestures and facial expressions and (for fantasy avatars) the addition of extra working limbs (and maybe a male "bone", I don't know! )

Edited April 26, 2017 by angeoco

[ChrisDiamond865]

Thanks you two.  Sounds really confusing but yes this is the direction I was looking for.  Hopefully I can learn it pretty quickly lol

 

 

I do have one weird question though..  I'm not understanding how its a good idea to get a head separately ..   I mean don't you add mesh skins to the mesh body?  Wouldn't the skin not go with the body you got or something? I'm all confused lol

 

But will definitely start looking at Mesh Body Addicts.   Thanks for that.

[angeoco]

It is common for people to hold onto their classic head as the mesh ones tend to be quite similar and not as customisable (though Bento is changing that), so the most popular mesh body packages (for women anyway) don't include a head. Then when you want to use a particular skin you apply both the classic version (which affects the head) and the mesh-body version of the skin.

Edited April 26, 2017 by angeoco

[Ariel Vuissent]

You would need a skin with appliers, and it needs to have appliers for both your brand of body AND your brand of head. (Or Omega appliers, but I won't get too far into that right now.) That seems to be a bit trickier for men than for women, but it's certainly not impossible.

[Annika Velde]

1 hour ago, ChrisDiamond865 said:

 

I want to flat out know what's the NEWEST TREND RIGHT NOW in SL    and I wan't to know all about it. Like a dummies guide.

Bento Mesh Heads: There is a WIDE variety of the bento mesh heads but they are definitely the latest trend. The link that AnnistynSL provided will help you find the stores that supply these.

Mesh Body: To get rid of all the weird jagged edges the classic body can have. Once again, that link will help you find stores.

Bento Hands: They wiggle! How can you resist? These are a must in my opinion. You can find these at Vista Animations and I think that SLink MAY (I dont know for sure) have put some out as well.

Skin Appliers for Mesh Bits: Can't have mesh bits without a skin! You would just look silly. L'etre makes some very lovely male skins that I think you may find appealing since you are wearing Frukk

Fitted Mesh Clothing: This is also a great change if you haven't already. Remember having to mess with your shape to make your clothes fit? Well not anymore! With fit mesh the clothes fit your body pretty well.

 

If you have any questions or need any help in world, I am more than happy to assist you. Feel free to send me an IM!

Edited April 26, 2017 by Annika Velde

[Skell Dagger]

46 minutes ago, Annika Velde said:

Bento Hands: They wiggle! How can you resist? These are a must in my opinion. You can find these at Vista Animations and I think that SLink MAY (I dont know for sure) have put some out as well.

Yes, Slink have released Bento hands for men. They have a nice subtle movement to them, even when you're not wearing any special HUDs to make them move.

I'd suggest that the OP gives us an idea of what he wants to look like (eg: body physique - muscular, slender, somewhere in-between?), what kind of hairstyle he prefers (a screenshot of his current MADesigns style would help), and what kind of clothing style he'd like to have (casual jeans-n-tee/biker/etc), and then we can give more concrete suggestions.

From a quick Google Image search for Fruk's Knox skin, I'd suggest a store like Birth or maybe Clef de Peau for skins. Dependent on whether you want facial hair or not, you have a choice of buying a clean-shaven skin and adding a beard applier or tattoo layer (there are hundreds out there, enabling you to customise far more than just by buying a skin with the beard already on it) or - if you don't plan on changing your facial hair at a later date, finding a skin that comes complete with your preferred type of beard.

Edited April 26, 2017 by Skell Dagger