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Looking for a head


TheMaddieRose
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Hey everyone! I'm rather new to Second life and am looking to update my avi's appearance (to avoid the noob appearance xD). Does anyone have any shop recomendations where I can find some higher quality heads? If not heads any good shops I should just generally look into?

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If you have enough money you can always buy a Catwa bento(animated) head from here 

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Catwa Clip/143/3/22

Pretty much the same as Catwa there is Lelutka

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/LeLutka/119/138/24

I also like Genesis heads which are cheaper but they don't have as much exposure as Catwa

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Genesis Lab/154/134/24

There's also many other heads for sale on the marketplace, usually gachas which cost anywhere from 80L to 2k 

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/products/search?utf8=✓&search[category_id]=&search[maturity_level]=G&search[keywords]=gacha+head

 

 

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Two good places to start your research are the mesh heads tag on Strawberry Singh's blog, where she posts video reviews of many mesh heads in SL, and the Mesh Body Addicts blog sections for Mesh Heads and Bento Mesh Heads. (The difference between the two types is that a Bento head allows you further customisation using your body's shape sliders, whereas non-Bento mesh heads don't. Bento is not a brand name; it's a relatively-recent update to the Second Life avatar skeleton that added more bones.)

As Norchadens mentioned, there are a lot of mesh heads on the Marketplace, but I don't recommend buying any mesh heads that are listed as 'gacha' items from there. Very occasionally, scammers will sell empty boxes listed as rare gacha mesh heads, so - if at all possible - I'd recommend that you buy from a reputable store rather than from someone who is reselling gacha items. (Obviously there are genuine people selling their unwanted gacha mesh heads on there, too, but it really is a case of caveat emptor when it comes to buying things like that from Marketplace.)

Do some research at the links I've given, and try on lots of demos. The following tips may also help you to choose:

  1. Ignore the included skins. They may look awful to you (or you might like them!) but you can change those at a later date if you want to.
  2. If the head is a Bento one, it might look truly awful when you put it on over your usual shape. (Usually, this will mean your eyes are squinted shut, and no amount of editing will open them.) Because of the way that Bento heads are rigged to the facial bones, the creator will offer a ‘starter shape’ that must be worn, and you then customise that shape.
  3. If the head is a Bento one, consider the kind of face shape that you want when you’re initially looking at the ad boards. While Bento heads are adjustable, they can only be adjusted so far, so begin with a head whose ‘base shape’ is similar to the shape you want to end up with. A head with a pointed chin will not be able to give you a heavy square jaw, for example.
  4. Is the head Omega-compatible? If it is, you’ll have a much greater choice of customisation options such as skins, makeup, brows, etc. to choose from.
  5. Search SL Marketplace. Is there a lot of stuff created for that mesh head? The more, the merrier!
  6. What kind of support does the head’s creator offer for it? Check out their profile picks to see whether they have a series of YouTube videos for common questions (such as how to tint your hairbase, or what to do to fix bulging eyes, etc.) or if they have an inworld support group where you can ask your questions. Believe me, you will probably have at least one or two problems with your eventual chosen mesh head, so having somewhere to find solutions is a great help.
  7. And, as before, DEMO.DEMO.DEMO.
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Buy a mesh head if you want to look like everyone else. I'd suggest you buy an old system avi (price range 0 L  to 10 L) but one with a face you really like, add a mesh body, and buy a skin that is a system skin (for your head) with an applier for your body, and you'll be totally unique.

I can't count the number of times I've seen a very pretty profile picture, then i meet them in person and think... oh you bought a mesh head since the picture was taken.

:)

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3 hours ago, Rhonda Huntress said:

:D LOL

My point is, you buy a system avi for a head shape you like. I bought my shape for free the day the day I joined SL, because i liked the face. I still like my face, that's why I've never changed it. I modded the body, got different hairs and skins and eventually got a mesh body, but my face is still the same, or the same as it can be with a different skin.

My face is unique, its not a clone of 1000 other mesh heads.

*shrugs*

Edited by BilliJo Aldrin
fixed typo
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You can be unique without having a distinctly different head, I would suggest checking out Mayreal, they are much less expensive than other mesh heads, I have an avi that is a standard Maitreya body with no modifications and a Mayreal head, also straight out of box, yet I get people telling me I am unique all the time. It is about more then the body, just like in RL, it is about your sense of style, not what your body looks like.

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If I was on a limited budget, I'd consider a static mesh head, or go the way of gacha to obtain a bento head.

Catwa is by far the leader in this space, and second to that would be Lelutka. I own multiple heads through various brands, and based on my own experience, I can see why Catwa is the leader. In terms of features, service, and product support, her head is a great value.

With that said, there are a lot of brands to consider, but do your homework—Demo the product, talk to people at the store, and read reviews.

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3 minutes ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

How old?  SL is 14 years old, but a 14 yr-old avi might be a bit too old, whereas a 1-2 yr-old avi might be too new.  :ph34r:

 

Does it matter? All system avis use the same slider system. You go on market place, find a system avi with a face you like and buy it. I'm 7 and a half years old, i have no idea when the avi I picked up my first day was created. Its the shape of the face, ie the position of the face sliders, that matters, not the date the creator actually moved the sliders around and put the avi on the market.

My point is instead of getting a clone mesh head, start with a face shape you like from a system avi, then change out everything else, just keeping the face shape.

Oh and for those that are interested, here's the avatar i picked out my very first day, and despite changing everything else about me, I've never touched the face sliders.

WLM001 Complete Avatar

 

 

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Afraid to say that the "clone" argument is quite outdated ever since Bento was introduced... my best friend and me intentionally picked the same skin, hair and same base shape while demoing heads, and we failed to end up with completely similar looks. Granted, at times, you couldn't deny a certain familiar appearance. Quite an insightful experience. 

I can however understand that people are not finding the right base facial structure to compliment their accustomed system face. For example, just by the looks "out of the box", I did prefer the LeLutka Simone head for its facial features. But I could never get that one to look quite like a "me", while it was fairly easy to get the effect with the Chloe head I eventually got.
And I simply do not like the Catwa lips at all, but that's just my point of view.   

Still haven't found any head matches for the m-alts, though I'm literally in love with an applier for the Aesthetic face.

PS: Demo! Demo! Demo! And demo again. Then give it some time and repeat the demoing process.

PPS: !)§* glad, BilliJo, that you successfully customized that ugly something into your bunnyesque self. ^_^

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