Not Understanding Mesh Bodies, Heads, & Skins

[CalumAshby]

I don't really understand the step-by-step process of applying and using a mesh avatar, a skin, and a mesh head. I currently have a mesh head. I also have a mesh body with the skins that came with it in the purchase I made. I'm unable to get my head to match the body, skin wise. I went through the instructions both provided, but didn't work. I think I'm not understanding the process.

I apologize if this is supposed to be in a different category. If someone can reach out to me, that'd be great!

Edited September 5, 2017 by CalumAshby

[Lindal Kidd]

Hi, Calum.

It's not hard, but it IS confusing!  First, a word about the "classic" avatar, without mesh attachments.

The classic avatar consists of, at a minimum, four basic items - a shape, a skin, system eyes, and system hair.  You can wear one, and only one, of each of these items, and you must wear all four...the system won't let you go without any of them.  For that reason, you cannot "take off" or "detach" these four things, you can only replace them with a similar item.  The shape can be adjusted with the shape sliders in the Appearance menu.  The skin is a texture layer that is painted directly onto your body.  For most of us, the system hair item is set so as to show zero hair...a "bald cap" or "baldie".  This keeps the ugly system hair from showing through the "wigs" we usually wear.

You can add clothing layers to your basic classic avatar.  Like skin, these are textures, not 3D objects.  They are painted directly onto your avatar.  

You can also add attachments...that is, you can attach over 30 different 3D objects to your avatar.  Mesh clothing, which is what you'll find most often these days, is an attachment.  Unlike the older clothing layer type of clothes, mesh can more closely simulate the behavior of real clothing...it does not have to be "skin tight".  Hair, shoes, and jewelry are also attachments.

Mesh bodies and heads are attachments, too.  When you buy one, it also comes with an "alpha mask", a special sort of clothing layer that hides your classic body (or head) so that you only see the mesh attachment.  Fitted mesh, or "fitmesh" is also linked to some bones of your avatar "skeleton" so that it can be affected by the Appearance sliders more or less like you can adjust your classic shape.

Now...you already see that we can affect the texture of our classic avatar by putting on a different skin.  I can wear an ivory pale skin, or a very dark skin.  But you can't affect the texture of objects in this way.  Object textures can be changed in the Edit menu/Texture tab.  However, many objects are scripted to make changing textures easier...for example, a mesh dress might come with a HUD that lets you select several different fabric textures.

In a similar fashion, mesh bodies and heads come with their own HUDs to control them.  One feature of a mesh body HUD lets you select which parts will be invisible, so your body does not poke through your mesh clothing.  Some mesh bodies, and most heads, also come with some skin textures that can be selected.  But, Mesh Body A and Mesh Head B from two different makers will almost certainly not have the SAME skin textures.  So, we are faced with the problem of "skin matching".  (Thought I'd never get around to your question, didn't you?)

Here's the answer:  Find a skin you like.  It does not have to be one that comes standard with either the mesh body or mesh head.  But it DOES have to come with "appliers" for both that body and that head.  An applier is a tiny, one-button HUD that "applies" that skin texture to a mesh object.  Most major skin creators now sell appliers for many of the more popular mesh bodies and heads.  

If the creator of the skin you like does not have an applier for your particular mesh body or head, they might have an "Omega" applier.  The Omega system is an attempt to create a common interface between the creators of various heads, bodies, and textures.  It acts as an intermediary between your mesh attachment and the texture you're wanting to put on it.  Omega HUDs are available for free for many popular mesh products.

If you can't find a way to use appliers to get your body skin and your head skin to match, then you'll have to do a manual color match.  This is possible, but it's very tedious.  You'll need to use a color palette to adjust the shade of your skin (head, most likely) until it matches the shade of your body skin.  Finding the exactly right combination of red, green, and blue can be maddening.