Mesh Head Question

[AvalynPhaedra]

I currently have both a Mesh and Bento Head with a Maitreya Bento Body.  I prefer to wear the Mesh.  My only problem is I want the animations to go with it as per my Bento.  Is there any possible way my Mesh head could be upgraded to allow these animations and if so how would I go about this and who would I contact?  I have been back to the Lelutka Store where I originally bought my Mesh Head and know the name of the creator for that particular head but had no luck in finding either nor did name search help.  The blink feature is not good with this particular head either.  I prefer to wear my own lashes instead of those provided in the hud but every time she blinks the lashes stay static.  I would love for that to be fixed too.  I'm hoping someone out there can help me.  Thanks in advance!

Edited September 20, 2017 by AvalynPhaedra

[Alwin Alcott]

20 minutes ago, AvalynPhaedra said:

I currently have both a Mesh and Bento Head with a Maitreya Bento Body.  I prefer to wear the Mesh.  My only problem is I want the animations to go with it as per my Bento.  Is there any possible way my Mesh head could be upgraded to allow these animations and if so how would I go about this and who would I contact?  I have been back to the Lelutka Store where I originally bought my Mesh Head and know the name of the creator for that particular head but had no luck in finding either nor did name search help.  The blink feature is not good with this particular head either.  I prefer to wear my own lashes instead of those provided in the hud but every time she blinks the lashes stay static.  I would love for that to be fixed too.  I'm hoping someone out there can help me.  Thanks in advance!

your bento head is also mesh, that's not really the difference. But the bento one uses more points that can make movents (=animations)

Your other mesh head isn't build on the new bones, so is not able to make those move.

If the creator didn't release a new version with the bento bones, you'r out of luck, and have to find a bento head you do like.

[Coby Foden]

In leLutka store there are signs stating: "Due to the implementation of Bento, previous heads will no longer be updated. They will continue to be supported if in need of customer support, however no additional features will be added to the current products. This applies to Aria, Ever, Leda, Karin, Stella, Lotte, Simone."

So this means that non-bento heads will never be updated to bento heads.

[Bobbie Faulds]

The older mesh heads use a different method for animation. It's actually "slides". If you could see the head totally rezzed out, you'd see the main head as well as heads with the expression on them that slide into view when you choose that animations. They are nested like an onion once you wear them. So, the older mesh uses switching to different heads. Think of the slide/pictures in the old nickelodeons or the way hand-drawn animation is done, one slide/cel at a time. At the time they were made you had 2 bones for the head. 

With the new Bento, you have now have 30 "bones" that the head parts can be rigged to that are attached to the various sliders on the head. Those points can be animated the same way your body is, allowing for a lot more versatility. In order for the old heads to function with the Bento animations, they would have to be completely rerigged to the new Bento skeleton, which would involve a great deal of work for the creator. Some, like AK, have chosen to rerig their heads. Most of the others have decided they'd rather make new heads rather than go back and redo what they've done in the past. 

[Pussycat Catnap]

You are going to want to toss that pre-bento mesh head like the radioactive lead weight that it likely is.

The whole concept of sliding in different meshes to do animation is incredibly resource heavy for a look that is not all that ideal.

Most of the bento head makers are making extremely stylized heads that will look highly deformed when worn with whatever shape sliders you relied upon before mesh.

The closest I've found to the 'default SL avatar' is the Mayreal Bento mesh head (it is also one of the cheaper and yet fuller featured ones - an amazingly good buy).

But whatever bento head you go with... I suggest logging in an alt and putting that alt on a pose stand right next to yourself, wearing your 'pre-mesh' shape.

Then make a copy of your shape, and just sit there for about 10 minutes to 10 hours tweaking the dials until the two avatars look "close"... but the bento one has more 'detail'.

- That's what I did.

Do this with a 'demo' of the bento mesh head... because some mesh heads are so 'stylized' you will never find a look you like on them... and better to find that out BEFORE tossing away the absurd amount of $L some of those brands want...

 

ps: if you wear things like wings, tails, etc... you should replace these with bento options as well. Especially for a neko tail - some of the most laggy items in all of SL are the pre-bento mesh neko tails. There is one particular very popular one that is basically a sim killer...