Mesh Newbie Query

[Christi Maeterlinck]

Well, after 11 years in-world with my yummy old-style Neko skin, ears and tail, I've been persuaded to try mesh and am utterly confused by the possibilities. And the prices! I can't afford to make too many mistakes. Does any kind soul have the patience to advise me on which brands/makers/named products will allow me to achieve the following result:

a) A mesh body that I can shape using Appearance mode if required, combined with a mesh head that allows me to reproduce my existing facial appearance. I have all 50 measurements noted down in an Excel spreadsheet and want to reproduce my likeness exactly (see the attachment); this is more important than the adjustability of the mesh body.

b) Ability to use my existing non-mesh tail, which is animated and much better than anything I've seen in mesh animated or otherwise; ditto using my existing ears. Both ears and tail were made by Jungle Voodoo. Are there any good mesh Neko skins that look like fur; or could I wear my existing skin, which is also by Jungle Voodoo?

Don't want to put you to any trouble; just the names of suitable makers/stores that would outfit me for around L$5k or less would help. Thanks ever so much and Byeee!

Christi Maeterlinck

[Cindy Evanier]

It is a steep learning curve to change everything at once.  You can get some info here http://meshbodyaddicts.com/  but my best advice is DEMO DEMO DEMO and it will take time to get your preferred look.  There are people that offer services (at a fee)  to create a persomalised shape for you I believe

[LittleMe Jewell]

57 minutes ago, Christi Maeterlinck said:

Well, after 11 years in-world with my yummy old-style Neko skin, ears and tail, I've been persuaded to try mesh and am utterly confused by the possibilities. And the prices! I can't afford to make too many mistakes. Does any kind soul have the patience to advise me on which brands/makers/named products will allow me to achieve the following result:

a) A mesh body that I can shape using Appearance mode if required, combined with a mesh head that allows me to reproduce my existing facial appearance. I have all 50 measurements noted down in an Excel spreadsheet and want to reproduce my likeness exactly (see the attachment); this is more important than the adjustability of the mesh body.

b) Ability to use my existing non-mesh tail, which is animated and much better than anything I've seen in mesh animated or otherwise; ditto using my existing ears. Both ears and tail were made by Jungle Voodoo. Are there any good mesh Neko skins that look like fur; or could I wear my existing skin, which is also by Jungle Voodoo?

Live by the rule of DEMO, DEMO, DEMO and that will get you past the costly mistakes part - especially on mesh bodies and heads.

As to 'a' -- With the proper mesh body and head (from lots of demos), you'll find that you can get very close to your current system shape, at least in the body - I don't use a mesh head but know from postings here that matching current could be a bit more difficult.  However, note that you very, very likely will not get an EXACT match to your current shape.  For a mesh body, you are adding an object over the top of your system shape.  You'll therefore have to reduce many of the sliders from what they currently are to make up for the additional space that the mesh body takes up.  That is what makes it a bit more difficult to match your current self 'exactly' - but you can get very close.

For 'b' -- I'll leave that part to the Nekos of the forum.

Edited September 24, 2017 by LittleMe Jewell

[Marianne Little]

4 hours ago, Christi Maeterlinck said:

Well, after 11 years in-world with my yummy old-style Neko skin, ears and tail, I've been persuaded to try mesh and am utterly confused by the possibilities. And the prices! I can't afford to make too many mistakes. Does any kind soul have the patience to advise me on which brands/makers/named products will allow me to achieve the following result:

a) A mesh body that I can shape using Appearance mode if required, combined with a mesh head that allows me to reproduce my existing facial appearance. I have all 50 measurements noted down in an Excel spreadsheet and want to reproduce my likeness exactly (see the attachment); this is more important than the adjustability of the mesh body.

I recommend Maitreya Lara for body and one of the Catwa Bento heads or one of the LeLutka Bento heads. You use the appearance sliders for all these. The problem with heads will be how much you want the lips to "pout". The mesh heads will respond to sliders, but if the lips is made with "pout" you can't flatten them totally. All decent body and head makers have demos. Demos move with the sliders, so what you can do with the demo, you can do with the head. It is important to look at the head from all angles.

Why I recommend these, they have the largest part of the market now. They have good support, there are free updates, and groups that you can join and ask questions and get help inworld much faster than on a forum.

b) Ability to use my existing non-mesh tail, which is animated and much better than anything I've seen in mesh animated or otherwise; ditto using my existing ears. Both ears and tail were made by Jungle Voodoo. Are there any good mesh Neko skins that look like fur; or could I wear my existing skin, which is also by Jungle Voodoo?

Tail and ears, no problem. You add them just as you do to the avatar now. Your skin is the problem, It is very old from what I can see. You can not wear any skin, tattoos or body marks unless it is made as "appliers". If the designer has left SL or will not make appliers, they will not work. I am not familiar with Nekos and what they like. You are not a member of any groups where you can ask for skin applier advice?

Don't want to put you to any trouble; just the names of suitable makers/stores that would outfit me for around L$5k or less would help. Thanks ever so much and Byeee!

Head: 5000L

Body: 2750L

Skin appliers: Unknown cost. I would say 1000L to be safe

And! All your default system clothes is unusable. Updating your wardrobe: Unknown.

You can buy cheaper heads, but it is more a question if buying a cheap head is wise. Buying cheap first and then the expensive later, is not so good.

Christi Maeterlinck

 

Here is a link to Catwas Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/53013200@N04/

Lelutka: https://www.flickr.com/photos/15634428@N06/

Maitreya (Not safe for work) Review: http://meshbodyaddicts.com/mesh-body-reviews/womens-bodies/maitreya-lara/

 

 

Edited September 24, 2017 by Marianne Little

[Marianne Little]

Have you seen this post?

 

 

[Marianne Little]

This is too good to miss. Link to a free Bento mesh head in the blog. http://meshbodyaddicts.com/news-updates-freebies/

Since this is free, I would get it asap and start to work on the editing. Akeruka is not a brand I know much about, but it is FREE and worth to try.

[LittleMe Jewell]

Side note on costs - If your current skin maker is still in SL and makes an applier for mesh bodies, you can upgrade to a mesh body now, keeping your system head for a while.  Then you just need to get a body applier from your skin maker to apply to the mesh body - so it matches the skin on your system head.

[LittleMe Jewell]

Just now, Marianne Little said:

This is too good to miss. Link to a free Bento mesh head in the blog. http://meshbodyaddicts.com/news-updates-freebies/

Since this is free, I would get it asap and start to work on the editing. Akeruka is not a brand I know much about, but it is FREE and worth to try.

In addition to this, search the marketplace for 'Kumico' the new head name.  There are some shapes and skin for free or super cheap right now.

[BilliJo Aldrin]

mesh heads are so over rated, even with the adjustable ones you'll never get your system head look, plus you will look like you have a mesh head

*rolls eyes*

[Marianne Little]

17 minutes ago, BilliJo Aldrin said:

mesh heads are so over rated, even with the adjustable ones you'll never get your system head look, plus you will look like you have a mesh head

*rolls eyes*

Yes, so investing in a better skin and a mesh body could be an idea. A skin that old is really nothing to use, the skins from 3-5 years ago yes, but 11 years old?

[BilliJo Aldrin]

 

8 minutes ago, Marianne Little said:

Yes, so investing in a better skin and a mesh body could be an idea. A skin that old is really nothing to use, the skins from 3-5 years ago yes, but 11 years old?

Yes, she needs a system skin (for her system head) with appliers for the body she uses. Any skin maker that doesn't offer a system skin version is losing a big market of potential buyers.

Starting with me. 

[Marianne Little]

Yes the mouth will be a problem. That very special small mouth with upturned corners was really hard to duplicate on one of the other AK heads I had (previous group gift). That pointy chin and big eyes is possible to copy - to some extent.

Original shape to the left, it was not possible to bend the mouth corners up to the right.

[Chic Aeon]

1 hour ago, Marianne Little said:

This is too good to miss. Link to a free Bento mesh head in the blog. http://meshbodyaddicts.com/news-updates-freebies/

Since this is free, I would get it asap and start to work on the editing. Akeruka is not a brand I know much about, but it is FREE and worth to try.

It isn't exactly free as there is a group join fee of $150 and then Omega applier for the head (if you want any real choices) for $100. Still a very good deal. The head that is the current give away is kind of pointy chin so that might work fairly well.

To the OP, it is unlikely that you will ever look exactly like you :D. Think of it as a new and better version of you. LOL.   And never ever EVER buy anything without a demo (I don't think the free mesh head has a demo but really, compared to $5000 it is a steal and a good way to start trying things out. Once you have the head and the Omega applier you can demo different skins and play with the sliders and have a starting point. 

[Lillith Hapmouche]

The real "letdown" of the Akeruka gift head is that it is lacking any kind of animation HUD. The matching one is available for lovely L$2.500.

So if you want to stay on the cheaper side, you'd need alternatives. 

Happy Dispatch's face animator is one option.

Visiting the Limit8 event, joining their group and picking up the Foxcity gift box for a very basic, but completely free HUD is another.

Or try any existing HUDs, I think others recommended their GA.EG HUD?

[LittleMe Jewell]

3 hours ago, Chic Aeon said:

 and then Omega applier for the head (if you want any real choices) for $100. Still a very good deal.

 

Or join the Omega Obsession group - ranges from free to L$10, depending on the day - and then go by the applier at the store for L$50.

[Clover Jinx]

Jinxies! Marianne is quoting me! /end fangirl moment

Given all the criteria, the cheapest route for you would be:

• Use your system head with either eBody(2500L) or one of the Tonic bodies(2000L ea) - these are Omega ready out of the box, so no extra relay or installer purchase is needed. The default skins for Tonic are Lumae and she has 2 group gift skins out that are very nice. Only 10L to join this group. Or one of the more popular bodies if you want more clothing options. Look at the clothing stores you like and see which bodies they are designing for to help you decide.  
• Head over to Catseye http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Pearl Beach/94/103/33 - they have 2 lucky boards with neko avatars that include system skins (for your head) and Omega appliers (for mesh bodies). One is a dark grey and the other is a regular tiger coloring. There is also a lucky board with just tiger stripes with both system layers and Omega appliers that you can use to turn any skin into a neko.
• I would really recommend eventually looking into bento neko ears and tail even before you look into a mesh head. Aii has a set of free bento neko ears and there has been several gachas with neko ears and tails. If you are able to spend some lindens, I would recommend Sweet Thing, Evermore, M.O.R. or Aii.

Definitely demo everything and join some freebie groups until you decide what you like and can save up for it.

[Mei Avril]

Definitely recommend at least getting a catwa head and a maitreya mesh body, which will cost you a little under 8000L - these are the best options in terms of performance, ease of use, and availability of side products like clothes, skins and such in my opinion ^^

I've achieved a very decent neko look with the Catya head, although I do use human skin to add shine, which makes me look more alive I think. Then the shape is really up to you  I can probably help you make one even! I have made my own and I think it is pretty good.

Mind you, if you can't maintain higher graphical options on like advanced lighting and shadows, and cannot maintain a decent LOD, you won't get good results with mesh, at least not up to the dollar you have to invest for those.

Catwa head Catya with FateEyes, the ears are from Cherry Fluffle and the whiskers, from Anara. The bento piercing, from code 5.

You could easily make the eyes wider and rise the corners of the mouth for a bigger smile ^^ Also you can customize the FateEyes to have a more feline pupil, and you can surely find a furry skin if you so desire (Both Catwa and Maitreya are compatible Omega with a cheap relay as far as I know). The lips are actually animated and switch between different state, you can obviously close them if you so wish, I just think it makes me look more alive that they are animated a bit ^^

Though I wouldn't expect to pay less than 10k L if you want to make the full transition to mesh. It is well worth it in my opinion!

Having the measurements of your shape won't help you though, as the rig is much different from head to head and even more so for the system head!

It all boils down to demoing everything you can find, and choose the appropriate head and body for you - One complaint I hear about the Catya head is that it's a little ducklipped if you look from the side, which might not appeal to you. GA EG also have good, cheaper, quality options for mesh head

Good luck!

 

[Pussycat Catnap]

I find Mayreal is the best head for replicating the look of the old system mesh but with more refinement:

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/MAYREAL-Bento-Mesh-Head-Nadia/11023066

 

For bodies... pretty much the whole point is to not replicate the look of the system body because it is that bad... so demos. But the best quality body is Belleza:

http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Belleza/126/128/25

 

For tails... I use "-BM- Fuzzy Bento Tail (w/ Solarian replacement) V1.1"

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/BM-Fluffy-Bento-Tail-w-Solarian-replacement/11601025

- And that is going to be better than any pre-mesh thing you can find.

 

For ears I use:

=^ HARO ^= Animated Neko Ears

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Animated-Neko-Ears/8697005

 

Edited September 25, 2017 by Pussycat Catnap

[Chic Aeon]

8 hours ago, LittleMe Jewell said:

Or join the Omega Obsession group - ranges from free to L$10, depending on the day - and then go by the applier at the store for L$50.

Only for those that actually don't have a gazillion groups that they MUST be a part of *wink*. But yes, agreed.  A friend tried to do that though and couldn't find a place to join the group -- even in the store. So might be tricky?     I just use Letlutka only skins as I have an OLD (no Omega) head and perfectly happy with it :D.  

[Marianne Little]

6 hours ago, Pussycat Catnap said:

I find Mayreal is the best head for replicating the look of the old system mesh but with more refinement.

 

 

Do you think you can make that special upturned mouth with Mayreal? As the OP show in her first post.

On the other side, a permanent smile would look bad with the animations? To the OP, you know mesh Bento heads will give you so many fun facial animations, maybe you find out that there is really no need to have a fixed smile. Cats like licking their mouth...

[LittleMe Jewell]

1 hour ago, Chic Aeon said:

Only for those that actually don't have a gazillion groups that they MUST be a part of *wink*. But yes, agreed.  A friend tried to do that though and couldn't find a place to join the group -- even in the store. So might be tricky?     I just use Letlutka only skins as I have an OLD (no Omega) head and perfectly happy with it :D.  

True.  I keep 1 group open for those times when I want to join something short-term (often for questions) and then leave - Omega Obsession, Twisted Hunt, Maitreya Lara Friends, etc...  But then again, I'm not a creator or blogger, so I have a bit more freedom in what groups I join.  

People should be able to just search Omega Obsession and find the group that way for joining.  I think that is how I've joined it each time that I did.

Edited September 25, 2017 by LittleMe Jewell

[Pussycat Catnap]

---

9 hours ago, Marianne Little said:

Do you think you can make that special upturned mouth with Mayreal? As the OP show in her first post.

The new update has a feature just for that purpose if I recall correctly.

So here is the "one second version"

I clicked one button in the HUD.

With some thought, I could do this in more detail. This was just the quickie "proof of concept" to show that Mayreal is addressing the exact issue the original poster desires to see addressed.

My own face looks horrible this way... but... that's not the point. I was able to do it.

The 'E' button over there is for eyes, and the 'A' runs through animation sequences for your choice of mood, or save your own custom built set of animations. I'm still figuring it out - this update just dropped on us. There was no notecard help for it, it's all explained, for each tab, in a long form message you get if you click the '?' mark.

Also note how difference my face looks, from the face in the ad for this head. It responds pretty well to shape dials.

 

And my face does NOT look good with the lips like that...

Here's another one. This time I used my shape set to lip corners 100:

Not much different. But The HUD is in 'A' tab now, and see the "Lip Corners Live" thing - that is described as:

"Button - lip corners live – extra lip corners animation for more expressive lips;"

I suspect that if I applied the original poster's skin to this head, it would look even more extreme than the original image in this thread - since that look was done on the default avatar using I suspect, a stylized skin.

I'd check to see if that skin maker is still around: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/3009

- zoe llewelyn made that skin if my search skills are right, and she last logged in to SL today... So contact and beg.

 

Edited September 25, 2017 by Pussycat Catnap

[Klytyna]

You can get very reasonably priced skin body appliers with system skins for a system head, in a variety of skin tones, for that feline touch tho, you might want to check Catseye, they do some nice affordable feline tattoo packs with appliers, for big cat stripes, spots etc, that work well over more human skins.
 

[Chellynne Bailey]

On 9/25/2017 at 5:42 AM, LittleMe Jewell said:

True.  I keep 1 group open for those times when I want to join something short-term (often for questions) and then leave - Omega Obsession, Twisted Hunt, Maitreya Lara Friends, etc...  But then again, I'm not a creator or blogger, so I have a bit more freedom in what groups I join.  

People should be able to just search Omega Obsession and find the group that way for joining.  I think that is how I've joined it each time that I did.

-chuckles- I suppose it is another purple thing in a sea of purple and black, but yeah, anyone looking for it, it looks like this: https://gyazo.com/f10f596483cd1e4a274c7d102cf1aa6d It's in at least 2 places in each room! x.x

On 9/24/2017 at 7:35 PM, LittleMe Jewell said:

Or join the Omega Obsession group - ranges from free to L$10, depending on the day - and then go by the applier at the store for L$50.

OO has always been free, it's the support group that has the 5L fee to scare off spammers... although now I kinda wanna start randomizing the fee just to see if people notice....

[PixelBerry]

I recommend maitreya as your body choice, it includes feet and bento hands and is overall the most supported body on second life and is probably the cheapest option too (because of the included feet and hands).

As for a head, there is catwa, akeruka, laq and a few others I don't remember on top of my head, but not so long ago utilizator made a cheap bento head that i would say is the most similar to the regular avatar head after some shape adjustments, its lacking animations but there are a few bento animation huds that you can buy out there, tho i would totally try the demos of every bento head out there to find what's best for yourself.

And for skins I'm literally screaming either one of pink fuel's doll skins pack or lure's emily skin pack, they are pretty cheap for what you get. Tho personally I find emily more fitting for Utilizator's head, but pink fuel got more makeup options included with hers.

Ears and tails you will just have to look trough the marketplace, search for bento tail or bento ears. Tho sweet thing for some cute cat ears and tails, so make sure to check them out.