why is my avatar a red cloud?

[NanR]

Why is my avatar a red cloud when I log in?

[Madelaine McMasters]

22 minutes ago, NanR said:

Why is my avatar a red cloud when I log in?

You're suffering "bake fail" and will hopefully find a solution here...

http://wiki.phoenixviewer.com/fs_bake_fail

[Rolig Loon]

As Maddy says, it's a simple, common condition with a (usually) easy fix. You've been in SL long enough that I am sure you've seen it before.  It usually just cleared up on its own quickly. The cloudy appearance is normal as we log in.  It's our default appearance until the viewer has downloaded our avatar appearance files from the SL servers.  If yours has been taking longer than normal recently, or if it has gotten stuck, it may be a sign that you are starting to have inventory problems -- specifically, a flat inventory structure. During login, the viewer's other major task is updating your local inventory cache.  The more items that you have in any single folder, the longer that takes. Ultimately, if if takes too long, login processes time out before they are finished. As a result, you can end up stuck as a cloud or, worse, you can fail to log in at all. It may be smart to begin looking very carefully at your inventory now, creating subfolders and moving items into them rather than leaving hundreds of items in a few larger folders.

It may also be wise to reboot your router and modem periodically, and to stop using a wireless Internet connection, since an unreliable Internet connection can also slow down or prevent logins.

The bottom line is that bake fail is, in itself, not a strange or worrisome problem. Like waking up in the morning with stuffy sinuses, it may be nothing more than today's bad luck. On the other hand, it might also be a gentle symptom of something that could be worse tomorrow if you don't take normal preventive steps.