how do I change to a modern look?

[kamsing]

There is still a lot I need to learn about SL. I need to start at the beginning and need your help. What do I need to begin? How do I change this noob look? 

[BelindaN]

The Cavalry will be along quite soon..............

The word mesh will get used plenty!

[kamsing]

thank you ChibiDragon! I am now at Japan Tempura Island. Is there somewhere I can look look to change my appearance?

 

[LittleMe Jewell]

Here is a great website to educate you on mesh bodies and heads:  http://meshbodyaddicts.com/  They not only give info about all the different brands, but also have great tutorials.

 

[Ceka Cianci]

What look are you wanting to go for? The possibilities are endless as to the type of character you want to create..

Some specifics would be helpful as to what you want to mold yourself into..

 

[HarrisonMcKenzie]

What you need to do is replace any old prim or flexi hair with better made mesh hair. The hair can be static or rigged to move with your head (maybe even have some "wind" animations thanks to bento). Next, you want to consider a new skin. If you have an old skin, it will look old. Higher quality skins have better detail and shading and will help your avatar not look like a starter avatar. Next, you will want to look at your shape and tweak it so you look like a human being. Many shapes, particularly old ones, are not in proportion to what a human being looks like. Even if you switch to a mesh body, your shape will affect it and make you look weird and "old."

After that, start looking at mesh bodies and specifically clothes. These have more detail and better proportions. Your hands will look better, your feet won't look like door stops anymore, and you will look like you are actually wearing clothing instead of body paint. However, if you are fully clothed all the time with mesh clothing, having a mesh body isn't as important because no one will see it. I only switched to mesh because I was going swimming a lot or otherwise being topless (I play a tween boy), and a standard avatar looks like a bag of potatoes when topless.

Mesh heads are overrated and the realm of fashion divas. You won't need one unless you are trying to compete for Miss Second Life or something (in which case everyone will look the same). For the most part, a higher quality skin and carefully made shape will make you look pretty good.

[Nalates Urriah]

There are many fashion blogs where you can learn about what is on the market. I suggest Strawberry Singh's site to learn how to wear/use/adjust what you would wear. She provides a tutorial section in her blog. It is the best combination of fashion and 'how to'.

You have lots of advice on what to get to look better. But, if you had asked how to draw a person these answers would be telling you to get pencil, paper, eraser, maybe some charcoal... But, you probably already know that to draw a person and have them look realistic you need to do some study. Learn to draw... Same with avatars. You have to get the basics of what makes an avatar look right, the same as if you were drawing one. Then figure out how to do that.

The classic avatar can look pretty good. But, it takes some effort and talent/skill. It isn't rocket science. But it does require an eye for shape. However, you can buy a canned look. Easier than all the tedious learning and fiddling. It just depends on what you want and what you will tolerate. I want to have my look. So, I made my body and face shapes. When I went to mesh body and head I new pretty well what I was doing so I have my shape and look. But, I had to make a new set of shapes. So, knowing how to use the Appearance Editor is a basic skill for having a good looking avatar. You can start with the classic avatar.

Once you have and OK or better classic avatar you can add mesh body, feet, hands, and head and look pretty great.

 

[AyelaNewLife]

On 10/5/2018 at 1:42 AM, LittleMe Jewell said:

Here is a great website to educate you on mesh bodies and heads:  http://meshbodyaddicts.com/  They not only give info about all the different brands, but also have great tutorials.

I'm really not a fan of just linking this without any other advice in these types of threads. Many of the reviews are badly out of date, and don't really reflect the reality of the market right now. Realistically there are only 7 female mesh bodies that are viable; Maitreya, the two Slinks, the three Bellezas, and Kemono. Anything else, and you will really struggle to find skins and clothing (and you'll struggle at "mainstream" events for Kemono too, you're pretty much limited to the fairly niche Kemono-exclusive market).

A newbie with no experience of the market could follow your advice, look at the reviews, and decide to buy the Eve or G.Inc bodies; and only then find out that they have cut themselves off almost entirely from the clothing market. That's a terrible thing to inflict upon someone that lacks the experience needed to make a better decision.

The tutorials on there are great, and it's definitely worth pointing people new to mesh towards the tutorials for advice; but please, be realistic with your advice. Pointing to 5-year old reviews with no context is not good advice, at all. It's harmful misinformation.

And yeah I'm speaking from experience here; while I preferred Physique over Lara for the shape, I made that decision without knowing the issues I'd have finding clothing, and have since had to swap to Lara. At least I didn't choose something like Tonic or Ebody, that problem would have been an order of magnitude worse.

Edited October 6, 2018 by AyelaNewLife
autocorrect is bad

[Janet Voxel]

I think it would be better to have a sticky thread here for common noob questions. Particularly for head and body questions, since those come up the most.

[Marianne Little]

Well, I'm in Europe so I don't know about timezones. I have a cold with slight fever, I just went to sleep and I am not sure when/how much I log in today or tomorrow. If I get better, I am leaving for a no internet place the rest of the week...