Rez'd Again Noob

[Fionalein]

1 hour ago, Amina Sopwith said:

Thanks again, guys. In the end I had to unbox it again and start from scratch. I am scared to remove the HUD now in case it happens again! Still, finally got those things off, so thank you.

That was my first experience with Maitreya... they told me to rotate the HUD and what not... turns out the HUD was just broken - LOL. After one hour someone asked me if I had tried a redelivery - that finally solved it.

[Selene Gregoire]

6 hours ago, Amina Sopwith said:

How does one do that? Maybe that's where I've been going wrong.

Just by making sure you click on the correct menu item. The one for HUDS is clearly marked as such. The one for the rest of the attachment points is either just above or just below it so it's easy to miss (right)click without realizing it.

Here's a helpful link from the FS folks you might want to bookmark for future reference.

https://wiki.phoenixviewer.com/hud_issues

[Selene Gregoire]

6 hours ago, Amina Sopwith said:

I still don't understand what appliers are

They are exactly what the name implies. They apply the skin texture or clothing texture to the mesh body (or head).

Here is a more in-depth explanation: http://regenerationshapes.com/index.php/2017/03/25/second-life-appliers-work/

 

*waits to see the light bulb go on over Amina's head* 

Edited December 6, 2018 by Selene Gregoire

[Amina Sopwith]

Thank you again for all the help and responses! I spent a bit of time messing around with it last night...don't know if the servers were slow or what but it was all still a headache even though I managed to get the darn things off. I don't think mesh is worth the hassle in and of itself, but I guess if I want to engage with people properly then I shouldn't look too dated. I don't plan on being naked very much this time around, but it's not the system body that looks dated as much as the prim/system clothing.

Were people not annoyed when mesh took over and entire inventories were rendered useless?

[Marianne Little]

47 minutes ago, Amina Sopwith said:

Thank you again for all the help and responses! I spent a bit of time messing around with it last night...don't know if the servers were slow or what but it was all still a headache even though I managed to get the darn things off. I don't think mesh is worth the hassle in and of itself, but I guess if I want to engage with people properly then I shouldn't look too dated. I don't plan on being naked very much this time around, but it's not the system body that looks dated as much as the prim/system clothing.

Were people not annoyed when mesh took over and entire inventories were rendered useless?

Not really, the quality of mesh is so much better.

It is also easier to dress, even if I lost a bit of flexibility. Look at my inventory for one item:

With all these prims, I had the benefit of moving them so it was possible to layer better. The downside was that it looked great only as I stood still. Changing a pose lead to new clipping.

And the ease of wearing mesh fitted to a body. All the editing before. It took for ever. The prims and the avatar texture had to be lined up perfectly, and it was in particular hard with flared jeans where the seams should meet on both the inside and the outside of the leg.

You have not heard about Bakes on Mesh, it is a subforum here. It means that your layers, like skin, makeup, tattoos and clothes, all that can now be baked on the mesh avatars surface. And it can be layered, means that we have back all the clothing layers and can wear the prims on the mesh body again and edit them in place. I think there will be few items that stand the test of time!

I think I will use mostly makeuplayers and such layer like hairbase, freckles, tattoos, so I don't have to use the applier layers on top of the body for that. This will also be an end to alpha sorting issues. I will use some leggings, tops under jackets and underwear. I doubt that I will use much prim clothing, maybe some of my darling gowns with flexi prims. It is hard to dance in the long dresses that stretch like rubber.

So keep your clothes, makeup, tattoos, scars and whatever. LL promised us Bakes on Mesh this year, it is only a few weeks left. I hope they make it! Like a gigantic Christmas present for us.

 

[Eidolon Dreamscape]

On ‎12‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 1:36 PM, Skell Dagger said:

Hi Eidolon, and welcome back to SL

I'll start at the beginning with a few questions. No need to answer them publicly if you'd rather not, but it'll give you food for thought.

1. You mentioned finding some "complete avatars" within your price range , but what IS your price range? People here are suggesting everything from feature-limited freebie bodies to the full Bento mesh works, but without an idea of what you're happy to spend we can't really recommend anything specific. Take the following as rough guidelines:

• A non-Bento mesh head (can only be stretched in four directions, but will take different skins, with basic single-layer options for hairbases and facial hair etc) will run you to about L$900. You can get heads that are static (no animations) plus 'frames animated' heads that you purchase add-on animation packs for.
• A Bento mesh head (can be customised using the classic shape sliders, will take different skins like the non-Bento head but usually has more layers for adding extra stuff such as scars, tattoos, freckles, etc) will run you to about L$5000. Bento mesh heads usually contain motion capture animations as standard and many of them have additional animation packs that can be purchased.
• The cheapest popular mesh body package that can be customised with skins, tattoos, etc and has Bento enabled hands is the Slink Physique Male full body/hands/feet set at £2,250. The next one after that is Belleza's Jake body, at just shy of L$3,000, followed by Signature's Gianni and Geralt bodies, at L$3,500 each. Signature do sometimes have sales (in fact you just missed a 30% off sale for Black Friday weekend, and earlier this year they did a half price sale) so it may be worth hanging on until the next one.

Incidentally, I would be wary of "complete avatar" listings on Marketplace. Sometimes people think they're getting a mesh body and head, when they're actually just getting system stuff. If in doubt, check with someone who's experienced with mesh bodies and heads.

2. What kind of build do you want your body to have? If you opt for a mesh body you'll need to take into consideration the starting 'build' that it has. Signature Gianni is stocky and fairly muscular (the guy who's a regular at his local gym, but not quite into the whole steroid thing), whereas Signature Geralt, Slink Physique, and Belleza Jake are a bit more 'man in the street'.

Be aware of the following regarding the Bento hands of male mesh bodies:

• Slink Physique's hands have a built-in idle AO, so you won't need a Bento AO to animate them
• Signature's bodies have Bento hands that have optional static poses (or you can cycle through all of the poses, which can look a bit odd if you're suddenly switching from clenched fists to Vulcan salutes)
• Belleza's Jake body has no Bento poses or idle AO, so if you opt for that one you'll need a Bento AO to stop the fingers from splaying out from time to time

3. You state that your style is typical "jeans and hoodie" so you'll be glad to know that about 95% of menswear in SL caters exactly to your wishes (more's the pity for the rest of us who want something else, mind you!) The vast majority of current and new male fashion these days is fitted to mesh bodies (and the bodies I've named here are the main ones that are fittted to). You can still find clothing rigged for Standard Sizing and also general Fitmesh clothing - both of which tend to work better on system avatars - but always try a demo regardless of what you like the look of. If you stick with a system body for now you'll need to make sure that your mesh clothing comes with alpha layers to hide bits of your body that might poke through, and a lot of mesh clothing these days assumes that the wearer has a mesh body instead and can use its built-in alpha HUD.

If you opt for a mesh head, don't worry about finding hair that's fitted specifically for that head. Most modifiable hairstyles will work on any mesh head, and Bento-rigged hair will usually fit well enough that a hairbase applier (same as the old hairbase tattoos) will cover any minor bits of scalp that poke through.

Lastly, for shopping, you always have Marketplace, but you can also check out the six main menswear events in SL. The links below will take you to the Seraphim website pages for each menswear event. At the Seraphim page, click the 'view gallery' link for the most recent entry and you'll see all the items on sale at the event. Links to get there are also included in the posts.

The main menswear events are as follows:

• The Mens Department (TMD)
• Men Only Monthly
• Man Cave
• Hipster Mens Event (not just limited to 'hipster' gear)
• The Men Jail

There is also the Signature Event, which (obviously) caters only to those with either of the two Signature bodies. Unfortunately, Seraphim doesn't have a gallery for that one.

This is very helpful.

 

1 - I was surprised to see I still had L$1700 left from years ago so that's my budget lol

2 - I am not trying to have some unrealistic body building stud appearance.  At best just lean and athletic but no over the top muscles.  

I am going to try to get to those links when I am inworld again.  I think all my RL distractions are what drove me out to begin with so I guess I do need to evaluate how much I want to put into this because I may not have the time to invest to get anything out of it.

 

There has definitely been an evolution with regards to the avatars.  I am just hoping the over all experience and scenery hasn't gone stagnant.

 

Thank you for your detailed reply.

[Eidolon Dreamscape]

On ‎12‎/‎4‎/‎2018 at 12:23 PM, Alyona Su said:

 

System avatars CAN still look awesome. Just like in the "olden days" of SL the skin and shape are key, though it's a lot more difficult finding this stuff. As for a mesh head, hands, feet, body - take your time, there is no hurry and you should not feel pressured to do so.

For shapes, skins, etc. for system bodies (and system clothes, even) your best bet is to shop Market Place, sort by oldest-first.

If you're going to go with meshing yourself up piece-meal: start with the head. Catwa is most popular and very good. Most skins these days come with appliers for it (men and women).

I recommend you *do not* go with mesh hands and feet if you intend to go with a mesh body later, because other than Slink (who makes the hands and feet) - most mesh bodies will include them. If you like the Slink body and pain to go with that, then you can do it in stages: hands today, feet tomorrow, body next week, etc.

If you want to shop mesh bodies for men, my personal opinion is that Signature Gianni is the best, Balleza Jake is next, Signature Geralt is third. The rest are as you prefer - I say this for the quality of the mesh, the general look of the bodies (Though Gianni is kind of weird to me with nipple-placement).

Budgeting: Save up at least 6 to 7k L$ for the head: that would be the head plus any skins you will want with it. Another 3 to 5K L$ for a full body.

I recommend a couple things very rigorously, along with *patience* - there is no rush:

• Do not go jumping into mesh *anything* until you're sure you'll be staying in SL for some time. Because of the cost, it really is an investment into your SL entertainment, even when remaining on the simpler side.
• Never, *ever* buy anything that costs more than 25L$ (or your chosen threshold) unless you can DEMO first. Even quality-reputation creators can be hit-or0miss on the fitting of their stuff.

 

Very solid advice there at the end.  I really appreciate your input.

[Eidolon Dreamscape]

On ‎12‎/‎5‎/‎2018 at 6:30 AM, Marianne Little said:

I am not sure if you want to use your old Animation Override. I assume that you had one and know how they work.

If you do, they can "splay" Bento hands in a very unflattering pose. For classic avatars and TMP body, they do nothing, your hands stay in the same non-moving pose.

If you want to invest in a full new AO, or if you had no one, I would actually recommend you to get an AO for Bento. Because it does nothing with your hands until you upgrade to Bento, but IF you upgrade, no extra cost. You will have the same body language, so if you like it, you will not have to hunt down animations for Bento that looks the same.

The middle price range is Tutys, who also have a free, basic Bento AO for both genders. https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/TuTy-DAILY-sLIFE-FREE-BASIC-BENTO-MALE-AO-Priority-3-and-4/7179649

Voir and Oracul  is another ones in the middle range.

Vista and Body language sweet lovely cute is expensive.

For the look of Bento hands movements, you can get the hands demo from Vista or Slink and wear them while you demo Animation Overrides. Especially if you buy one that you feel is top in your budget.

I shall not talk about buying single animations and build your own AO, because it is enough info already?

All of your replies are full of valuable information.  I like the pricepoint on that A/O lol

I am copying a lot of this into a document so I can have it more concise.  The people here have been a lot of help.

[Eidolon Dreamscape]

Actually there was value in all of the replies so far.

 

I am glad the community here is active and helpful.

 

I had been hearing SL was basically dead so I wanted to pop in and see if that's about right or not.

 

When I was here early on there was a thriving art community and I was a part of it.  I also saw some of the ugly side of the art community here and eventually stopped bringing my RL photography inworld to sell. 

I am not sure if I will ever be as involved as I was in the past but I can absolutely see myself coming in on occasion to see who's around.

 

If anyone here would like to send me a friend request I will gladly accept.

Just be aware that I may not be around all that much.

Thanks everyone!

(and by all  means please keep posting!)

[Skell Dagger]

1 hour ago, Eidolon Dreamscape said:

1 - I was surprised to see I still had L$1700 left from years ago so that's my budget lol

2 - I am not trying to have some unrealistic body building stud appearance.  At best just lean and athletic but no over the top muscles. 

With that kind of budget my recommendation would be to invest it in clothing, mesh hair, and possibly a new skin, rather than going 'full mesh' - at least while you decide if you want your return to SL to be a more permanent one. You're going to be severely limited with regard to any cheap/free mesh body parts that you can get, as per:

• If you opt for one of the available freebie bodies then those are very feature-limited. You cannot change skins on them or add anything such as facial hair or tattoos. Yes, a couple of them come with very generous alpha HUDs that allow you to mask off certain parts of the body so you can wear many items of mesh clothing, and yes most of them are Bento (allowing you to use the classic shape sliders to change the facial characteristics) but the lack of skin customisability is a big turn-off if - for example - your skin colour is important to you. (Also, be aware that the creator of one of those freebie bodies monitors mentions of his brand and will always pop into forum threads to promote it. Another freebie body brand has fanboys who will sometimes pop up to rave about it in threads like this. None of that sits well with me, I'm afraid, which is why I'm not mentioning brand names for the freebies directly in this thread.)
• If you opt for the currently-cheap L$500 discounted TMP (The Mesh Project) body and L$500 head you'll be buying into a completely proprietary system that is not compatible with standard skin appliers for other mesh body parts in SL. TMP is not Bento, so you'll be wearing the same face as anyone else wearing it. It hasn't been updated in years and there is little to no support for it. There are skin etc installers that you can buy for TMP, and you might find some that are quite cheap now, since it's so old that practically nobody is creating for it anymore. Also, the entire TMP 'style mode' HUD system relies on external servers to work, so if (or more like 'when') those are turned off, all TMP users will be unable to change any of the colours/textures on any TMP-branded products that they own.
• If you opt to get just a cheaper head - such as the L$900 non-Bento ones - you'll then have to find a skin that that contains both an applier for that head and a system skin for your body. While there are still quite a few stores for female avatars that offer these, the number offering them for male avatars is dwindling. (As ever: the guys get much less choice in SL!) They do exist, but you'll need to shop around, and - again - many of the options are limited. It's also much more difficult to get a good skin match between a mesh head and a system body, hence the option that many ladies take of using a choker to cover seams, which... well let's just say that's not an option that many guys choose to go for!

In short: I'd invest that cash in some new mesh clothing and hair instead. If you want to 'mesh up' at least one part of yourself while you decide if you want to stay in SL then I would recommend getting the Slink Dynamic Male hands for L$875 (although that amount of money could equally buy you a decent mesh suit plus dress shoes from L&B, or a full mesh shirt-and-jeans outfit from Cold Ash, so weigh up your priorities here). As with a mesh head, though, you would need to find a skin store that offers system skins and Slink hand/feet appliers. If you can hang fire until after Christmas, your best bet would be to join the 7 Deadly Skins group (the group join fee is currently over L$1,000 because of the daily Advent calendar gifts, but it'll reduce to something more reasonable after Christmas is over). They have regular group gifts and some Midnight Mania boards that will get you some decent skins, and they're one of the few stores that still offer male system skins as well as Slink hand/feet appliers alongside their mesh head and body appliers.

Also, I'm recommending the Slink hands because - if you do decide to remain in SL - the Slink body will give you the 'lean and athletic' appearance that you seek and you would only need to buy the body for an additional L$1,250 (and maybe the feet) if you already have the hands. (Although, if you can catch a Signature sale, their Geralt body is a little more athletic than Slink, and it comes with hands and feet included.)

[Marianne Little]

I would not recommend a TMP as a "your avatar for years", but since the OP has a limited budget and he states he does not want a large wardrobe, a TMP body only is not bad. If he see it as "This is for looking good on the beach, and if I upgrade to an expensive body, I can live well with the use I had of it for 500 L".

I would actually say no to a mesh head with this budget. If the OP has a nice Belleza or Ispachi or another skin from as far back as 2012, system skins hasn't changed. They look the same today. If the skin is 2010 or older, yeah, then it's not so good.

The benefit is that he can use his tattoo beards, eyes and hairbases now and don't spend money on it.

The budget is so small, that buying mesh outfits in the events is not giving him many items. There is some freebie blogs, like Fabfree. https://fabfree.wordpress.com/category/just-for-guys/

You can sort it in "just for guys" as I did, I can't see much difference from "mens". Some of the offers is time limited. I am not sure if the L'Homme gifts for November is still out? You join the group that is free (last I checked) and hit L'Homme stands in the stores.

If you were a lady, you could look fantastic for almost nothing and have a wardrobe large as Melania Trumps in no time. The gift and cheapies market for men is so much smaller, but take what you can. It gives you something to wear while you cling to your money until you find a must-have.

If longer male hair is your thing, the no.match store has many group gifts, the group is cheap to join, maybe 50 L?

Vale Koer has these shoes, all parts are color change, it is a group gift. I was free to join.

Exile Tommy and Gina hair, all colors included, not just blonde.

no.match mainstore in Valhal, a gallery of gifts on the second floor.

Winter shoes, male sizes too. A tip if you wear a mesh body and your size is not supported, try them anyway. If you use jeans and detach the feet, you can wear so many shoes.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/139819358@N08/46145613782

You have a site called mainstore sl, I found you a grey sweater:

https://mainstoresl.com/alter-new-group-gifts/

 

[Fionalein]

1 hour ago, Marianne Little said:

Exile Tommy and Gina hair, all colors included, not just blonde.

ahhh... Tommy and Gina. A nod to a famous singing son of a hairdresser I guess?

[Eidolon Dreamscape]

Actually based on everything I have looked at from your replies and the bit of shopping I have done so far, I think I will be avoiding a mesh AV at this time.

I am going to see what I can arrange with a basic first.  If I get too turned around or frustrated I will log out and play a FPS game instead to workout my frustrations lol

[Roxy Couturier]

No one has mentioned Altamura yet. They occasionally have full (Omega compatible) Avatars on sale for 300 or 900L. Join the Altamura group and watch for sales. I bought one for a MAlt and it looks pretty good. (I also got a female head the same way and had excellent results in creating and Asian look for another alt.) The full Avatar has a bento head included so you only need to make one purchase instead of one for body and one for head. The only thing I would like Altamura to do is make the Hud easier to decipher.

Most mens clothing covers the entire body so a 'perfect fit' isn't really needed. For shorts and tee's, Altamura has pretty decent alpha cuts. The feet are SLink compatible. Demo clothing before you buy.