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Using Custom Shapes?


SabineBabineaux
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I am new...ish. I used to be on Second Life in high school, which was [redacted] years ago. A friend recently urged me to come back when I mentioned being bored with The Sims. Things sure have changed!

I'm excited that there are more opportunities now to customize avis, but I am NOT techy and very confused. If I purchase a custom shape, will it just show up in my options when I right-click and choose to edit my avi? Or is there some secret to it? I've watched a couple of youtube videos, but they have NO step-by-steps, just demonstrations set to music, and that isn't my learning style at all. 

Grateful for any help/advice! 

 

Sab

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15 minutes ago, SabineBabineaux said:

I am new...ish. I used to be on Second Life in high school, which was [redacted] years ago. A friend recently urged me to come back when I mentioned being bored with The Sims. Things sure have changed!

I'm excited that there are more opportunities now to customize avis, but I am NOT techy and very confused. If I purchase a custom shape, will it just show up in my options when I right-click and choose to edit my avi? Or is there some secret to it? I've watched a couple of youtube videos, but they have NO step-by-steps, just demonstrations set to music, and that isn't my learning style at all. 

Grateful for any help/advice! 

 

Sab

Yes you will be able to put it on in the edit avatar window, but you could also wear it just from the inventory...

One of the things new to you might be mesh bodies. you can get mesh replacements of the whole avatar or just parts of it (hands, feet & head). VASically this is a piece of clothing that looks like a body and can be very confusing because it is not listed as a body in the edit avatar window, it is just listed as an attachemnt - like a piece of jewelry would be. there are many help groups in SL and usually they make no differneces wether they help a newbie or a a returner. Depending on when you left a lot of stuff will be different now so take your time to get to know your possibilities.

What you must know about modern shapes is that they are body (ormore precisely head) specific. You most likely still have a classic body. Modern mesh heads will react slightly different than your classic head or other heads. Wearing a shape designed for the wrong head has the potential to make you look rather ugly.

Also: Welcome back!

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If buying a custom shape it is essential that the shape is MODIFY, otherwise you are stuck with it exactly as it came and will be unable to adjust it in any way at all. Very few are non-modify, so just check beforehand before buying.

I've purchased several custom shapes over the years and, besides ensuring it is modify, I am basically buying the head/face shape (above the neck), I don't really care what the body shape is like (below the neck). I can rustle-up my own body shape within 1% of how I like it within 2 minutes these days. Despite this I am forever tweaking .. a little less boob here, thicker legs there. It never really stands still if you're fussy :D

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Perhaps you remember that shape creators used very pretty skins so the avatar looked good, and when people tried them on with their not-so-good skin , they were disappointed.

This is more so than ever, with mesh avatars. The ad can be so beautiful, but under it the face is often distorted, because the bones is adjusted to make the mesh head over pretty.

If it looks too good to be true, it is a mesh avatar they sell the shape for. Without the mesh parts plus the skin applier, it will not look like that. Make sure you demo before you buy. It is still many who is using the classic avatar in SL, so you must not buy a mesh avatar.  (Classic = The standard avatar like the one you used some years ago)

Many who will try to use mesh body parts, start with a body and is using the classic head. This is the best way to start. The mesh body cost some, but you will have problems to find things for free or discount for classic avatars. This is for shoes (heels, pumps, sandals) in particular. I will go so far as saying that you need mesh feet to be a happy shopper (or freebie hunter) in SL these days. For standard feet, you still find old shoes in places like Freebie Dungeons and their like. Those freebies was probably old when you used SL. Take a look at the SL Marketplace and choose Apparel, and you will probably see what I mean.

I recommend Maitreya because it's so much content made for it, but other brands like Slink and Belleza is also easy to shop for. It is a video here that I hope is better, it shows how to get started with Maitreya body. The only thing I say is buy the DEMO for 0 Linden when you are in Maitreya store. Then follow the steps in the video. The demo body is fully functional and you will see how it works. And that goes for all mesh in SL. Bodies, heads, hair, clothes, shoes. Demo, demo, demo.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P2PtyyXzxnA

A little thing that is new, is that WEAR is replacing what you had on that attachment point. And many SL creators use the right hand as default attachment point. So every time you click on something in your inventory and choose "Wear", you risk that it is replacing something you want to stay on. Like, you wear pants and when you wear a shirt, your pants are detached.

Use ADD instead. That is safer. Especially if you try on clothes in stores. 🤭 The same goes for the clothes layers and the makeup layers and alpha layers, if you keep your classic avatar. Add lipstick, hairbase, blush et cetera. If you wear a layer, it kicks off another layer. You can use this on purpose, of course. Let us say you are trying on lots of different lipsticks. It is faster to wear instead of add, because you want the previous layer off.

I hope this helps!

Edited by Marianne Little
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Thank you everyone! I admit that I've gotten lost in the maze of pretty that is CATWA heads and Maitreya bodies. LOL 

Yes, it IS very different! While creating an avatar was easier during my original go-'round, I will say they were not nearly as unique nor as pretty as the ones now. I am excited to try these new meshes and things with y'all's help! 

Thank you again! 

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If you're going mesh. as said before, demo demo demo. Especially with mesh heads. For bodies, Maitreya is where you'll get the most options for clothing and shoes. SLink and Belleza follow closely, but SLink has two different bodies and Belleza has three. That dilutes the pool, as it were, since many creators focus on one or two bodies.

For heads, there are a ton of options, with Catwa and Lelutka in the lead as far as makeup and skins go. (Another option there is to look at shapes on MP to find a 'look' that suits you then try the shape demo with the head demo.) They all have their pros and cons, but usually the head is more expensive than the body. Take your time before you decide on a head.

Edited by Roxy Couturier
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On 1/23/2019 at 4:46 PM, SabineBabineaux said:

Thank you everyone! I admit that I've gotten lost in the maze of pretty that is CATWA heads and Maitreya bodies. LOL 

Yes, it IS very different! While creating an avatar was easier during my original go-'round, I will say they were not nearly as unique nor as pretty as the ones now. I am excited to try these new meshes and things with y'all's help! 

Thank you again! 

If you go for a mesh head, notice it comes with an editable shape. The shape is primarily for the head. The designer has no idea what body you might use. Make a copy of that shape as a backup. Change only copies of the shape.

Mesh bodies come with a shape too. Some are editable, some are No-Mod. You REALLY want Mod-OK.

The thing with these shapes is this problem:

Heads-n-Shapes.thumb.jpg.d38b1be575ea8a687536ba9c370c93aa.jpg

The shapes can be combined into a composite shape if you are willing to edit XML files. You can export shapes to your computer as an XML file. Of course you have to have full perm shapes to do that. Then edit them and finally upload the result as a new shape.

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