What do you think of this system AV?

[choobaloo]

So, I know a lot of people dislike system AVs. I'm not in that camp, but I really wanted to ask people here what they think of the pic below. 

Do you think it looks out of date? Bad compared to mesh? Would it pass in SL 2019, in terms of getting a club job, meeting people without judgement, etc?

Would appreciate any opinions. 

 

 

 

[Qie Niangao]

What's the ARC? I ask because there sure seems to be a lot of blended alpha there... which could make it look pretty rough every time it crosses in front of a blended-alpha window, etc.)

In passing, maybe somebody who reads this thread will know:

1. Do system avatars look a lot better baked to 1024 resolution using underlying 1024 skin textures? (Sure, the avatar mesh will still suck, but is it an obvious improvement nonetheless?)
2. Is there some straightforward way to tell the resolutions of textures underlying a worn asset (such as system skins, system clothes, system tattoos, etc.)?

[Scylla Rhiadra]

22 minutes ago, choobaloo said:

So, I know a lot of people dislike system AVs. I'm not in that camp, but I really wanted to ask people here what they think of the pic below. 

Do you think it looks out of date? Bad compared to mesh? Would it pass in SL 2019, in terms of getting a club job, meeting people without judgement, etc?

Would appreciate any opinions. 

 

 

 

Your avatar looks gorgeous. But I'm not hugely surprised by that: I have lots of friends who have extremely attractive system avatars.

Also, this is a very nicely put-together photograph.

Finally, you should be posting this, and other pics of your beautiful avi, here, because there's a sizable community of people who would love to see them:

https://community.secondlife.com/forums/topic/405992-how-does-your-avatar-look-today/

 

Edited September 24, 2019 by Scylla Rhiadra

[Scylla Rhiadra]

8 minutes ago, Qie Niangao said:

• Do system avatars look a lot better baked to 1024 resolution using underlying 1024 skin textures? (Sure, the avatar mesh will still suck, but is it an obvious improvement nonetheless?)
• Is there some straightforward way to tell the resolutions of textures underlying a worn asset (such as system skins, system clothes, system tattoos, etc.)?

Really good questions, both, especially as people are now thinking in terms of applying oldish system layers to BoM bodies and heads.

[Linda Reddevil]

I guess I don't totally dislike system avi's but I personally wouldn't go back to wearing one.  I enjoy having realistic features and taking advantage of the strides that creators have made so that we can now enjoy the "better things in SLife" as far as our avi bodies are concerned.  Whenever I go to clubs I'm amazed at how many people still have system avi's, flexi hair, club hands and bulging eyeballs so I guess you're not entirely outdated. I don't judge but I do laugh to myself as I remember what I once looked like.  I don't think you can ask if it would make a difference in the people you'll meet or the jobs because everyone has different preferences.  I certainly would speak with you in SL if I met you but I'd never date you if you were a guy and you hadn't updated your avi.  That's just me, though, and I speak for no one else.  

[Theresa Tennyson]

48 minutes ago, Qie Niangao said:

What's the ARC? I ask because there sure seems to be a lot of blended alpha there... which could make it look pretty rough every time it crosses in front of a blended-alpha window, etc.)

In passing, maybe somebody who reads this thread will know:

1. Do system avatars look a lot better baked to 1024 resolution using underlying 1024 skin textures? (Sure, the avatar mesh will still suck, but is it an obvious improvement nonetheless?)
2. Is there some straightforward way to tell the resolutions of textures underlying a worn asset (such as system skins, system clothes, system tattoos, etc.)?

1. If you have fine details like freckles and tattoos, system avatars look much better at 1024 now.

2. I don't know of a way of doing it through the viewer, but there may be a way in the developer menu or Firestorm.

[Maitimo]

47 minutes ago, choobaloo said:

So, I know a lot of people dislike system AVs. I'm not in that camp, but I really wanted to ask people here what they think of the pic below. 

Do you think it looks out of date? Bad compared to mesh? Would it pass in SL 2019, in terms of getting a club job, meeting people without judgement, etc?

Would appreciate any opinions. 

 

 

Nothing wrong with a system avatar, and yours is lovely, but the flexi hair and flexi neko tail dates it at about 2011. Switch those for mesh hair and a bento tail, and no-one will even notice that the rest of you isn't mesh.

As for getting a job, it really depends what kind of job and where. Some employers insist on their staff being fully meshed-up, particularly in adult clubs, but equally there are others who wouldn't care.

[Rhonda Huntress]

Well, since you asked ...

1 hour ago, choobaloo said:

Do you think it looks out of date? Bad compared to mesh? Would it pass in SL 2019, in terms of getting a club job, meeting people without judgement, etc?

The avatar is cute.  What is out of date is the hair and the horse tail.  The system body and skin are way down the list of things that could use an update.

In terms of getting a club job, I have seen avatars just like this working at one of my favorite music venues, Ohana's Rock Club.  As long as your render cost is low enough for people to see you I don't see why there would be any "judgement" involved.

[Maitimo]

11 minutes ago, Rhonda Huntress said:

As long as your render cost is low enough for people to see you I don't see why there would be any "judgement" involved.

And that's the thing with flexi hair. Most of it will have a much higher render cost than mesh hair.

[LittleMe Jewell]

2 hours ago, Matty Luminos said:

Nothing wrong with a system avatar, and yours is lovely, but the flexi hair and flexi neko tail dates it at about 2011. Switch those for mesh hair and a bento tail,

I still insist on wearing some of my flexi hair.  I sometimes get so tired of mesh hair because it doesn't move and looks like I've used about a case of hairspray on it.  Every now and then, I just need real movement.

[Marianne Little]

I justify my use of a flexi skirt when dancing, with that my rendering cost is still below those who have rubber skirts.

Not that rubber skirts is a bad thing. The bad is when it tries to convince me that it is silk and chiffon, but behaves like rubber.

[Marianne Little]

12 hours ago, choobaloo said:

So, I know a lot of people dislike system AVs. I'm not in that camp, but I really wanted to ask people here what they think of the pic below. 

Do you think it looks out of date? Bad compared to mesh? Would it pass in SL 2019, in terms of getting a club job, meeting people without judgement, etc?

Would appreciate any opinions.

A well put together system avatar will beat a mesh avatar operated by a RL person without style.

That being said, flexi and sculpts are below mesh in terms of ARC. There is no denial that mesh hands and feet look better than the system ones. If one isn't interested in an animated face, much can be done with skin, makeup, shape etc. So hands and feet is my hard limit. They can't be ignored when you first seen the difference.

When I was wearing a system avatar, it was all about hiding the faults. Prim nails, bangles to hide the wrists, sculpted details in the clothes to hide the painted on look, boots to hide the feet, prim feet when they came out. And posing carefully, not to break the illusion.

An avatar totally without any mesh in clothes or accessories, can look well enough. If you ask it is well enough for me to wear, the answer is a loud NO. I will not wear a system avatar without any mesh, partial mesh.

I don't pass judgement on persons avatars, but I am human. Humans react to the first impression. This avatar would not make me think different about the person. It is well put together, even if I wouldn't use it. It is clearly put together by someone who spend time creating this look.

[Mollymews]

i prefer a flexi tail to a mesh tail. I have bento mesh tails as well but I prefer old school flex.  I did tho change to bento mesh ears as they do flex for the better, in ways which my previous mesh/sculpt/prim ears could never do

mesh is nice and all that, but when it comes to my tail then it will always be flexi. I wouldn't be me if it wasn't. This is my now me

so if you like flexi neko then just stay with it. If that is you then its you and that's all there is

Edited September 25, 2019 by Mollymews
tpyo

[MrsSeren]

I know you said you prefer flexi tail but I am neko like yourself but I adore how my bento sweet thing tail moves happily on it's own though admit can make photo taking a fun challenge!!  

[Lyssa Greymoon]

19 hours ago, choobaloo said:

So, I know a lot of people dislike system AVs. I'm not in that camp, but I really wanted to ask people here what they think of the pic below. 

Do you think it looks out of date? Bad compared to mesh? Would it pass in SL 2019, in terms of getting a club job, meeting people without judgement, etc?

Yes, it looks out of date, but I don't think that's a bad thing. My opinion there is probably in the very small minority. Bad compared to mesh? Wrist & ankle joints and breasts will always look bad compared to mesh, you can't get around that. Will it pass in 2019? Well, if anyone is judging my ugly system avatar, they aren't telling me. Getting a job? I've never tried. I think it depends on the job, specifically the amount of nudity involved. Almost no one wants to look at janky wrists, cankles and lumpy boobs.

[Mollymews]

7 hours ago, MrsSeren said:

I know you said you prefer flexi tail but I am neko like yourself but I adore how my bento sweet thing tail moves happily on it's own though admit can make photo taking a fun challenge!!  

i have the bento sweet thing tail also.  It is a major improvement on the flexi tubular cat tail. It can curl which the flexi prim tubular cat tail never can. So if I was more toward that style then I would definitely wear the sweet thing tail over the tubular prim tail

 

[Gabriele Graves]

On 9/25/2019 at 7:38 AM, choobaloo said:

So, I know a lot of people dislike system AVs. I'm not in that camp, but I really wanted to ask people here what they think of the pic below. 

Do you think it looks out of date? Bad compared to mesh? Would it pass in SL 2019, in terms of getting a club job, meeting people without judgement, etc?

Would appreciate any opinions.

If your av makes you happy then it doesn't matter what other people think.  If you care too much about what others think about your choices, you are placing control of your happiness in their hands.

Everyone eventually meets people who decide that somehow what you do/are/say/wear is a problem.  Of course they are the problem.  Just do what everyone else does, be thankful you found out what they were sooner rather than later and move on from those people.  You cannot avoid them completely, so don't make choices hoping that you can.  Decent people will not treat you badly if your av isn't right up-to-date or isn't what they would choose for themselves.

You should only change your av to something different if it pleases you to do so, nothing more or less and certainly not to gain the approval of others.

[Conifer Dada]

The system av in the original post looks pretty good.  I still use a system AV and only once has someone advised me to get a mesh one, the irony being that the person involved had a very unrealistic mesh av!  Highly detailed, yes, but terrible proportions.

I'm happy with my system av.  I know that joints aren't as smooth but with a realistic shape and a good skin nobody knows you're 'system' until they zoom in close.  When 'bakes on mesh' becomes more established I might consider going mesh.  Hopefully LL will either update the system avatar or provide decent some free full-perm bodies in the starter library.

Once I was quite flattered to be asked which mesh body I had - and I enjoyed saying it's just system.

Edited September 26, 2019 by Conifer Dada