Old Avatar Confused about Mesh Bodies

[Dementia Lane]

I have been pretty comfortable with my system body since rez day in 2007. After years of SL hiatus, I'm coming back to see SO MANY CHANGES!! 😲

I know and understand a few things about mesh bodies: like I do like the BOM compatibility. I went to SLink and tried the demo of their hourglass and original redux bodies. I really like the original body, but don't care for any of their heads. But it looks like only heads made for a certain mesh body will work with the body?? Right?

Are there any other creators heads that work with SLink? I see a lot work with Maitreya Lara body, only.

I didn't try the Maitreya Lara body since I cannot find the demo in the Marketplace and the in world store is super packed. Not to mention, I feel very out of place in my classic look around a bunch of female mesh avatars. 

Any other shapes I should try? I'm looking for something that matches closely to my original system body, since I'm most comfortable with it. I'm not an escort or going into the adult business in SL, so I have no need for perky... anything.

 

 

Also, shapes... shapes are just shapes for a certain mesh body... right? <-- ETA: Oh shapes! Does this mean the mesh body is "fitmesh" and you can change the shape??

Appliers??? I have no clue what appliers exactly are. 💀

And what is Omega??

 

Anything that I'm missing I should know about??

Edited January 1, 2020 by Dementia Lane

[Lillith Hapmouche]

7 minutes ago, Dementia Lane said:

But it looks like only heads made for a certain mesh body will work with the body?? Right?

Nope. That's ... interesting ... that something (or someone) gave you that impression. With a little adjusting and matching head and body skins, you can match pretty much any head to any body.

You're doing very good if you demo a lot, until you begin to feel comfortable with the mesh bits. Reading instructions and explanations, like here in the forums, will also help a lot.

Just a quick summary to get you started:

- Maitreya doesn't offer a demo for Lara on the Marketplace, so you have to wade through the inworld store at some point.

- Good old shapes are what they have always been, a shape is like the skeleton of your appearance... it's just that they may look really odd if they are made for specifiy heads and you happen to take off the mesh part and the alpha.

- It's probably a plus for you if you can work with "Bakes on Mesh" components, since those system layers are familar to you.

- Appliers are the original method of sending textures to mesh components. You might know this from texture HUDs to control clothing items. Heads and bodies have multiple layers on them which can be textured.

- You can see Omega as some kind of "one fits all" (more or less) applier. It is a third party system of appliers, which can be used on numerous Omega enabled items. Some might need an extra relay, some work out of the box, others need to be activated once.

[xBaeBeex]

Imma break it down in a way i wish someone broke it all down for me.. lol.. some of what i say you might already know.

I use Maitreya for the most part and i also just bought Legacy. (Legacy is 5K though so I doubt just getting back into SL you wanna spend that much) - while Maitreya is only 2Ksomething.. 

Thing with slink you gotta also by hands and feet last I knew. So as a beginnger - and mind you I am not a seasoned player.. only been in sl for about 7 monthes first timer too.. i never "returned" from anything. .. so as a first timer I was prompted to buy Maireya.

It comes with hands and feet and the HUD. ..

Now.. the main notes i want to make .. and i do not use BOM because i find it too hard.. so my views are going to be biased..

When you try a body.. use the alpha layrt to hide your body..(it is a white looking icon..like a suit..it will make the body disappear) and click "add" for the maitreya body, hands and feet. .. now you should have a mesh body.

Next tip ... omega relays. They are little huds you hit "add" and they appera on the screen. For basic use..it is for applying skins/tattoos. .. so say you havr a maitreya body and a catwa head. You would buy the mairtreya omega relay and the catwa omega relay and "add" both huds to your screen.. and now.. say you bought an Omega applied skin from 7 deadly skins.. (which is an easy option) .. this skin would apply to both your head and body because your using omega supported huds to add them. 

Long as you have the right Omega kit for your head AND body (2 kits) you should be able to buy almost any skin. Be very careful with buying skins for heads though if you get a catwa head..only skins for catwa will work.. on genus head, only genus head skins will work...

Alpha layers hide system parts

Omegas apply beauty - tattos, skins, nails ect

 

 

[Dementia Lane]

3 hours ago, Lillith Hapmouche said:

Nope. That's ... interesting ... that something (or someone) gave you that impression. With a little adjusting and matching head and body skins, you can match pretty much any head to any body.

You're doing very good if you demo a lot, until you begin to feel comfortable with the mesh bits. Reading instructions and explanations, like here in the forums, will also help a lot.

Just a quick summary to get you started:

- Maitreya doesn't offer a demo for Lara on the Marketplace, so you have to wade through the inworld store at some point.

- Good old shapes are what they have always been, a shape is like the skeleton of your appearance... it's just that they may look really odd if they are made for specifiy heads and you happen to take off the mesh part and the alpha.

- It's probably a plus for you if you can work with "Bakes on Mesh" components, since those system layers are familar to you.

- Appliers are the original method of sending textures to mesh components. You might know this from texture HUDs to control clothing items. Heads and bodies have multiple layers on them which can be textured.

- You can see Omega as some kind of "one fits all" (more or less) applier. It is a third party system of appliers, which can be used on numerous Omega enabled items. Some might need an extra relay, some work out of the box, others need to be activated once.

Thank you so much for the detailed advice!

I think I read somewhere in the forums about matching different creator heads to different creator bodies giving folks problems. 

I did try the Maitreya and didn't care for it much. So I bought the SLink complete body redux. I didn't know you can actually change the normal shape > changes the shape of the mesh... almost like classic style avatar. 😄 I think I might forget I'm even wearing a mesh body. haha!

But I'll wait to try a head until I'm comfortable with all the things I can do with the mesh body and HUD. 

I'll play with appliers, I think the mesh body has basic appliers in the HUD.

[Dementia Lane]

1 hour ago, xBaeBeex said:

Imma break it down in a way i wish someone broke it all down for me.. lol.. some of what i say you might already know.

I use Maitreya for the most part and i also just bought Legacy. (Legacy is 5K though so I doubt just getting back into SL you wanna spend that much) - while Maitreya is only 2Ksomething.. 

Thing with slink you gotta also by hands and feet last I knew. So as a beginnger - and mind you I am not a seasoned player.. only been in sl for about 7 monthes first timer too.. i never "returned" from anything. .. so as a first timer I was prompted to buy Maireya.

It comes with hands and feet and the HUD. ..

Now.. the main notes i want to make .. and i do not use BOM because i find it too hard.. so my views are going to be biased..

When you try a body.. use the alpha layrt to hide your body..(it is a white looking icon..like a suit..it will make the body disappear) and click "add" for the maitreya body, hands and feet. .. now you should have a mesh body.

Next tip ... omega relays. They are little huds you hit "add" and they appera on the screen. For basic use..it is for applying skins/tattoos. .. so say you havr a maitreya body and a catwa head. You would buy the mairtreya omega relay and the catwa omega relay and "add" both huds to your screen.. and now.. say you bought an Omega applied skin from 7 deadly skins.. (which is an easy option) .. this skin would apply to both your head and body because your using omega supported huds to add them. 

Long as you have the right Omega kit for your head AND body (2 kits) you should be able to buy almost any skin. Be very careful with buying skins for heads though if you get a catwa head..only skins for catwa will work.. on genus head, only genus head skins will work...

Alpha layers hide system parts

Omegas apply beauty - tattos, skins, nails ect

 

 

Wow! The omega relays thing sounds a bit complicated. Thank you so much for the information!

I bought the SLink body bundle and it came with hands and feet for 2.8K. I guess it was what I was more comfortable with, but I'll check out other body meshes some day!

[Mollymews]

56 minutes ago, Dementia Lane said:

But I'll wait to try a head until I'm comfortable with all the things I can do with the mesh body and HUD.

this is a good way to go about it. Changing up at a pace you are comfortable  with

[Saravendi]

I’m super happy with my Maitreya Laura body. I realize you already bought Slink, but for anyone else reading this thread with the same issues.

first off, it’s a beautiful mesh body that you can completely customize to your liking. Secondly, nearly every clothing developer/vendor makes versions for Laura or exclusive clothing. Thirdly, the HUD is very intuitive and easy to use. Nothing but love for Maitreya Laura.

[Maitimo]

Any head will work with any body (except in the case of some freebie bodies which come with a non-detachable head built in).

Also if you're wanting to use Bakes on Mesh (definitely the easiest option for you, coming straight from a Classic avatar) bear in mind that only Slink is BoM-ready out of the box. For Maitreya and Belleza you can pick up a free installer in their mainstores. For other bodies you'll need to make sure it's Omega-compatible, and get an Omega relay plus a generic Omega BoM-installer (there are a couple of those on the MP). Imma gonna ignore Signature Alice, which is BoM-compatible out of the box, but has literally no clothes to fit it, and Legacy which has customer-service issues and is a potential risk should they ever go out of business.

For heads, you'll also need to check out their main stores to pick up BoM-installers (or Omega). BoM really opens up the market especially with cheaper heads that have limited HUD or layer options; because you won't really be using those at all. As long as they are omega-compatible they will work just as well as an expensive head. Lightstar is one of those brands that comes to mind.

Just a note about shapes; when you get a head, use the shape that's provided in the box. Most heads are VERY different from the classic head and if you wear your regular shape it will look very distorted. You'll be able to adjust it with the sliders to get variations and to match your original body shape, but doing it the other way round will be a proper pain in the neck. On the other hand with most heads, what you see out of the box is pretty much what you get, shape wise; they can't be altered to the same degree that the classic head shape can. So try LOTS of demos and focus on the ones that are already right, or nearly-right, out of the box.

[Syo Emerald]

5 hours ago, Dementia Lane said:

I think I read somewhere in the forums about matching different creator heads to different creator bodies giving folks problems.

As far as I'm aware, there is not a single creator who makes both (head & body). 

[Elise Banx]

im going to be the odd one here and say... start with RuthTooRC3 BoM Mesh Female Body and RuthTooRC3 Bakes On Mesh Extras and you can get it on marketplace for 1 linden that will more or less keep your look. most maitreya sized clothing and shoes work.

then you can start to shop around for another body/head without feeling "out of  place"

i actually like the body i use it for extras(alts)

also check out altamura (inworld store) they do bodies that comes with everything (body and head) and do discounts every months on different bodies. only extra you need is the altamura omega (for use of appliers and Bakes on Mesh).

[Elise Banx]

3 minutes ago, Syo Emerald said:

As far as I'm aware, there is not a single creator who makes both (head & body). 

Altamura does and i think signature does with the new female body aswell

[Blaise Glendevon]

3 minutes ago, Elise Banx said:

im going to be the odd one here and say... start with RuthTooRC3 BoM Mesh Female Body and RuthTooRC3 Bakes On Mesh Extras and you can get it on marketplace for 1 linden that will more or less keep your look. most maitreya sized clothing and shoes work.

then you can start to shop around for another body/head without feeling "out of  place"

i actually like the body i use it for extras(alts)

also check out altamura (inworld store) they do bodies that comes with everything (body and head) and do discounts every months on different bodies. only extra you need is the altamura omega (for use of appliers and Bakes on Mesh).

Nobody makes clothes for either of these. A more experienced mesh user might be able to make it work. But a mesh rookie wants something with a wide variety of clothes rigged specifically for that body. 

Edited January 2, 2020 by Blaise Glendevon

[Syo Emerald]

Just now, Elise Banx said:

Altamura does and i think signature does with the new female body aswell

They do? But thats new, isn't it? Anyway, there would be no reason to worry, that a head from creator A won't work with a body from creator B, as this is what everyone has been working with from the start.

[Elise Banx]

2 minutes ago, Blaise Glendevon said:

Nobody makes clothes for either of these. A more experienced mesh user might be able to make it work. But a mesh rookie wants something with a wide variety of clothes rigged specifically for that body. 

WRONG as i just said most maitreya work with the ruthtoo and alot make clothing for altamura

[Blaise Glendevon]

6 minutes ago, Elise Banx said:

WRONG as i just said most maitreya work with the ruthtoo and alot make clothing for altamura

"Most Maitreya" is not a sure thing, though. And the top brands (Blueberry, Reign, etc.) don't rig for Altamura bodies or feet. 

Does the RuthToo team have a license to sell those Simpsons avatars, by the way?

Edited January 2, 2020 by Blaise Glendevon

[Elise Banx]

2 minutes ago, Blaise Glendevon said:

"Most Maitreya" is not a sure thing, though. And the top brands (Blueberry, Reign, etc.) don't rig for Altamura bodies or feet. 

not everyone have a need to buy from "top brands" and i KNOW theres alot for altamura out there and for feet all slink work for altamura

[Maitimo]

6 minutes ago, Blaise Glendevon said:

Nobody makes clothes for either of these. A more experienced mesh user might be able to make it work. But a mesh rookie wants something with a wide variety of clothes rigged specifically for that body. 

I have this body too, just to try it out. It fits Maitreya shoes, and some Maitreya clothes as well as some Belleza Venus. Standard size fitmesh works best though. This body responds to alpha layers and doesn't need a hud so it will fit pretty much anything that has an alpha layer.

It is dead simple to use and I would highly recommend it to anyone starting out in mesh for the first time.

[Elise Banx]

9 minutes ago, Syo Emerald said:

They do? But thats new, isn't it? Anyway, there would be no reason to worry, that a head from creator A won't work with a body from creator B, as this is what everyone has been working with from the start.

no they have always had body and head together

[Maitimo]

5 minutes ago, Blaise Glendevon said:

"Most Maitreya" is not a sure thing, though. And the top brands (Blueberry, Reign, etc.) don't rig for Altamura bodies or feet. 

Does the RuthToo team have a license to sell those Simpsons avatars, by the way?

That seller is not the "RuthToo" team. RuthToo is open source, anyone can distribute it.

[Blaise Glendevon]

2 minutes ago, Matty Luminos said:

That seller is not the "RuthToo" team. RuthToo is open source, anyone can distribute it.

Who is the original RuthToo development team?

[Syo Emerald]

1 minute ago, Elise Banx said:

no they have always had body and head together

I meant those bodies/heads are rather new, not that the addition of a head is new. I think at least the one from signature must be new. I haven't seen it around. 

[Elise Banx]

3 minutes ago, Blaise Glendevon said:

Who is the original RuthToo development team?

Ruth Too is derived from Ruth 2.0 RC3. All licensing is the same as Ruth 2.0.

Ruth Too is created by Sean Heavy from a modified Ruth 2.0 RC3. The Ruth Too body has the same mesh and weight painting as Ruth Too RC3; so all Ruth 2.0 RC3 clothing and add-ons should fit the same.

Ruth 2.0 is by Shin Ingen

Edited January 2, 2020 by Elise Banx

[Elise Banx]

2 minutes ago, Syo Emerald said:

I meant those bodies/heads are rather new, not that the addition of a head is new. I think at least the one from signature must be new. I haven't seen it around. 

altamura has been around for a few years now the signature is very new yes

[Bitsy Buccaneer]

Ruth 2 can be picked up for free inworld. I probably still have an LM buried in my inventory if anyone's interested and inworld search doesn't do the trick.

[Blaise Glendevon]

So, I decided to be a good sport and pick up Ruth Too. 

. . .I guess it's free. I've been playing with it for about an hour on an alt, so I could peruse the currently available freebies out at the Free Dove. Honestly, if it were a choice between this and the $1 demo eBody available upstairs at the Free Dove, I'd go with that one. The only advantage this one has is being BOM ready out of the box. It literally looks like the SL body but in mesh.