No Modify body shapes in a DEMO?

[GoSpeed Racer]

So here I am, bored in quarantine and I decided to upgrade a male avatar. I got to the store, upgrade his body and get a demo bento head. Throw it all on, looks great, yay! HOWEVER, when I go to edit my shape, I am not allowed! The default shape that came with the head is No Modify! Sure, he kinda looks OK as a Kylo Ren - Klingon with fat lips mashup, but I want to tweak the shape to see how close I can get to the original look. I hop in group chat and the moderator was like, buy the head and find out yourself. I'm like, that's a big investment! 

It's a demo for crying out loud! It has the brand name of the product floating over my head. What am I stealing by modifying the shape? Is this common practice with all mesh head demos?

[Lewis Luminos]

38 minutes ago, GoSpeed Racer said:

So here I am, bored in quarantine and I decided to upgrade a male avatar. I got to the store, upgrade his body and get a demo bento head. Throw it all on, looks great, yay! HOWEVER, when I go to edit my shape, I am not allowed! The default shape that came with the head is No Modify! Sure, he kinda looks OK as a Kylo Ren - Klingon with fat lips mashup, but I want to tweak the shape to see how close I can get to the original look. I hop in group chat and the moderator was like, buy the head and find out yourself. I'm like, that's a big investment! 

It's a demo for crying out loud! It has the brand name of the product floating over my head. What am I stealing by modifying the shape? Is this common practice with all mesh head demos?

I don't think I have come across a no-mod shape in a demo head pack before. Though it is normal for shapes being sold separately to be no-mod, even if the full price one is mod. Those usually come with massive hands, so you can't just get a demo and use it as your main shape, because there's no way to attach a big "Demo" sign to a shape.

However, you can use any shape with a mesh head, it doesn't have to be the one that comes with it. You can start with a shape from a different brand's demo pack, or another shape you've bought or made, or even one of the Linden starter shapes. Though it will take longer to get it right; you might have to make more drastic changes instead of little tweaks. Eventually you'll get there. 

[GoSpeed Racer]

You're right, Lewis. I can use any shape, but it is much easier to start with demo head that already is fairly balanced and "attractive". The creator shouldn't make it so much work for the potential customer. I'll drop a notecard on the creator and see if they'll send me a no-mod version.

[Ivanova Shostakovich]

   While you can use any shape with a demo head, many people shop for a head based on how it looks in a vendor image, and want to use the included shape and tweak it to see how closely that head can approximate their look. If you wear one with some other shape, like the one you've been using for a while, you're likely to find yourself on a long road to what you're looking for, with no real idea if you can get there.

[FairreLilette]

1 hour ago, GoSpeed Racer said:

Is this common practice with all mesh head demos?

No.  I've never seen it.  Sorry to hear about your situation.  You would not be stealing anything by modifying a demo head with a shape it should come with.  

I modify shapes with the heads before I buy the head as a general rule.  I want to see how easily the head modifies or looks with different skins, etc.  

Edited April 20, 2020 by FairreLilette

[Skell Dagger]

1 hour ago, GoSpeed Racer said:

Is this common practice with all mesh head demos?

Absolutely not and I would be very wary of buying from any store that expected you to "buy the head and find out yourself".

With a Bento mesh head you need that underlying shape, as it sets the ideal starting parameters for that particular head's sliders for you to then work with and customise to your preference. Sure - if it's a popular brand of head - you could also buy a third party shape created for it, but - for male avatars particularly - you very rarely get demos for those shapes anymore, and even if you did those would also be no-mod. Without a modifiable shape you have no way of knowing whether you can mould that demo head into something that you'll be happy with.

Obligatory disclaimer: I work for a large mesh head brand. This reply is not a shill for that brand, nor am I suggesting that you should try that brand; rather I'm strongly suggesting that you be wary of any store where the so-called 'advice' is "you'll find out when you pay for the full priced item". There are many, many other mesh head brands in SL, so try as many of those brands' demos as you need to.