Need help with helping someone please...Male avatar

[Seicher Rae]

Oh, hai! I may have taken on a project above my pay grade.  A male avatar older than me, still in a system avatar. He looks good for system, but wants to upgrade. I've looked for "help with male avatar appearance" threads, but gave up after scanning pages and pages. 

He wants close in to his system avatar. This is a thin frame, not body builder. A "normal" guy appearance, not runway model. So. I know from women's bodies that nearly everyone makes clothes etc for Maitreya, and I know in talking to some guys that the same is true for male bodies.

So given those constraints: Slim body, popular enough shape that it is not impossible to find clothes.

Same with the head: Mesh head, popular enough that you can get skins.

Also, skins: Regular guy skins that don't look like the fellow is trying out for a part in the Incredible Hulk.

Thank you! I'll keep researching but all help is gratefully appreciated, by a few people. ♥

 

[Rowan Amore]

One of the forum members does a great blog.  

http://www.virtualbloke.com/noob-dude-a-style-101-for-the-second-life-male-avatar

[Seicher Rae]

14 minutes ago, RowanMinx said:

One of the forum members does a great blog.  

http://www.virtualbloke.com/noob-dude-a-style-101-for-the-second-life-male-avatar

Ha! Yes, Skell was my first stop off of the Forums. But you can't plug his blog enough.  Thank you.

[Seicher Rae]

Speaking of Skell, his page  http://www.virtualbloke.com/archives/3711 is a god's send.

[Skell Dagger]

1 hour ago, Seicher Rae said:

So given those constraints: Slim body, popular enough shape that it is not impossible to find clothes.

Same with the head: Mesh head, popular enough that you can get skins.

Also, skins: Regular guy skins that don't look like the fellow is trying out for a part in the Incredible Hulk.

Quick suggestions:

• Body = Belleza Jake. Not as muscled as Gianni, but with more clothing available for it than Gianni's slimmer brother Geralt. Be aware that Jake does have some muscle definition built into the mesh that you can't get rid of (prominent inguinal crease, plus some veining on the inner arms) and check, check, and check again the neck in multiple lighting options against whichever head you're demoing. See my Windlight comparison Gyazo set for reasons why Jake can be problematic. (If you want to try Gianni instead then I can offer advice on slimming down the arms and shoulders on that body. Just let me know.) Another possibility - just to get him started - is to maybe get the L$1 Legacy Classic male body gift. It can wear any TMP clothing, has BoM capability, fits well against at least Catwa heads (I've not checked against either Lelutka type) and I've managed to wear several different other body rigs of clothing on it with reasonable success.
• Head: Catwa or Lelutka Origins (although of late most male skins are being made for Lelutka Evolution heads). If you go with Lelutka Evo then be prepared to spend a lot of time on the shaping of it. Skyler is probably your best bet from the current Evo line, but you'll need to work hard to reduce that very heavy chin. Evolution is also mostly BoM, although both Lelutka Origins and Catwa are BoM capable, too.
• Skins = entirely dependant on what kind of face he's after. I would suggest Stray Dog, Clef de Peau (they have 'soft' body skin versions), and Vendetta to begin with. If going full BoM check out this blog for other possibilities.

ETA: One additional thought for a skin. You mention that he's an older gent, so try Session as well if he wants a more mature look.

And thank you to both you and Rowan for the kind words about the blog

Edited August 22, 2020 by Skell Dagger

[BelindaN]

I went for Signature Geralt with a Catwa Victor for the guy avi I just finished off.

[Zeotetra]

Slink redux body more swimmers body frame & not sure on the head maybe one of the slink

slink store
http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Slink/45/124/25

You could go the ultimate route and stick with system avatar!

Edited August 22, 2020 by Zeotetra

[Lillith Hapmouche]

Yeah, go for Geralt or SLink if you don't want clothing...

 

[BelindaN]

There is enough. What guy needs more than five outfits?

Skell excepted.

[Zeotetra]

2 minutes ago, Lillith Hapmouche said:

Yeah, go for Geralt or SLink if you don't want clothing...

 

Do you desire high polygon count and wreck sl by all means follow the sheep, or decide for yourself look into the demos and check for yourself.

They do have clothing depends what style of clothing your after, perhaps the slink support could guide you more on that too.

[Lillith Hapmouche]

Perhaps you could spam a few decent SLink posts with clothing tips, which would actually be helpful.

[Marianne Little]

Billy Beaverhausen is another blogger, who is using any and all bodies. Including lesser known brands as NX-Nardcotic's David. He can make a post where he takes out a body he hasn't used in a while, and go on a shopping event and dress it up.

And he has dressed up the free Classic meshbody formerly known as TMP too. He has a series named "What's eating TMP" where he is on post 20. I link to this post, since it is safe for children, not all of the blog is. https://billybeaverhausen.com/2020/07/19/whats-eating-tmp-20-classic-meshbody/

Be warned that you will see latex, male nudity, wet see-through thongs in some posts. So it's a good blog for shopping male genitalia too.

[Nalates Urriah]

26 minutes ago, BelindaN said:

There is enough. What guy needs more than five outfits?

Skell excepted.

Hmmmm.... let's see...

1. Nude Erect - common for noobs 😆
2. Semi-nude chubby - those swimsuits that leave NOTHING to the imagination 😲
3. Nude flaccid - common at nude beaches 😯
4. Clothed BIG package 😏
5. Clothed sane package - only common for the well dressed male 🙂
6. ... if a guy has more than one sane outfit... they will have more than 5... 😊

[Zeotetra]

3 hours ago, Lillith Hapmouche said:

Perhaps you could spam a few decent SLink posts with clothing tips, which would actually be helpful.

good idea i'll wait for you to post some too 🦆

[Claireschen Hesten]

Don't know how worth mentioning it is but for L$50 group join Alantori has a BoM mesh body in their midnight mania board only problem is the board so far never reaches the 50 target not sure what clothing compatibility is like but it doesn't look like a very muscly body

[Zeotetra]

Info on slink yw

 https://slinkstyle.com/slink-redux-and-bakes-on-mesh-faq/

[animats]

 

It's all very simple. See?

[PermaRuthed]

3 hours ago, animats said:

 

It's all very simple. See?

No wonder Slink is losing designer support.  That flowchart is a big old tangled mess of spaghetti.

What was the question this flowchart is supposed to answer?  What is Omega and how does it come into play with Slink?

If you have the Slink Classic body, you can use HUD appliers to apply skin, make-up, nail polish, tattoos, & some clothes such as pantyhose.  But the HUD must be labeled for Slink; if you have that, you're good to go.

But what if you don't? This is where Omega comes in.  You buy the Omega kit from MP, wear it and click on it, and wait for message in local chat thanking you for installing Omega.  Detach the Omega kit and use the Omega applier HUD.

If you have the Redux body, only materials and nail polish HUDs can be used.  To do that, wear the Slink Physique Utilities HUD and the Slink Omega Bridge. You also need to buy the Omega System Kit in order for the appliers to work. If you don't have the kit already, go back to the last paragraph on how to work the Omega System Kit. After you do that, wear the Physique Utilities HUD, the Slink Omega Bridge, and the omega applier HUD to paint your nails.

[Marianne Little]

One of the things that is good to know, is how much clothes this guy will have. We still haven't heard it.

The average male can buy a lot of clothes to cover his need, even for bodies like Slink and free Classic Meshbody. Stores like Aitui, Lapointe/ Bastchild and Legal Insanity.

And other stores. They may not have the sizes in the last round of The Mens Department, but their mainstore has them. Many loose fit clothes can be worn on other bodies, but what they must have is the right size for tight clothes. Underwear, swimwear and tank tops.

And most important, special items like harnesses, chains, rigged nipples and rigged piercings can not cut into the body or hoover over it. It must be a body that is popular, so he can buy such accessories for the body.

For heads, does he want 3D beards? Piercings? This excludes all free or cheap heads.

................................................................................................................................................

The below is just my musings, and you can skip it: Why he wants to upgrade, isn't necessary to know, but I always think about it because it gives a nice background. I have more fun helping when I get an idea about the person behind the avatar. Preferably he who comes to the forum to ask himself, and who gives us feedback and/or follow up with more questions. I have written long posts and I do not know if I am speaking into the void.

If he's back in SL after a long break, goes to a beach and thinks "Whoa, whoa. We can have real toes now? Instead of the paddles? And the bodies look smoother. That guy holds his drink and the fingers isn't just a fist? He has facial expressions. I want to look that way." He will upgrade because he want to. He is interested in this project. He understand that he must demo and does not think it's a waste of time. He will look good every place he goes to, so he want clothes for every occasion. This guy is a joy to help.

Or the one who goes to an adult place where only a mesh avatar get in. Or the ladies/gents snub him in the clubs because they go for the best looking partner. He is forced to upgrade because he will get laid.

Or the one who has worked in SL for years (Scripter? Landlord? Builder?) and only need a better avatar and a few outfits when he meet clients in SL. He want to have clothes that he likes and is good quality.

These two types is great to help too, if they tell me what they want so I do not waste time on suggesting things they don't need.

Or the one who is whipped by a partner to get all mesh. In the last case he is told what to buy because the partner likes it... He has dutifully bought it, but his love is not logged in and he can't figure out how to use it. Points for trying his best and be a good boyfriend.

[Lewis Luminos]

In my experience, male bodies are much more "forgiving" of body shape and fit than female bodies are, because generally men will show less skin so more of the body will be alpha'd out. This means that you can often wear an outfit that's made for a completely different body and it still looks fine. It matters mostly for swimwear, tight-fitting tank-tops and more "kinky" stuff that shows plenty of skin. But for a typical outfit of jeans and shirt, or a suit, he can wear an outfit made for almost any body (just not Aesthetic, that one has a weird and VERY muscular shape). The sticking-point is sometimes the waistband of the pants, which matters if he's going to be shirtless for any reason, so it's worth buying at least one pair of jeans and one pair of shorts that are made for the specific body, as well as the swimwear if he's going to be hanging out at beaches. 

One of my alts has the Ex-Machina Davide body (not to be confused with Nardcotix David) which is a lovely slim one, much nicer than either Slink or Geralt IMO. There is very little clothing made specifically for it but I've had success with clothing made for Slink or Jake as well as classic sizes. It's Omega-compatible, it can be converted to BOM (using Omega and an Omega/BOM converter) so it will work with most skins. Another advantage of Ex-Machina is that it comes with a very nice head already included, and the default skin that comes with it is also very nice (and slim-looking without over-defined muscles). If he is happy with both the default head and the skin, then he's pretty much "ready to go" right out of the box.

 

[Lillith Hapmouche]

2 hours ago, Marianne Little said:

They may not have the sizes in the last round of The Mens Department, but their mainstore has them.

That's some pretty idiotic marketing.

[Zeotetra]

8 hours ago, animats said:

It's all very simple. See?

Could be simplified but at least you see the options

 

4 hours ago, PermaRuthed said:

No wonder Slink is losing designer support.

I see and who are those designer slink are losing i am curious?

 

3 hours ago, PermaRuthed said:

No wonder Slink is losing designer support.  That flowchart is a big old tangled mess of spaghetti.

Not a mess of a spaghetti a bit of an over exaggeration :P

take a look at this spaghetti!

 

 

[Lillith Hapmouche]

Again: you seem to know plenty of stores which still support SLink in their new releases. Why don't you name a few?

The "big guys" like Cold Ash, Dead Wool, Gabriel, Lapointe & Bastchild etc. certainly don't.

[Seicher Rae]

Regarding Slink and clothing availability, that one I know the answer. @Lillith Hapmouche is correct. I have known people who have the Slink body, and as Skell says in his blog, support for this body by clothing designers is waning. So can we please stop the PR for Slink? This is not a thread about just Slink, pro OR con. Yeesh. 

And to those of you who are mentioning clothing stores too, thank you.

And to those of you who are discussing that clothing, except tight fitting clothing, can often be worn on bodies it isn't specifically designed for, thank you.  I should have remembered this (but didn't) because I have even bought men's clothing for my female Maitreya body and it works.

I'm really appreciating all of the thoughtful comments here. Thank you!

[BelindaN]

@Seicher Rae

So I'm new to making male avis. I started from zero knowledge. So I did some reading of Skell's guide and asked around.

That took me to Signature Geralt, because this body, although not as well supported as Gianni, does have support.

So first, go look at the Signature store. I was impressed. Nice layout, plenty on offer. And with a small range of clothing for Geralt.

I then looked at heads and settled on Catwa Victor. This was because my friend asked to keep his old avi look, and Victor was slideable. I had to ask Skell for a bit of guidance on the Catwa hud, about tinting mainly. He was of great help.

I used Lure Cain skin.

In terms of outfits I went for five:

1: Nothing but boxers....a starter saved outfit. The boxers were from the Signature store.

2: Suit, smart but no tie. Fatpack from the signature store again with multiple suit colours, multiple shirt colours. Separate shoes FP, also from Signature store.

3: Beach. Shorts and flip flops. Both FPs. Jose swimsuit FP, & Millo Copperfield Vintage Flip Flops.

4: Casual. "Not so bad" Samy printed shirt. "Not so bad" Leny denim pants. "Not so bad" Odney sneakers.

5: Smart casual: Hoorenbeek Shelley complete outfit. Shirt, leather jacket, pants, boots. Not a FP, so a single outfit.

That was it. It took me four day of intense work but I'm please with the result, and so is my friend.

Edited August 23, 2020 by BelindaN