Why get a mesh body?

[LittleMe Jewell]

7 hours ago, Anna Nova said:

The purpose of SL is to dress up and look sexy right?

Well, if so, I've been failing miserably for many years now.

[HarrisonMcKenzie]

Here's an example for why you might want a mesh avatar.

I play a child. Due to system limitations, it is actually impossible to scale an avatar shape down to child size and still maintain human proportions. Now, if you're full clothed head to foot with good mesh clothing, this isn't really a big deal because your avatar shape is hidden. What if you want to go swimming though? Or be barefoot? Scaled down to child size, the avatar looks like a bag of potatoes with door stoppers at the ends of their feet. It's rough.

Something to consider is what exactly a mesh avatar is. The thing we talk about refers to a base model to wear, but in reality, a mesh avatar is functionally no different than a pair of pants. So if you're wearing mesh clothing, you're actually already wearing a mesh avatar.

[JonnyKtracho]

I am new at Second Life and I'm having this issue. Maybe you could light up my way out of it. I have an Avatar that I got on the game... I believe that this is not a mesh avatar. I got this free cloth from great stores and the cloth looks cool. But when I try it on, the cloth seems to be to little and you can see parts of the body thru the cloth. How can I fix that if the cloth doesn´t let me modify it and even though I make my avatar as skinny as I can, it's always the same. I will appreciate you if you could help me there with an advice please.

Edited March 16, 2021 by JonnyKtracho

[Alwin Alcott]

9 minutes ago, JonnyKtracho said:

I am new at Second Life and I'm having this issue. Maybe you could light up my way out of it. I have an Avatar that I got on the game... I believe that this is not a mesh avatar. I got this free cloth from great stores and the cloth looks cool. But when I try it on, the cloth seems to be to little and you can see parts of the body thru the cloth. How can I fix that if the cloth doesn´t let me modify it and even though I make my avatar as skinny as I can, it's always the same. I will appreciate you if you could help me there with an advice please.

if you use the normal system body, you need to wear alpha layers with the mesh clothing.( normally those are also in the same folder as the clothing itself.)
Old texture clothes are worn as layer themself, those won't need it.

[JonnyKtracho]

Are you  saying that if I have a mesh body, I wouldn't have that problem? And thxs for your answer, I really appreciate it.

[Orwar]

32 minutes ago, JonnyKtracho said:

Are you  saying that if I have a mesh body, I wouldn't have that problem?

   Mesh clothes are rigged to fit different mesh bodies. Generally you'll find the logotypes and/or mentions for which bodies any given apparel is rigged in their adverts, and often there's more than one version included to accommodate different bodies. But the bodies may still poke through, especially when your avatar moves, so you'll either need to use an alpha mask or the body's built-in alpha system (HUD) to turn those parts invisible.

   Setting up a mesh avatar in Second Life can be a pretty daunting process if you're unfamiliar with it, I'd suggest browsing some articles over at https://virtualbloke.com/ - Skell has made some excellent tutorials on the subject.

   I'd especially advise you read up on BOM, as it's a matter that people tend to find confusing (it's really quite easy once you understand it though, but it requires your mesh body and/or head to be BOM compatible). To use alpha masks, you'll need your body to be BOM.

[Marianne Little]

2 hours ago, JonnyKtracho said:

Are you  saying that if I have a mesh body, I wouldn't have that problem? And thxs for your answer, I really appreciate it.

A mesh body will be new problems. Second Life is a lot to learn, and it has so much jargon.

Do not jump into spending money now, let yourself settle in. I assume you started with one of these:

You will need to hide bodyparts under the clothes with an alpha layer (or more).

These are examples of the layers an avatar has:

Number three is the alpha layer, who turn parts of your avatar invisible. The default avatar body is not so smooth and pretty, so parts were poking through. All mesh clothes came with alpha layers included, that fixed it.

But then the mesh avatar became popular. The mesh avatar works this way, you hide the whole classic avatar (or only the body). The mesh body has a "box" symbol and works as any add-on. It is smoother, has real looking feet and toes, better looking all over. Then you wear clothes that is "rigged" for that body. Based upon the skill of the creator, some mesh clothes follow the mesh avatar like a glove. But it is more common that it is some parts that poke through. The mesh avatars (almost all) can turn on and off parts of the mesh body. Alpha layers became obsolete, because the mesh body took over.

This is why you have problems finding alpha layers in packs of clothing. I skip the part of Bakes on Mesh that you will hear about when you decide that yes, I will stay in SL, look as good as I can and get a mesh body (and maybe a head).

It is packs of alpha layers that people give away for free. https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/LBD-BOMSystem-Alpha-Layers-Full-Perm/18683103

Follow the link "See item in Second Life" to get to the store and the totally free set, if you will not pay 1L. You find the alpha layer (s) that you think will fit best. Try it on with the clothes. You can also wear many layers if you choose "add" instead of "wear".

This will help you use what you already have found of clothes. A mesh body is a large investment, only buying or renting land cost more in SL. Well, you can find very cheap rentals... but land in general is expensive.

Make a new thread and ask before you decide on a mesh body. We can come with suggestions. Many people buy a mesh body or a full mesh avatar, and regret it, because it does not work as they thought it would do.

The suggestion of reading Skell's tutorials is great, but I would advice you to start with the first one that's not about mesh avatars. And move on when you feel comfortable with how the system avatar works. https://virtualbloke.com/archives/2792

 

 

Edited March 16, 2021 by Marianne Little
added a sentence

[Irina Forwzy]

On 3/8/2021 at 4:43 PM, Kurth Milos said:

I find tons of information on what is the best mesh body but my question is why should I get a mesh body.  Mine looks good and I have tons of clothes.

Because while you think it looks good. The system body is by no definition looks aesthetically pleasing toward the majority. At the time that we started playing SL and I'm over thirteen years old so I do recall the insanity, that was all that SL had to offer.  And at that time, it was somewhat the latest technology (somewhat).  So we grew attached to it.  Overtime, we realized there were defects and limitations to how the Linden body was constructed. The lack of definition in the hands, feed, how the body contorts as you sit.  

The way clothes fit, the way the avatar looks is so much cleaner and nicer with mesh.  I personally went for my Maitreya body because of that. I liked how it fixed most of the imperfections of Linden's creation, allowed me to create a more realistic avatar with my own shape.   The mesh and the head both gave my aesthetics a more eye-friendly look.   And I say this as someone that can break mesh, in example:  edit a mesh face or body to the point where I almost completely change it from the original. To be frank, I was more reluctant to change my face than my body when mesh came out.  The body, I understood. The faces were too limiting at that time, and they all looked the same with no modifications. However, with bento, and the ability to customize your head, and now BOM. It's basically a much better 2007-2010.

[usedcars]

I wanted to get rid of my ‘Fred Flintstone’ feet

[Madelaine McMasters]

28 minutes ago, usedcars said:

I wanted to get rid of my ‘Fred Flintstone’ feet

Edited April 21, 2021 by Madelaine McMasters

[Rowan Amore]

3 hours ago, usedcars said:

I wanted to get rid of my ‘Fred Flintstone’ feet

They do make swimming easier. 😃

[Chris Corvinus]

On 3/8/2021 at 4:43 PM, Kurth Milos said:

I find tons of information on what is the best mesh body but my question is why should I get a mesh body.  Mine looks good and I have tons of clothes.

Quality. If quality isn’t your thing, stay the way you are. 

[Schatzi Timmerman]

A flip phone works as well as a smart phone.

It all boils down to "It's just a phone".

[Cam Chattoway]

With some effort mesh can look better. It's why I upgraded, at first simply for realistic hands and feet. 

You highlight a good point tho, acquiring new mesh clothing, mesh body parts, skins and mesh accessories was a pain. 

[Psyche Starling]

I upgraded because I wanted to be able to wear more clothes. Yes, you can successfully clothe yourself when you have the system avatar, but there are fewer options, and a lot of the clothes look old or out of date because, well, they're old and out of date. I really loved some designers who only designed for mesh bodies, so here we are.

[TrophySpouse]

I went mesh because of shoes.  You know a girl can't have too many shoes!  But the high heels nowadays are made for mesh feet, so if I wanted to wear all the fabulous shoes I had to upgrade.