Needing help with avatar..

[LaikenCitara]

Hey all,

I am attempting to put together an avatar after rejoining (5 years offline) and having trouble with some of the understanding/process. If anyone could offer any tips it would be greatly appreciated!

I purchased a maitreya lara body years ago so I got a redelivery of the updated one & I just purchased a lelutka nova head. They are both on properly and I have gotten familiar with the HUDs and feel pretty comfortable there! I just have a few questions about issues I've run into so far:

- how do I perfectly match the head and body skin? I know there's a "neck fix" in the Lara HUD to sort of blend them but even then it isn't quite blended. Does everyone have this problem or is there a fix?

- I have these random eyes that I purchased and wore years ago that I can't remove, and they overlap with the new eyes that came with the Nova head...I can't for the life of me figure out how to remove the other (non-Nova) eyes! My avatar just has both eyes on, overlapping... lol!

Beyond that, I visited itgirls and got a bunch of demos for head skins (all lelutka compatible) but when I try them on, it seems all messed up like I'm not doing it correctly lol. Some of them don't look any different from the lelutka nova head without any skins/shapes, and some of them make my nose and eyes super tiny and strange looking. None of them look like the photos in the store so I know I'm doing this all wrong. I'm super frustrated! I've watched countless YT videos about how to use heads/bodies/skins/shapes, tutorials on BOM which I still can't fully understand, etc...

Also - while at itgirls I saw a body skin section (?) so I grabbed a demo for that too and tried it on but couldn't change anything other than the skin tone (so I probably wasn't using that demo properly either), but after removing the demo my body has a "grid" over top of it. I've removed all demos and put on a saved outfit from before. I went to my worn folder in my inventory to make sure there are NO demo items on me, but the grid is still on my body no matter what I do lol. Any idea how to remove that? 

My hope is that someone here might be able to help me figure these few things out so that I can get settled with a head skin/shape that I like and move on to find a body shape that I like, AO, etc and be all set :) I feel like this is impossible right now though with my lack of knowledge on all of this stuff! 

any help or guidance would be amazing!! Thanks :)

-Nina

[Janet Voxel]

You got a lot going on there. Pictures would help us help you.

[Rowan Amore]

2 hours ago, LaikenCitara said:

Hey all,

I am attempting to put together an avatar after rejoining (5 years offline) and having trouble with some of the understanding/process. If anyone could offer any tips it would be greatly appreciated!

I purchased a maitreya lara body years ago so I got a redelivery of the updated one & I just purchased a lelutka nova head. They are both on properly and I have gotten familiar with the HUDs and feel pretty comfortable there! I just have a few questions about issues I've run into so far:

- how do I perfectly match the head and body skin? I know there's a "neck fix" in the Lara HUD to sort of blend them but even then it isn't quite blended. Does everyone have this problem or is there a fix?

- I have these random eyes that I purchased and wore years ago that I can't remove, and they overlap with the new eyes that came with the Nova head...I can't for the life of me figure out how to remove the other (non-Nova) eyes! My avatar just has both eyes on, overlapping... lol!

Beyond that, I visited itgirls and got a bunch of demos for head skins (all lelutka compatible) but when I try them on, it seems all messed up like I'm not doing it correctly lol. Some of them don't look any different from the lelutka nova head without any skins/shapes, and some of them make my nose and eyes super tiny and strange looking. None of them look like the photos in the store so I know I'm doing this all wrong. I'm super frustrated! I've watched countless YT videos about how to use heads/bodies/skins/shapes, tutorials on BOM which I still can't fully understand, etc...

Also - while at itgirls I saw a body skin section (?) so I grabbed a demo for that too and tried it on but couldn't change anything other than the skin tone (so I probably wasn't using that demo properly either), but after removing the demo my body has a "grid" over top of it. I've removed all demos and put on a saved outfit from before. I went to my worn folder in my inventory to make sure there are NO demo items on me, but the grid is still on my body no matter what I do lol. Any idea how to remove that? 

My hope is that someone here might be able to help me figure these few things out so that I can get settled with a head skin/shape that I like and move on to find a body shape that I like, AO, etc and be all set I feel like this is impossible right now though with my lack of knowledge on all of this stuff! 

any help or guidance would be amazing!! Thanks

-Nina

https://virtualbloke.com/tutorials

[Orwar]

2 hours ago, LaikenCitara said:

- how do I perfectly match the head and body skin? I know there's a "neck fix" in the Lara HUD to sort of blend them but even then it isn't quite blended. Does everyone have this problem or is there a fix?

   Ditch the neck fix. In your Maitreya HUD you have a few different options for the neck fit, and both Lelutka and Maitreya are compatible with the Universal Neck, try the different options (I think it's under the skin tab in the Maitreya HUD) until you find the one that fits your head.

2 hours ago, LaikenCitara said:

- I have these random eyes that I purchased and wore years ago that I can't remove, and they overlap with the new eyes that came with the Nova head...I can't for the life of me figure out how to remove the other (non-Nova) eyes! My avatar just has both eyes on, overlapping... lol!

   If you mean the system eyes, and you're using an applier for your head's eyes, you'll need to use an alpha mask for the eyes. Lelutka's heads include a few options for these, depending on what you want to use BoM on and not; if you're using BoM for your head and body but not the eyes, find the alpha mask that says 'BOM body & head, applier eyes' or something along those lines and wear it.

[LaikenCitara]

1 hour ago, Janet Voxel said:

You got a lot going on there. Pictures would help us help you.

Sure! Thanks for the reply  I wasn't sure if photos were necessary or if they'd be annoying lol. I attached them!

The photos show:

-the head/neck blend issue & grid on body

-The Nova head that I have (without anything else/any demos on) - I'm pretty sure it's all on correctly! Not positive

-Some skin demos from itgirls that I picked up. Some just look oddly shaped so I don't know what I'm doing wrong? Like I said most of this is way above my head right now! I showed 4 different demos. 2 look almost identical and are both oddly shaped but they are 2 completely different ones. And the last 2 are also completely different ones but both look similar to each other as well as to the actual nova head, but i think they are how they're supposed to be? It's hard for me to tell

 

49 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

https://virtualbloke.com/tutorials

Thanks so much I am reading through now! Seems very helpful so far 

32 minutes ago, Orwar said:

   Ditch the neck fix. In your Maitreya HUD you have a few different options for the neck fit, and both Lelutka and Maitreya are compatible with the Universal Neck, try the different options (I think it's under the skin tab in the Maitreya HUD) until you find the one that fits your head.

   If you mean the system eyes, and you're using an applier for your head's eyes, you'll need to use an alpha mask for the eyes. Lelutka's heads include a few options for these, depending on what you want to use BoM on and not; if you're using BoM for your head and body but not the eyes, find the alpha mask that says 'BOM body & head, applier eyes' or something along those lines and wear it.

THANK YOU! The eyes are now fixed. I hadn't put on any of those alphas because I got confused at the BOM/applier terminology. But I put one on and the old eyes are gone! For the neck fix, I went into the Maitreya HUD and still can't figure it out - I attached a photo above showing the head/neck and I have the Maitreya HUD opened in the photo. Am I in the right area of the HUD? 

 

Appreciate everyone's help! xo

-Nina 

Edited March 26, 2021 by LaikenCitara

[Rowan Amore]

If you want your face to look like the vendor picture from itGirls, wear the included shape then adjust to your liking.   

[Orwar]

3 minutes ago, LaikenCitara said:

For the neck fix, I went into the Maitreya HUD and still can't figure it out - I attached a photo above showing the head/neck and I have the Maitreya HUD opened in the photo. Am I in the right area of the HUD? 

   Yes, you're looking for this part of the HUD:

   For my alts, I think it was Type 1 - 0 that worked, but you can try the other ones as well to see which one fits the best. 

4 minutes ago, LaikenCitara said:

I hadn't put on any of those alphas because I got confused at the BOM/applier terminology.

   There's a lot of confusion out there, and a lot of half-donkey'd explanations that only further the confusion. BoM = Bakes on Mesh, the only thing you really need to know about it is that it allows you to use system layers on mesh bodies and heads, just like people did before mesh bodies were a thing.

   The alternative to using BoM is to use appliers, and many heads will have 'HD' options for lipstick and eyeshadows (which, in my opinion, is a pointless feature as you absolutely do not need that sort of resolution and lose all the benefits of BoM - but that's just me). Skell's blog explains it very well, but just shout out if any question marks remain.

[Rowan Amore]

BOM...needs no alpha for head or body.  Appliers...need alpha for head and body.

BOM shows as system skin or tattoo layer.  Applier are generally a HUD that attaches to your screen which you touch to apply the texture.

BOM...multiple layers without glitching.   Applier...limited to what can be applied and sometimes glitches with other layers.

Since you're just diving into mesh body parts, go with BOM as it's actually more intuitive.  Just like old system clothes, makeup, etc.  One on top of the other.

[LaikenCitara]

18 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

If you want your face to look like the vendor picture from itGirls, wear the included shape then adjust to your liking.   

Okay! I did put the shapes on for the demos as well - I guess I just need to tweak whichever one I go with 

17 minutes ago, Orwar said:

   Yes, you're looking for this part of the HUD:

   For my alts, I think it was Type 1 - 0 that worked, but you can try the other ones as well to see which one fits the best. 

   There's a lot of confusion out there, and a lot of half-donkey'd explanations that only further the confusion. BoM = Bakes on Mesh, the only thing you really need to know about it is that it allows you to use system layers on mesh bodies and heads, just like people did before mesh bodies were a thing.

   The alternative to using BoM is to use appliers, and many heads will have 'HD' options for lipstick and eyeshadows (which, in my opinion, is a pointless feature as you absolutely do not need that sort of resolution and lose all the benefits of BoM - but that's just me). Skell's blog explains it very well, but just shout out if any question marks remain.

Thanks for showing the exact part I need to look at! That's very helpful. I will mess around with it and find the one that works for me. Also that BOM explanation is super clear thank you! I watched a super long yt video the other day that only left me more confused lol. I appreciate that!

11 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

BOM...needs no alpha for head or body.  Appliers...need alpha for head and body.

BOM shows as system skin or tattoo layer.  Applier are generally a HUD that attaches to your screen which you touch to apply the texture.

BOM...multiple layers without glitching.   Applier...limited to what can be applied and sometimes glitches with other layers.

Since you're just diving into mesh body parts, go with BOM as it's actually more intuitive.  Just like old system clothes, makeup, etc.  One on top of the other.

That makes sense! Thank you for explaining!

[Psyche Starling]

I think the gridlines might be because it's a demo--definitely the words on your face are.  Creators will make the demo "off" in some way so you don't just go around wearing it forever and not buy the actual item that's for sale. Sometimes it's words on your face, sometimes it'll be objects rotating around you like a dizzy cartoon character, etc.

 

ETA: I see where you said all the demos are off and the gridlines remain. In that case I'm not sure. You might still have a demo worn as your body skin even though it's not on your head, maybe? It won't let you have no skin, so something might have stuck around.

Edited March 26, 2021 by BookishMelinoe

[LaikenCitara]

Just now, BookishMelinoe said:

I think the gridlines might be because it's a demo--definitely the words on your face are.  Creators will make the demo "off" in some way so you don't just go around wearing it forever and not buy the actual item that's for sale. Sometimes it's words on your face, sometimes it'll be objects rotating around you like a dizzy cartoon character, etc.

hey! So my problem is I took off all my demo items - I only have my maitreya lara body and my nova head on... both owned, I double checked my "worn" folder to make sure nothing in there is demo.. and the grid is still there lol!  

[Rowan Amore]

13 minutes ago, LaikenCitara said:

hey! So my problem is I took off all my demo items - I only have my maitreya lara body and my nova head on... both owned, I double checked my "worn" folder to make sure nothing in there is demo.. and the grid is still there lol!  

you used an applier for the demo skin.  Just hit one of the skin tones on the maitreya hud and that should remove the demo skin.  This would also mean you haven't turned on BOM for the body.  If you have turned on BOM, then you have to replace the skin demo with another system skin.  System skins can not be removed, only replaced.

Edited March 26, 2021 by Rowan Amore

[Marianne Little]

1 hour ago, LaikenCitara said:

hey! So my problem is I took off all my demo items - I only have my maitreya lara body and my nova head on... both owned, I double checked my "worn" folder to make sure nothing in there is demo.. and the grid is still there lol!  

Your head is using Bakes on mesh by default.

What Rowan said, you do not have Bakes on Mesh on for the body. I can see it in the top image that show the HUD. Press the tab that's next to the skin tones.

Take off the alpha layer you are wearing.

Why your face demos look different than the posters: You have a new Lelutka EVO head. Skins made for the older line, the origins, look weird on Evolution heads. Look for the "Evo" in the symbols on the skin posters. If it only say :"Lelutka" without Evo, then it is 99,99% an older skin.

Maybe your alpha was masking your eyes - something you want it to do, and now you have double eyes again. You need an alpha that's only for eyes, no more.

Edit: You need this alpha mask: Alpha.Mask (BOM Head/Body, APPLIER Eyes)

APPLIER eyes means that it hides the old eyes, but let the head and body be BoM. You should find this alpha layer in the head folder.

Edit 2: I see now that It girls does not use the Evolution sticker on the demos. It is impossible to know before you demo, if it is an Evo skin or not. I am so glad that you demo before you buy.

 

Edited March 26, 2021 by Marianne Little
added a bit more

[Janet Voxel]

Just now, Marianne Little said:

Your head is using Bakes on mesh by default.

What Rowan said, you do not have Bakes on Mesh on for the body. I can see it in the top image that show the HUD. Press the tab that's next to the skin tones.

That probably will help with the neck seam too.

[Rowan Amore]

Most of the lelutka skins at itGirls on the main floor left side are all for the Evo line.

[LaikenCitara]

1 hour ago, Orwar said:

   Yes, you're looking for this part of the HUD:

   For my alts, I think it was Type 1 - 0 that worked, but you can try the other ones as well to see which one fits the best. 

   There's a lot of confusion out there, and a lot of half-donkey'd explanations that only further the confusion. BoM = Bakes on Mesh, the only thing you really need to know about it is that it allows you to use system layers on mesh bodies and heads, just like people did before mesh bodies were a thing.

   The alternative to using BoM is to use appliers, and many heads will have 'HD' options for lipstick and eyeshadows (which, in my opinion, is a pointless feature as you absolutely do not need that sort of resolution and lose all the benefits of BoM - but that's just me). Skell's blog explains it very well, but just shout out if any question marks remain.

Ok so I think Type 2 - 0 blends the best for me, out of the 4 options. I attached a pic below of what it looks like now - is that the best I can get it? Is there anything else I should do? It doesn't match perfectly but it is pretty close! Thanks again

 

1 hour ago, Rowan Amore said:

you used an applier for the demo skin.  Just hit one of the skin tones on the maitreya hud and that should remove the demo skin.  This would also mean you haven't turned on BOM for the body.

Thank you SO much, I could not figure out how to get that off. I didn't even think to click a skin tone in the hud but that worked lol... you are a life saver! and yes I didn't have BOM turned on yet

19 minutes ago, Marianne Little said:

Your head is using Bakes on mesh by default.

What Rowan said, you do not have Bakes on Mesh on for the body. I can see it in the top image that show the HUD. Press the tab that's next to the skin tones.

Take off the alpha layer you are wearing.

Why your face demos look different than the posters: You have a new Lelutka EVO head. Skins made for the older line, the origins, look weird on Evo heads. Look for the "Evo" in the symbols on the skin posters. If it only say :"Lelutka" without Evo, then it is 99,99% an older skin.

Maybe your alpha was masking your eyes - something you want it to do, and now you have double eyes again. You need an alpha that's only for eyes, no more.

Edit: You need this alpha mask: Alpha.Mask (BOM Head/Body, APPLIER Eyes)

APPLIER eyes means that it hides the old eyes, but let the head and body be BoM. You should find this alpha layer in the head folder.

 

Thank you! Yes I changed the alpha layer that I am wearing, and now I have the "Bom head/body, applier eyes" one on. So much better! I also enabled bakes on mesh in the maitreya hud. Thank you so much for explaining the heads. I will look for skins that also say "evo" in addition to lelutka! And yes the eyes are all fixed thanks to someone above i just wasn't wearing any alpha before haha. 

18 minutes ago, Janet Voxel said:

That probably will help with the neck seam too.

Thank you! I did attach a pic of what the neck looks like with the neck fix in the maitreya hud but that isn't with BOM on...when I turn BOM on (in the hud) the whole body disappears but I'm guessing that's because I have the alpha "BOM body" on, and I would need to add one (like the demos I got) right? I think I am starting to understand haha. 

 

You are all lifesavers! I sooo appreciate all of your help.

Edited March 26, 2021 by LaikenCitara

[Marianne Little]

Making a new post since I can't go on editing... 😏

When you wear your Lelutka head HUD, it is a cogwheel symbol, number 4 from bottom and up. Click on it and look for "User Manual". It takes you to the website where all the HUD does to the head is explained. 😁 You can use fullscreen and go from page to page. then it is easy to read.

The Maitreya body also has this function, it is on the "Misc" page and is called Help/Info.

Edited March 26, 2021 by Marianne Little

[LaikenCitara]

10 minutes ago, Marianne Little said:

Making a new post since I can't go on editing... 😏

When you wear your Lelutka head HUD, it is a cogwheel symbol, number 4 from bottom and up. Click on it and look for "User Manual". It takes you to the website where all the HUD does to the head is explained. 😁 You can use fullscreen and go from page to page. then it is easy to read.

I didn't see your second edit on the other post til just now thank you!! I will def always demo before I buy lol! And I will definitely check that website out it sounds like it would be super helpful

Edit: I saw your edit & will also read the maitreya one!!

Edited March 26, 2021 by LaikenCitara

[Rowan Amore]

1 hour ago, LaikenCitara said:

Ok so I think Type 2 - 0 blends the best for me, out of the 4 options. I attached a pic below of what it looks like now - is that the best I can get it? Is there anything else I should do? It doesn't match perfectly but it is pretty close! Thanks again

 

Thank you SO much, I could not figure out how to get that off. I didn't even think to click a skin tone in the hud but that worked lol... you are a life saver! and yes I didn't have BOM turned on yet

Thank you! Yes I changed the alpha layer that I am wearing, and now I have the "Bom head/body, applier eyes" one on. So much better! I also enabled bakes on mesh in the maitreya hud. Thank you so much for explaining the heads. I will look for skins that also say "evo" in addition to lelutka! And yes the eyes are all fixed thanks to someone above i just wasn't wearing any alpha before haha. 

Thank you! I did attach a pic of what the neck looks like with the neck fix in the maitreya hud but that isn't with BOM on...when I turn BOM on (in the hud) the whole body disappears but I'm guessing that's because I have the alpha "BOM body" on, and I would need to add one (like the demos I got) right? I think I am starting to understand haha. 

 

You are all lifesavers! I sooo appreciate all of your help.

The neck seam should be fine once you've decided on which skin you want for your head and get the matching body skin.  Some stores sell them all as one.  itGirls does not.  It's the skin I've been wearing since I got my lelutka head.  When you demo the body skin, wear the icon that looks like skin and not the tattoo.  The tattoos are enhancements such as cleavage (XL) and others.

[MandyOsho]

So I scanned through this particular discussion so far and my head is spinning.

I too went away from SL for 4-5 years after having used it a lot for at least 10 years before that. And I'm starting over with a new account and avatar and I wanted to create myself one of those absolutely beautiful looking female avatars I see running around all over the place.

And I must confess that I find it completely impossible to figure out how to do anything. I remember that it was difficult to figure out how to buy avatar shapes/skins and accessories back in circa 2006 or so, but not completely impossible the way it seems now.

I have come to the conclusion that I just need to have someone walk me through both the shopping process and the entire avatar customization process, or I will just give up on SL at this point. But I have noticed in a few other discussions that I researched, that whenever someone asks for personal help/teaching like this, there seems to be a lot of people who jump all over the person asking ("you need to learn how to do it yourself" blah blah blah).

Honestly, I just want to establish a really pretty-looking avatar and then I'll probably never even change it again (when I took a break from SL before after 10 years, I had an avatar that I had been using for about the last 9 years of that 10 years, that I was completely happy with and never changed). And if I DO need to change one or two small aspects of the overall look, maybe THAT will at least not be beyond my intellectual capacity

So the question becomes, is there anyone out there who is an expert at how to put together a great looking female avatar? I will pay $10,000 lindens for someone to spend up to a couple of hours working with me in real time via zoom screensharing to get this done. Otherwise (after buying something from one shop and having no freaking clue as to what to do next) I will probably just give up on my reboot of SL.

If I should be putting this request in the classified ads section of SL rather than in here, I apologize.

Mandy

[LaikenCitara]

2 hours ago, MandyOsho said:

So I scanned through this particular discussion so far and my head is spinning.

I too went away from SL for 4-5 years after having used it a lot for at least 10 years before that. And I'm starting over with a new account and avatar and I wanted to create myself one of those absolutely beautiful looking female avatars I see running around all over the place.

And I must confess that I find it completely impossible to figure out how to do anything. I remember that it was difficult to figure out how to buy avatar shapes/skins and accessories back in circa 2006 or so, but not completely impossible the way it seems now.

I have come to the conclusion that I just need to have someone walk me through both the shopping process and the entire avatar customization process, or I will just give up on SL at this point. But I have noticed in a few other discussions that I researched, that whenever someone asks for personal help/teaching like this, there seems to be a lot of people who jump all over the person asking ("you need to learn how to do it yourself" blah blah blah).

Honestly, I just want to establish a really pretty-looking avatar and then I'll probably never even change it again (when I took a break from SL before after 10 years, I had an avatar that I had been using for about the last 9 years of that 10 years, that I was completely happy with and never changed). And if I DO need to change one or two small aspects of the overall look, maybe THAT will at least not be beyond my intellectual capacity

So the question becomes, is there anyone out there who is an expert at how to put together a great looking female avatar? I will pay $10,000 lindens for someone to spend up to a couple of hours working with me in real time via zoom screensharing to get this done. Otherwise (after buying something from one shop and having no freaking clue as to what to do next) I will probably just give up on my reboot of SL.

If I should be putting this request in the classified ads section of SL rather than in here, I apologize.

Mandy

hey! yeah i'm in the same boat lol. luckily as you can see above these people have been helpful and answered most of my questions i am also considering doing something similar, though and seeing if i can find someone to literally walk me through it and make sure i have done everything properly! I've been spending quite a bit of time on my avi and it can definitely be frustrating after many hours.. lol. best of luck & let me know how you do! xx