Struggling to understand mesh heads

[Porphyry Kimono]

I am trying various mesh head demos from various designers and am very, very confused.  Is there somewhere a page or a video that explains how to put it all together?

In fact, if you don't want to read the rest of this, THIS is my question: Is there a tutorial somewhere that can help me understand mesh heads as they are today?  Or really, it's the skins I don't understand. Don't you need an applier for the head and a BOM skin for the body?

 

I did get one head/skin/body combination to work -- it's my current avatar. I've had it for about a month. It wasn't hard to put together: The skin came with an applier for the head and a BOM skin for the body. Boom! Simple! Done!  I like the result quite a bit, but I am thinking there is another head out there that I might like more -- if only I could try it.

Right ow, I have demos for a couple of heads from different designers. None of them come with skins. Fine, I get that. So I go to get some skin demos MADE FOR THE HEAD i'M TRYING TO DEMO.  But I find that these demos have neither skins, nor appliers. They just have a bunch of tattoos, one for every skin tone. When I put the tattoos on, they don't do anything at all. My body has BOM enabled. The head, I can't tell. The demo HUD has the words Bakes On Mesh, but you can't click on it.

If I put on the head with the head alpha, the head is all red. If I put on the head without the head alpha, I see a sad version of the head I want. Yes, I am wearing the shape that came with the head.

I'm obviously avoiding naming brands. I'm sure my lack of success is due entirely to my ignorance of how it works.

Any help or suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Edited October 14, 2021 by Porphyry Kimono

[Lindal Kidd]

Your head's HUD (not the demo skin HUD) should have a button on it somewhere that enables BOM for the head. With that enabled, and without wearing the head alpha, you should be able to just right click the skin tattoo in your inventory and choose Add. You'll know if it was successful because your head will then show a skin with DEMO printed all over it.

There are YouTube tutorials for most of the popular SL mesh bodies and heads. Look up Strawberry Singh's channel, she's done a lot of them.

[Rowan Amore]

6 minutes ago, Porphyry Kimono said:

Thanks, @Lindal Kidd -- that helped.

It turns out that my problem was I forgot to take my old head off, so everything look crappy for that reason.

I should have just calmed down and worked it through.

 

If you aren't already wearing a mesh head, there is nothing to take off.  You can't take off the system head, only hide it with an alpha.   However,  if using BOM mode on a head, NO ALPHA.

 

[Porphyry Kimono]

Thanks, @Lindal Kidd -- that helped.

It turns out that my problem was I forgot to take my old head off, so everything look crappy for that reason.

I should have just calmed down and worked it through.

 

[Porphyry Kimono]

Yes, you hit on each of the mistakes I made.  Thanks for the help!