Jump to content

Advice Needed - Looking for Slim/Skinny Quality Male Mesh Body


davidventer
 Share

You are about to reply to a thread that has been inactive for 861 days.

Please take a moment to consider if this thread is worth bumping.

Recommended Posts

Hi guys. Which popular/quality male mesh body is the skinniest or the best to use for a skinny shape and slim-type skin (no gym bunny muscle definition)? I've tried using tweenster but it doesn't look good at adult sizes (I'm 6'2"), Trying Tweenster at that size; the shoulder/armpit ratio is messed up and the chest is caved in. I'm currently using Belleza Jake, but it's still too "butch" - Can anyone suggest a better quality mesh body for a slim non-gym-bunny look? or is there a deformer available somewhere to make Jake's arm's skinnier and his pecs flatter?

Why is it so difficult to make/be a skinny dude in SL? Please Help!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I don't think there is anything "popular" that's very skinny. Of the mainstream bodies, the ones that have at least something to wear, Slink is the slimmest. You may also like to check out Signature Geralt, which is the slimmer version of Gianni. Neither of these bodies have massive support in clothing but there is at least some. With the right skin (no muscle shading) and some shape editing you can get slim with either of those bodies. 

That said, mens clothing is more forgiving of body fit than women's wear, and a long as you have alpha layers or can use the hud, you can often get away with wearing clothes made for a different body. For example I have the Jomo Wolf and there's very little available for it but I often find that most clothing made for Niramyth Aesthetic will fit well enough. 

I think most guys wanting a very skinny avatar go with Maitreya and a flat-chest mod (either Maitreya's own or V-Tech).  One of my alts, who is skinny because he's an elf, uses this. Finding masculine clothes is a challenge but you can find "boy-style" jeans and shirts for Maitreya, and for something like a suit or tux, you can again wear something made for men in one of the slimmer fits.  @Maitimo is the forum expert on this option. 

Edited by Lewis Luminos
  • Like 1
  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, KjartanEno said:

You can try a demo of my body here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Paradise Hills/234/193/3498

Flickr here (NSFW content warning): https://flic.kr/ps/3TPKta

It's not "popular" but might suit you.

What skin makers make appliers for it? What shops are making clothing to match? Have you negotiated any partnerships with high-profile skin or clothing brands? Is it easy to use with extant mesh heads?

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, davidventer said:

Hi guys. Which popular/quality male mesh body is the skinniest or the best to use for a skinny shape and slim-type skin (no gym bunny muscle definition)? I've tried using tweenster but it doesn't look good at adult sizes (I'm 6'2"), Trying Tweenster at that size; the shoulder/armpit ratio is messed up and the chest is caved in. I'm currently using Belleza Jake, but it's still too "butch" - Can anyone suggest a better quality mesh body for a slim non-gym-bunny look? or is there a deformer available somewhere to make Jake's arm's skinnier and his pecs flatter?

I trust that you've already configured your shape sliders to reduce the bulk of the Jake body.

May I ask what body skin you are currently wearing? I noticed that different skins can give a very different feel (muscular/slim) to the same body. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

7 hours ago, davidventer said:

Hi guys. Which popular/quality male mesh body is the skinniest or the best to use for a skinny shape and slim-type skin (no gym bunny muscle definition)?

You're pretty much in it. Jake is the closest you'll get if you want to stick to bodies with massive wardrobes. I use Legacy for my male avatar, but I can always be heard off in the distance cursing up a storm about his arms. With Jake, I just don't love his calves. But that's more of a me issue there considering the kinds of clothes and shoes I fit him in.

That said, there are some tricks you can use. A couple of mens stores I've found tend to create their clothing to be quite slim. Some clothes alpha out the legs, for example, and shape them a lot slimmer than they are naturally. Enforcer is one example. Ascend isn't too bad, either. Gild is another with slender silhouettes. Furtacor is yet another. Duk has some cute slimming shirts.

Second trick already mentioned but way harder - Maitreya + V-Tech or Lara Flat addons. Shopping will drive you up a wall, but it's doable. You can fit him into pants and jeans without much trouble just by shopping at major venues, but the upper body clothing hunt will drive you mad. This is the route I took prior to switching to Legacy. You *will* be tempted to toss your monitor into the sea a few times. Stores that might save you a trip into the ocean to fetch it - Asteroidbox, TwoSided, and Krankhaus. If your alpha game is on point, Fe Style, Deadwool, and Mossu. Skins do exist for the addons and tend to be quite slim, so there's that.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

So - Maitreya as an option for skinny guys -  it works, but there are a some caveats with it.

HEADS - The main thing being you'll need a female head, or a unisex one that has both neck fits. Catwa has a few of these, Lelutka has one. Some female heads work too, I've used Catwa Margeaux, currently using Catwa Queen, have also used Genus Strong. But you won't be able to carry on using your favourite male head.

SKINS - with BOM its easy to use your male skin on maitreya, however if you use a male skin you will need the V-Tech chest option rather than Maitreya's own, otherwise the nipples will be in the wrong place. An alternative option (one I use) is to use a tattoo layer to cover up the male nipples, and another tattoo layer with female nipples added over the top.  Some male skins don't work well on female heads, especially around the eyes, so try demos.  

CLOTHES - Mostly you'll need to wear clothes made for Maitreya. You can get away with some things not specifically made for flat chest, if they're fairly body-covering (not a skimpy crop top for example) Some mens clothes will fit; I've had success with both Slink and TMP (the old one, not new Legacy). There will be a gap at the back (including the backs of the arms) so again, short things, and things with short sleeves, won't work, but a long sleeved shirt or a suit often will. Mens shoes are rarely a problem, at least one of the options will usually fit.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

34 minutes ago, Maitimo said:

SKINS - with BOM its easy to use your male skin on maitreya, however if you use a male skin you will need the V-Tech chest option rather than Maitreya's own, otherwise the nipples will be in the wrong place. An alternative option (one I use) is to use a tattoo layer to cover up the male nipples, and another tattoo layer with female nipples added over the top. 

I'm so glad you mentioned this! I noticed this happening when I first bought Lara Flat and it's what eventually prompted me to switch to a male body. Lara Flat does include a V-Tech compatible fit version, if I remember correctly, but I don't quite remember how well that works (or doesn't). I also don't remember if that's for skins or clothing. I was so over it all by that point. 

The head issue is also a very good point. The unisex heads fit pretty well with minimal (if any) seams, but if you're heavily invested in your current male head, welp... You could also try rocking a female head as Maitimo suggested, but that's definitely entering computer into the sea territory. I've done it, buuuuut. There are some really nice unisex skins around, but it's all so very fiddly creating the right look. The struggle is real!

Stick with Jake, OP. 😂 Just shop skinny. That's my method these days.

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 hours ago, KjartanEno said:

You can try a demo of my body here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Paradise Hills/234/193/3498

Flickr here (NSFW content warning): https://flic.kr/ps/3TPKta

It's not "popular" but might suit you.

I tried the demo of this. Nice to see that it's BOM compatible, so my skin and everything worked right away. I tried my clothes, but that was a bit of a hit and miss. Some of my pants made for Jake fit-mesh are almost a perfect fit!! Nice! but the auto-alphas don't apply for this body. So I'll have to play around with it some more. If I can get wearable alpha layers to replace the auto-alpha of the fit-mess clothes then this may end up being my new body. Unfortunately, most of my fit-mesh clothes for Jake didn't come with alpha layers because they auto-apply alphas on Jake - and the generic alpha layers cut out too much, or not enough. It's a hit and miss. The arms on this are perfect! The hud for this seems to have AMAZING fine-detail Alpha options BUT.. No way to save alpha presets? Or is there a way to save alpha presets? Honestly, I'm quite impressed by this. Thanks for sharing. It's on my shortlist of a possible solution while I look into all the other recommendations as well. 

If I struggle too much, I'll probably just suck it up and stick with Jake. I just Wish Jake could have skinner arms, like the arms on this body.

I'll play around with the demo some more.

Edited by davidventer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, Sissi Slacker said:

Just wanted to add that there are deformers that can make Jake smaller. Be aware that the store is NSFW: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/186228

Awesome!!! Thanks for sharing! I'll see if I can find a deformer for skinnier arms and flatter pectorals. This would be the ideal solution as Jake is great when it comes to finding clothes for it. Would be ideal if I don't have to change to a different body. I just want slim arms and smaller 'moobs'... xD

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

13 hours ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

I'm so glad you mentioned this! I noticed this happening when I first bought Lara Flat and it's what eventually prompted me to switch to a male body. Lara Flat does include a V-Tech compatible fit version, if I remember correctly, but I don't quite remember how well that works (or doesn't). I also don't remember if that's for skins or clothing. I was so over it all by that point. 

It does but the compatible one is for clothing fit only, the nipples still have higher placement which is higher up. The V-tech itself allows for both so you can use male or female skins interchangeably. And IMO the V-tech one is a nicer shape than Maitreya's own.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

55 minutes ago, Maitimo said:

It does but the compatible one is for clothing fit only, the nipples still have higher placement which is higher up. The V-tech itself allows for both so you can use male or female skins interchangeably. And IMO the V-tech one is a nicer shape than Maitreya's own.

I agree. I adore V-Tech and really wanted Lara Flat to take off and be super successful to open up more options for both of them, even if only at the Itty Bitty events, but maybe that issue is what was holding it back. Well, that and current body trends.

If the deformers work well for the OP, I suppose that's another avenue I can test out. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

12 hours ago, davidventer said:

 but the auto-alphas don't apply for this body. So I'll have to play around with it some more. If I can get wearable alpha layers to replace the auto-alpha of the fit-mess clothes then this may end up being my new body.

Here are two places where you can get wearable alpha layers in-world.

The first is the Slink store [SLurl] (see "Extra Alpha Layers" in image below) for free, and the second is at the Inithium Kario store [SLurl], placed to the right side (see "Illusioni Bake on Mesh Alpha Pack" in image below) at L$1.

211117Snapshot_001.thumb.png.128f6eb10c744daf732d4dfac354d36b.png211117Snapshot_002.thumb.png.b191e4c27e233f76cfcc268cdfd94a4c.png

Edited by Echelon Alcott
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, Echelon Alcott said:

I trust that you've already configured your shape sliders to reduce the bulk of the Jake body.

May I ask what body skin you are currently wearing? I noticed that different skins can give a very different feel (muscular/slim) to the same body. 

Yes, I've played with the shape sliders quite a bit. He's as skinny as I can get him. I'm also using a deformer now for slimmer features and it works quite well but I think my skin's muscle shading is now the problem.

I'm currently using a Stray Dog skin. If you can recommend any good alternatives with less muscle shading, please do! I love the stray dog face skins though as they look quite natural with some of them being asymmetrical in their features and having 'messy' eyebrows, freckles or light frown lines. I don't want my avatar's face looking like a fake and perfect plastic Ken doll. If there's a slimmer body skin that would work with a stray dog face skin, or if there's a way to blend them together, that would be great. 

Edited by davidventer
Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 minutes ago, davidventer said:

I'm currently using a Stray Dog skin. If you can recommend any good alternatives with less muscle shading, please do! I love the stray dog face skins though as they look more natural with some of them being asymmetrical in their features and having 'messy' eyebrows, freckles or light frown lines. I don't want my avatar face looking like a fake and perfect plastic Ken doll. If there's a slimmer body skin that would work with a stray dog face skin, or if there's a way to blend them together, that would be great. 

Maybe take a peek at Vendetta? I don't know if you can blend those skins well with Stray Dog, but it might be worth playing around with demos and maybe some slight tinting to see if it works! Vendetta can be a little softer and there are skin imperfections in their faces, which I like a lot. You also get some nice body options like freckles.

I was also going to suggest Clef de Peau (just search for "Clef" otherwise it'll return no results), but I don't see any body demos in that store - just the paid versions, annnnd that's a problem.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

19 minutes ago, LunaRavencroft said:

Best bet for a "skinny" male body would be the Maitreya body, with V-Tech.

There's a handful of individuals out there using it.

I am considering this but I'm worried about clothing options, I don't want to struggle to find well-fitting male clothes and also don't want lady/hourglass hips on my male avatar. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 minutes ago, davidventer said:

I am considering this but I'm worried about clothing options, I don't want to struggle to find well-fitting male clothes and also don't want lady/hourglass hips on my male avatar. 

Demo some bodies.. SLink male, Maitreya with v-tech, any others that have been mentioned. Then look at the MP and search by the body name and click apparel. 

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

39 minutes ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

I was also going to suggest Clef de Peau (just search for "Clef" otherwise it'll return no results), but I don't see any body demos in that store - just the paid versions, annnnd that's a problem.

The demos at Clef de Peau [SLurl] are placed to the left of the paid versions, labeled "DEMO".

211117Snapshot_003.thumb.png.5515b18ab9d3a7b4e582380d0ddc847c.png

  • Thanks 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

18 minutes ago, Echelon Alcott said:

The demos at Clef de Peau [SLurl] are placed to the left of the paid versions, labeled "DEMO".

211117Snapshot_003.thumb.png.5515b18ab9d3a7b4e582380d0ddc847c.png

Omg! They didn't rez for me at all, LOL. How weird - I only saw the bottles from TW forward and I was standing there for quite a few mins. That's been happening a LOT lately. *kicks SL* Thank you! 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You are about to reply to a thread that has been inactive for 861 days.

Please take a moment to consider if this thread is worth bumping.

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

×
×
  • Create New...