Any mesh freebies for mesh noobs to practice with before dropping $ ?

[Chris Cash]

This account is nearly 14 years old and I've never really even used it since my PC wasn't so good at the time of creation but since it actually has a first/last name I figured I would make the switch.  Never had anything on my previous account anyways. Never kept up with fashion, etc.  But I'm older now and want to change all of that so figured I'd dust this guy off and start fresh since it's basically an empty inventory anyways.

 

With that said, I am blown away with the complexity of mesh. It's honestly a headache. Props to everyone who knows what they are doing. But I for the life of me have no earthly idea what I am doing and I won't have the extra funds for a bit to go all out on a high quality mesh AV so I'd like to find some freebies (if they even exist) to practice so when I can splurge I will know exactly what I am doing and won't be freaking out for hours on end. 

 

Been doing research and found some links FabFree and VirtualBloke.   Not sure how old the FabFree link is but VirtualBloke seems to be roughly a year n a half old and the instructions aren't very clear for a complete mesh noob in my opinion.

 

If anyone knows of any updated mesh freebies for men (AV, clothes, etc) or any guides n what not for mesh noobs like me please feel free to share. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[LilNosferatu]

The FabFree link should still be valid, I'm pretty sure everything is still either up on the marketplace or in-world where it's linked in the blog post.

I totally feel you though, my account is newer so I was trying to learn SecondLife in general, as well as figure out all the mesh body/head stuff so it was... a struggle, to say the least lmao. So I definitely think you're taking the smart route and looking for freebies to practice with!

I'm not sure how available free clothes are for the free mesh bodies, but you can always search the marketplace and look for demos of clothing! Demos are free, and it might come with some wacky giant price tag or a big sign over your head saying "DEMO" but the process of adding it to your avatar is the same so it should still help you get comfortable with adding/detaching and being able to look for clothes that fit a certain mesh body  

Also, if you really want to explore some of the full priced mesh avatars, they usually have demos for those as well! Maitreya was the first mesh body I bought, and before I bought it I got the demo so I could figure out how to use it.  So that's also an option if you don't like any of the freebies!

[Echelon Alcott]

Hello Chris

First, welcome back to SL!

Virtual Bloke is a solid resource. Instead of the article you linked, I'd recommend "How to Get Dressed (Mesh Head & Mesh Body)" [link] and "A Quick Beginners’ Guide to Using Bakes on Mesh" [link] articles to provide you the basic information. The Fab Free resource you linked is your best guide for free mesh bodies and heads.

If you want to practice and learn how to practice and be ready to splurge when you have the funds, my recommendation is to go to the high quality mesh stores and get the demos. The demos will give you the exact experience using the bodies and heads. It will enable you to learn the differences between the different options you have. And it will also enable you to choose the final look of your avatar, so when it comes time to pull the trigger, you know exactly what you want and where to buy the different products. The first rule of avatar customization in SL is demo, demo, demo. Demo everything together, before you start buying anything.

The free mesh bodies and heads will not give you a true experience of what the high quality ones provide. The HUDs (when available) will not be as complete or easy to use. The selection of head and body skins will not be as ample. The selection of clothing will be limited as well.

If you feel inclined, do not hesitate reaching out to me inworld, and I'll try my best to share my knowledge with you.

Edited December 12, 2021 by Echelon Alcott

[Scylla Rhiadra]

7 hours ago, Chris Cash said:

Been doing research and found some links FabFree and VirtualBloke.   Not sure how old the FabFree link is but VirtualBloke seems to be roughly a year n a half old and the instructions aren't very clear for a complete mesh noob in my opinion.

Echelon is absolutely right that the link above -- to the discount male look -- is not the best place to start if you don't yet fully understand mesh, BoM, etc. -- the links he provides are a much better introduction. (Just don't trust his advice on women's mesh heads . . . 😏)

That said, once you do have a bit of a handle on the basics, the "Bloke on a Budget" post is a superb way to begin putting a low-cost look together. I used it myself about a year ago to get a male alt up to scratch, and it was an amazing resource: I was able to put together a pretty good looking avi (somewhat different from the ones Skell constructs) for virtually nothing. In fact, even though I've since upgraded my alt to a high-end head and body, I'm still using a few of the components recommended in that post because they really are pretty good.

When you're done, post a pic so we can see how you made out!

[Maitimo]

Honestly I think the best way to practise will be not with freebies but with demos of the full price bodies. Get a demo of all the bodies, and as many heads as you have the patience for (be sure to include at least one each from Lelutka and Catwa), and try them all. Get used to how the huds work, because they are all very different from one another.   Most freebies are very limited in function and often don't have a hud at all.

I think you'll be very disappointed if you practise on a freebie then by a full price one and find that it's way more complex than you anticipated.

 

 

[Claireschen Hesten]

You've come back to SL at just the right time If you want a quality free mesh head. Lelutka currently has one available free if you join their group one of the region's you can get a male head in is Twilight Woods 

[Marianne Little]

32 minutes ago, Claireschen Hesten said:

You've come back to SL at just the right time If you want a quality free mesh head. Lelutka currently has one available free if you join their group one of the region's you can get a male head in is Twilight Woods 

YES IT IS AMAZING! And the best is, that Lelutka does not forget the guys. It is hard for men to get quality gifts! If you do not like the head, get it anyway. It is so many freebies and sales for the Lelutka heads. It will look totally different with another skin.

 

[Echelon Alcott]

And for skins, head over to Not Found [SLurl], Stray Dog [SLurl] and Clef de Peau [SLurl] for free male skins, as part of Lelutka's 12 Days of Christmas..

[Chris Cash]

OMG what is this!?  

 

12 Days of Christmas??   

 

I'm glad someone said something or I would have ever known.  Thanks all and thanks for all the suggestions and posts on the topic.

 

Forgive my noobness but this 12 Days of Christmas.. is it only one store doing 1 gift every day for 12 days or is it multiple stores?  Where does one go to get info on this?

[Echelon Alcott]

Hi Chris

In SL, many stores have Advent Calendars, where they give gifts in the 12 days preceding Christmas. This year, Lelutka and their partners are giving the free heads, and related products. You can see images of them here [link]. You can get any of these gifts starting today, and they are available until December 24.

Other stores have taken different approaches. For instance, Trompe Loeil [SLurl] has decided to offer a hunt for the month of December, where you can find 12 awesome gifts. The location of the 12 gift boxes changes daily. There are other hunts going on.

And there are stores that have decided to do the traditional Advent Calendar, in which each day you can get a different gift. So you need to visit the store on a daily basis to get a gift per day.

In order to participate in these giveaways, most stores require you to join their groups. Hope this helps.

Edited December 12, 2021 by Echelon Alcott

[Marianne Little]

11 hours ago, Chris Cash said:

OMG what is this!?  

 

12 Days of Christmas??   

 

I'm glad someone said something or I would have ever known.  Thanks all and thanks for all the suggestions and posts on the topic.

 

Forgive my noobness but this 12 Days of Christmas.. is it only one store doing 1 gift every day for 12 days or is it multiple stores?  Where does one go to get info on this?

It was half price of a male meshbody during Black Friday. So you should pick up demos of all meshbodies, so you are prepared in case it is a Christmas Sale. Last year, the most popular female body had a 50% off the Christmas week.

It is a 1 L male meshbody, the brand formerly known as TMP. It is very good, it looks great. But since this is a freebie body, it is not much made to fit it. My guess is that creators conclude that if people go for a freebie, they will not pay for clothes.

What you can do, is wearing your new mesh head with the default body. And use standard sizing in clothes. When you will go on the beach, you have the 1 L body set up in a folder with swimming trunks, sandals and whatever you want for the beach look.

Cover your body a lot, and it reduces the need for special made clothes. For a suit, all you need is that it fits around the neck and wrists. Short sleeves can be difficult to fit, I find that even if they look good from the front, they cut through the arm muscle on the back.

If the Belleza Jake is still on sale, you can almost get back what you paid for it in Weekend Sales. Even if the cloths you find in weekend sales is mostly for women, you will find sizes fro Belleza Jake in almost every item. The weekend sales go from 50 to 60 and up to 75 L.

An example from the last weekend: https://www.flickr.com/photos/weloveslfashion/51738360418/in/dateposted/

Notice it says "Jake", it can also be only "Belleza" even if Belleza has female bodies too. If it is an ad for male, it is the male body the seller means. Every weekend it is at last some jacket combination, sweater, t-shirt, maybe pants and shorts. And also shoes, sneakers in particular.

It is hard to find male free clothes, and Skell's blog has the link to the biggest freebie pack. https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Time Portal/242/130/1930

It can be overlooked, but one of the ads on the walls has the supersized content.

Also look at Billy Beaverhausens blog. He has 25 posts about the 1 L meshbody, formerly known as TMP. That's why the title of the posts are "What's eating TMP". https://billybeaverhausen.com/2021/12/04/whats-eating-tmp-25/

You can start with post 25 and work your way back. Billy is also showing clothes, and it is not the sizes made for this body. It proves that when you demo, you can find clothes that you can use. Of course with pants, winter sweater and a scarf, it is the same as a suit, only the neck and wrists need to fit.

[Chris Cash]

So right now I have the free head from LeLutka (spelling?)  and a free skin from Stray Dog.

 

I guess the only thing I need now for a basic mesh AV is a body?   Would anyone know of the free/cheap ones from the links above would be ok to start with or will they look too weird with a high quality skin/head?

 

And also I think I heard I would need a shape for the head? Is that true??    I can't use it without a shape?  

 

Soo confused

[Echelon Alcott]

47 minutes ago, Chris Cash said:

And also I think I heard I would need a shape for the head? Is that true??    I can't use it without a shape?  

The Lelutka head has a starter shape included. You can use that to begin with, and customize it for your own needs/taste. IMHO the body part of that shape needs major adjustments, but the head portion of it is fine.

[Echelon Alcott]

50 minutes ago, Chris Cash said:

So right now I have the free head from LeLutka (spelling?)  and a free skin from Stray Dog.

FYI Clef de Peau and Not Found are also offering free male head skins. 

https://www.seraphimsl.com/2021/12/12/celebrate-with-2-free-heads-at-lelutka-the-12-days-of-christmas/

[Chris Cash]

1 minute ago, Echelon Alcott said:

FYI Clef de Peau and Not Found are also offering free male head skins. 

https://www.seraphimsl.com/2021/12/12/celebrate-with-2-free-heads-at-lelutka-the-12-days-of-christmas/

I saw those but didn't know if I'd like them or not.

 

That's another thing I am confused on.      The body skin will be different than the head skin. Right?     So how do you get the body skin to match the face skin?  

 

Especially since they would be 2 different skins from 2 different stores (stray dog and one of the ones you suggested)

[Echelon Alcott]

51 minutes ago, Chris Cash said:

I guess the only thing I need now for a basic mesh AV is a body?   Would anyone know of the free/cheap ones from the links above would be ok to start with or will they look too weird with a high quality skin/head?

If you can spare L$1500, Belleza Jake would be my recommendation. It is a very good body, with excellent clothing support from creators, and it is at 50% off. Clef de Peau has a free body skin available. I can show you where to get it.

Alternatively, I'd suggest the L$1 Classic Meshbody. Clothing availability is more limited using this body. You should look for TMP body compatible clothing for better results with this body.

[Echelon Alcott]

29 minutes ago, Chris Cash said:

That's another thing I am confused on.      The body skin will be different than the head skin. Right?     So how do you get the body skin to match the face skin?  

In order to match the body and face skins, you should get them from the same store, and in the same tone.

For instance, if you want to use the free Stray Dog head skin, you will be better served getting a body skin at Stray Dog in the same tone of the head skin.

An alternative is to use a neck blender, which blends the differences between head and body skins. I personally don't like this approach, others don't seem to mind.

Please note that some skins have some blending capability built-in; e.g., body skins that fade into the head, and vice-versa, head skins that fade into the body. For those skins, order of loading the skins is important for the fading/blending effect to be effective.

Edited December 14, 2021 by Echelon Alcott

[Chris Cash]

1 minute ago, Echelon Alcott said:

In order to match the body and face skins, you should get them from the same store, and in the same tone.

For instance, if you want to use the free Stray Dog head skin, you will be better served getting a body skin at Stray Dog in the same tone of the head skin.

An alternative is to use a neck blender, which blends the differences between head and body skins. I personally don't like this approach, others don't seem to mind.

Ohh see I thought the skin I got from Stray Dog was a body skin lol.   How do you know the difference between body and face skins??

 

Now I might as well pick those other 2 up because I thought the skin from stray dog was a body skin

 

/me sighs and bangs head on wall

[Echelon Alcott]

36 minutes ago, Chris Cash said:

Ohh see I thought the skin I got from Stray Dog was a body skin lol.   How do you know the difference between body and face skins??

The easy way to find out is to demo them.

Head skins generally come with a shape and eyebrows shape. Body skins generally do not come with that. But this is a very loose rule. Demo what you get to be sure.

[Maitimo]

42 minutes ago, Chris Cash said:

Ohh see I thought the skin I got from Stray Dog was a body skin lol.   How do you know the difference between body and face skins??

 

As well as trying the demo, the ad is usually indicative; if it shows an avatar's face, it's usually a head skin only. If it shows the torso only, it'll be a body skin with no head.

[Chris Cash]

40 minutes ago, Maitimo said:

As well as trying the demo, the ad is usually indicative; if it shows an avatar's face, it's usually a head skin only. If it shows the torso only, it'll be a body skin with no head.

 

I literally just made the mistake of assuming something was a body when it was a body skin.

 

/me Keeps Banging Head On Wall

[Ayashe Ninetails]

53 minutes ago, Chris Cash said:

 

I literally just made the mistake of assuming something was a body when it was a body skin.

 

/me Keeps Banging Head On Wall

Hey Chris! I know what you're going through. I took a looooooong break from SL myself back when Lolas were just gaining popularity (if you don't know, don't even ask, lol) and came back in late 2019 to mesh faces and bodies and had absolutely zero idea what any of it was even for. That is, until my long-time friend from way back in 2006 told me I could make silly faces if I meshed my head (she knows me wayyyy too well) -  AND insulted my "dishpan system hands" (how dare she!). I was immediately sold and spent days and days and days learning about mesh, appliers, BOM, etc. I'm ridiculous like that.

Anyhoo!!! How about this - let's go shopping! I'll give you a (sorta?) quick mesh overview and we can run around the grid grabbing demos so you can see how it all works. For freebie bodies, though...honestly, mens bodies are hard to do that with. There's so little clothing support that you really are better off getting set up with a proper version. Jake is the cheapest, but don't worry about all that. We can just run your demo-fabulous bod around the grid and I'll show you how it all works and what to look for. Then when you're ready, you can decide what kind of look you want to put together for real. I also shop so much, I know the weekend sales by heart and which stores participate on a regular basis. For reference, I have male avatars myself, so I'm familiar with several HUDs and features.

Let me know if you're interested.

[Chris Cash]

15 minutes ago, Ayashe Ninetails said:

Hey Chris! I know what you're going through. I took a looooooong break from SL myself back when Lolas were just gaining popularity (if you don't know, don't even ask, lol) and came back in late 2019 to mesh faces and bodies and had absolutely zero idea what any of it was even for. That is, until my long-time friend from way back in 2006 told me I could make silly faces if I meshed my head (she knows me wayyyy too well) -  AND insulted my "dishpan system hands" (how dare she!). I was immediately sold and spent days and days and days learning about mesh, appliers, BOM, etc. I'm ridiculous like that.

Anyhoo!!! How about this - let's go shopping! I'll give you a (sorta?) quick mesh overview and we can run around the grid grabbing demos so you can see how it all works. For freebie bodies, though...honestly, mens bodies are hard to do that with. There's so little clothing support that you really are better off getting set up with a proper version. Jake is the cheapest, but don't worry about all that. We can just run your demo-fabulous bod around the grid and I'll show you how it all works and what to look for. Then when you're ready, you can decide what kind of look you want to put together for real. I also shop so much, I know the weekend sales by heart and which stores participate on a regular basis. For reference, I have male avatars myself, so I'm familiar with several HUDs and features.

Let me know if you're interested.

 

Oh wow thanks yes I am definitely interested.   My head is killing me already lol but I just ate some lunch so I feel better now.  Food always sooths my soul.

 

Might be hard getting into some places though with all the events and freebies going on right now. Eek! 

 

EDIT:  Will drop a pic of what I'm kinda going for shape wise if it helps(took a snap of someone several weeks ago).... not necessarily the skin or hair/eyes/etc  but the shape is about what I'm after. Something not too buff and not as thick as some of the ones I've seen I guess lol 

Edited December 14, 2021 by Chris Cash

[Marianne Little]

If Belleza Jake is still on sale for 1500 L , I would say you should go for it. Other male mesh bodies cost from 3000 - 5000 and we can't know when Belleza ends the sale. I have not seen any date.

And it is a body it is easy to shop for. With a freebie body, you have to be active and search the Marketplace and blogs to find stuff for it. As I already pointed out, Jake makes it possible to shop in all the weekend sales. I have problems finding male clothes that do not include the Jake size.

I prefer to saunter into an event and pick an outfit, any outfit. Saving time and headache is worth the money I paid for a popular body. 

Compare SL to renting some movies, and the cost of buying linden isn't so crazy. Especially if you will use SL longer than the movies lasted. Entertainment money is what it is. It should be fun and not annoying, like freebie bodies are.

Edited December 14, 2021 by Marianne Little

[Ayashe Ninetails]

13 minutes ago, Chris Cash said:

 

Oh wow thanks yes I am definitely interested.   My head is killing me already lol but I just ate some lunch so I feel better now.  Food always sooths my soul.

 

Might be hard getting into some places though with all the events and freebies going on right now. Eek! 

 

EDIT:  Will drop a pic of what I'm kinda going for shape wise if it helps(took a snap of someone several weeks ago).... not necessarily the skin or hair/eyes/etc  but the shape is about what I'm after. Something not too buff and not as thick as some of the ones I've seen I guess lol 

We can get that look! Might cost a slight bit between the body, body skin (if it turns out you don't already have one) and hair. The clothes...not too expensive whatsoever.

My quick breakdown just looking at that - Jake for the body (cheapest right now at 1500L) or Legacy (about 5000L). Dura for hair (380L-ish). Duk for clothes (maybe around 50L for the top, 50L for shorts - can get it down to about 47L each if you join their free group). Sneakers...I know I've seen those somewhere - possibly a weekend sale. We can find something close. Skin - could get that look with Not Found or Stray Dog (you've got the head skins already, so you're looking at about 400L-ish for the body skin). Shape - we'll make it ourselves. No need to buy that. I'll show you how or I'll make one for you once we get your body all set up. 

And yup, Stray Dog and Not Found will be absolutely packed for a bit. Duk is empty, Dura's empty, Belleza's empty, Legacy probably not too busy - so you could go run and grab demos from those stores that you like and start playing around with those. In the meantime, you can friend me in SL whenever you're ready and I can help you put things together. Today, tomorrow, next week, no rush! Just poke me whenever and I'll help you out.