NUX Avatar

[Ayashe Ninetails]

1 minute ago, Orwar said:

   I rather doubt it.

   NUX isn't intended to replace or compete with the established market, and judging by the pictures I've seen thus far it seems unlikely that it would. It's meant for new users (and maybe alts), and whilst people are hyped to get their hands on it and play around with it, it just doesn't appear to have anywhere near the polish to actually compare to an Evo X or HD Pro head.

   Will creators rush to make a buck off the hype train? Almost certainly. Will people discard their L$5K heads to look to a slightly-less-blocky potato than the old system avatars in the long run? Unlikely. 

   Or maybe they will. People are weirdly unpredictable and strange in general. 

Definitely agree, but unless either A) brand new creators start pumping out a ton of SLUV content or B) established big creators pause from Evo X to focus on SLUV for a minute, these new users won't have a whole lot of places to buy from.

I agree NUX won't appeal to established users, I don't think. I'm just wondering where new users are going to get even super basics like hairbases and freckles and lipstick from (well, I think Izzie's still has SLUV, but you know what I mean).

[Gabriele Graves]

I doubt many mainstream female clothing creators will show much interest in NUX.  The ones that frequent the major events I mean.

We have already reached female mesh body saturation with many vendors constantly looking to ditch bodies as they get less relevant.  Gaining any kind of relevance in the first place to even get a vendor to support a body or variation on a body for women's clothing has proven difficult for some of the newer and more advanced bodies from well established body creators.

So the chances of NUX being supported much seems non-existent unless I'm missing something and when that new person starts to join the clothing and event groups it's highly likely that they'll be told to buy a body that's supported if they want clothes.

[Ayashe Ninetails]

2 minutes ago, Gabriele Graves said:

I doubt many mainstream female clothing creators will show much interest in NUX.  The ones that frequent the major events I mean.

We have already reached female mesh body saturation with many vendors constantly looking to ditch bodies as they get less relevant.  Gaining any kind of relevance in the first place to even get a vendor to support a body or variation on a body for women's clothing has proven difficult for some of the newer and more advanced bodies from well established body creators.

So the chances of NUX being supported much seems non-existent unless I'm missing something and when that new person starts to join the clothing and event groups it's highly likely that they'll be told to buy a body that's supported if they want clothes.

Exactly exactly. I didn't even want to touch the clothing/rigging part of the equation (and fortunately, it sounds like they will have some right out the gate), but that's also a concern. With that, though, at least there's a slight chance you might be able to alpha out the entire body and run around in something. With skins, hairbases, makeup, tattoos, skin addons, facial hair, etc. - no such luck on that.

Ideally, they'll include at least a tintable BOM lipstick, eyeshadow, blush, some hairbases, freckles, etc. with the package, just to alleviate some of those early issues.

[Qie Niangao]

Based on the very different appearance in the YouTube video I'm realizing I can't tell anything until I play with the sliders myself and try some skins under my own lighting.

If Blake takes shapes well and deforms sensibly under normal animation, he's very likely to be my next body. I've been looking, trying, and really not liking anything I've found with more than niche clothing availability.

(Presumably existing female bodies are higher quality all 'round, so folks may not so desperately seek a replacement for those.)

[Scylla Rhiadra]

7 hours ago, steeljane42 said:

Considering LL themselves said last year how they are not going to try and compete with existing "retail" mesh bodies/heads, it was quite expected. Those who thought it would be something else/more were far too optimistic for no reason whatsoever.

A better starting experience for new users without those sticks that only remotely remind fingers. Hopefully even with some simple bento AO. Something to have and use right away without being lucky with finding someone to direct them to some full body+head freebie combinations (altamura had one I think?). And then, if they'd want something better, they already will have a slightly better understanding that mesh bodies/heads are attachments, the idea behind the fitmesh clothes, bento(?) and so on.

As Qie notes, they do look somewhat better in the video, under different lighting conditions.

No, I didn't expect that they would be nice enough to compete with existing commercial heads. What I hoped -- and still hope -- is that they are good enough and, as importantly, easily customizable enough that new residents who don't immediately want to dive into buying expensive mesh bodies, heads, and skins can use them comfortably for a longer period without feeling that they too obviously stand out as noobs. "Lady with a dog in her basket" is not, actually, a terrible looking starter avatar, but she is immediately recognizable, and not all that easy to customize given the current ecosystem for items that work with simple system avatars.

Ideally, you'll be given one of these, and almost at once be provided with enough clothing, hair, and skins (as well as guidance on how to do it) to individuate the look somewhat, so that you no longer stand out like a sore thumb everywhere you go. Then, after a couple of weeks, or a month, or two months, or whatever makes you comfortable, you can start dipping gradually into the commercial market.

But I'd also hope that this levels the playing field a bit for those who don't have, or don't want to sink, a lot of RL cash into their avatar. I know a few people who still use system avis, and more who still use system avatar heads. They are still contributing members to their communities, and I'd hope this gives them more options too.

Edited July 1, 2023 by Scylla Rhiadra
Where is that damned coffeeeeeee . . . ?

[Coffee Pancake]

2 hours ago, Gabriele Graves said:

I doubt many mainstream female clothing creators will show much interest in NUX.  The ones that frequent the major events I mean.

Major events that are a stitch up between a handful of "brands" to corner and dominate the market .. or didn't you notice that the same vendors with the same items show up at the same events.. or that the some of the brands are close enough as to be made by the same entity off screen .. 

NUX will get significant support as its going to be the only mesh dev kit anyone outside the "established" SL fashion industry can legitimately get.

The amount of content for it will be considerable and "event brands" will have no choice but to participate.

[Theresa Tennyson]

2 hours ago, Gabriele Graves said:

So the chances of NUX being supported much seems non-existent unless I'm missing something

You're missing the fact that in order for someone to buy a product for their avatar there are two basic conditions:

1) They need to have an avatar that can use that product

AND

2) They don't already have a product that will do the same thing.

NUX avatars will mean that there will be a constant flow of people who will be looking for new items for a body they already have.

[Conifer Dada]

The two avatars in the snapshots posted earlier in the thread look disappointing but what will count is what you can achieve with the sliders and a good skin. As someone who still uses a classic avatar, I'm still looking forward to NUX. 

[Sammy Huntsman]

1 minute ago, Conifer Dada said:

The two avatars in the snapshots posted earlier in the thread look disappointing but what will count is what you can achieve with the sliders and a good skin. As someone who still uses a classic avatar, I'm still looking forward to NUX. 

Patch has said multiple times, that you can achieve whatever look you want with these. That and with Nux we are getting an update to the avatar appearance menu. So there may be more you can do to tweak your avatar. 

 

[Sammy Huntsman]

37 minutes ago, Coffee Pancake said:

Major events that are a stitch up between a handful of "brands" to corner and dominate the market .. or didn't you notice that the same vendors with the same items show up at the same events.. or that the some of the brands are close enough as to be made by the same entity off screen .. 

I mean a lot of smaller brands are getting their limelight with big major events. These stores you are talking about, now have to compete with these smaller brands. So these handful of brands, don't really corner or dominate the market that much anymore. 

[colleen Criss]

NUX

 

[Sammy Huntsman]

1 minute ago, colleen Criss said:

NUX

 

And they will be out mid to late july. 

[Rowan Amore]

Creators could just drag out skins they tucked away when EvoX became the norm.  I still have Catwa skins and even some system skins from way back.  With just some minor adjustments, wouldn't that be doable.for NUX?

[Coffee Pancake]

1 minute ago, Rowan Amore said:

Creators could just drag out skins they tucked away when EvoX became the norm.  I still have Catwa skins and even some system skins from way back.  With just some minor adjustments, wouldn't that be doable.for NUX?

Yup .. and the heads come off I believe .. so who cares. NUX+LeLutka will easily be a killer combination.

[Rowan Amore]

[Ceka Cianci]

6 hours ago, Jenna Huntsman said:

The lighting issues that people are seeing are twofold, as:

• The specific machine I took the screenshots with is affected by a graphics driver bug wherein the viewer's shadow softening does not work, so shadows are considerably harsher than they would be on your machine
• The screenshots were taken in the PBR project viewer, and not the absolute latest build - Lighting is still actively being tweaked in the PBR viewer, and the latest build had further work than the build I took the screenshots in.

So, TLDR is don't focus on the lighting in those screenshots. I was in a rush to even get the screenshots, so I didn't have time to actually take proper photos and just ran with what I could get once everything had loaded in.

One thing I will say, is that it didn't seem like the bodies had material maps in this demo, which would help out massively to add smaller details back in, and help balance lighting. (This might be because the NUX team are waiting until PBR launches, at which point PBR materials would be applied)

I wasn't meaning they are bad shots.. Just that different lighting can change how our avatars look..

Like with the NUX last year and the shots we see this year, the avatars will more than likely look different from each other in the different lightings..

The last I heard, they were finished with the Avatars mesh last October, so it's a good chance we are seeing the same ones.. Just with different things on and in different lighting..

[Coffee Pancake]

10 minutes ago, Ceka Cianci said:

I wasn't meaning they are bad shots.. Just that different lighting can change how our avatars look..

Everything looks garbage at midday .. LL should replace it

[Katherine Heartsong]

3 hours ago, Coffee Pancake said:

Major events that are a stitch up between a handful of "brands" to corner and dominate the market .. or didn't you notice that the same vendors with the same items show up at the same events.. or that the some of the brands are close enough as to be made by the same entity off screen .. 

NUX will get significant support as its going to be the only mesh dev kit anyone outside the "established" SL fashion industry can legitimately get.

The amount of content for it will be considerable and "event brands" will have no choice but to participate.

This.

I'm still predicting that a handful of new clothing brands can slide neatly into the market and exclusively work on fashion for the NUX avatars, price the clothes competitively (none of the 2000L fatpack pricing), and make out like bandits and get a good reputation for new users.

[steeljane42]

No one makes anything good for any current freebie bodies, despite the fact they are pretty widely used and getting a dev kit for some of them is super easy (meshbody's classic is given to anyone pretty much for example, legacy's kits are after one classic's release). One could argue it's because it takes time for a new user to find a new body to replace current classic avatar with, but it will also take time and effort to find stores who might make clothing for those new default avatars, too.

That said, I do expect stores who already rig for anything and everything, most of which are present only on the MP ( partially retextured FP gargabe and partially just those who somehow find time and energy to rig even for the long abandoned bodies) will rig for the NUX as well. I mean if someone still rigs for the Slink's Cinnamon and Chai (as a prime example of a failed body with pretty no users even at its peak), and there are some who do, then there's no way they are not going to throw one extra size in.

But those nice smaller/niche stores who already dropped all they could, often Maitreya despite it still being on the very top of the most worn/used female mesh bodies, won't. Most of them create either for Reborn only or Reborn+Legacy now.

[Sammy Huntsman]

Just now, steeljane42 said:

No one makes anything good for any current freebie bodies, despite the fact they are pretty widely used and getting a dev kit for some of them is super easy (meshbody's classic is given to anyone pretty much for example, legacy's kits are after one classic's release). One could argue it's because it takes time for a new user to find a new body to replace current classic avatar with, but it will also take time and effort to find stores who might make clothing for those new default avatars, too.

That said, I do expect stores who already rig for anything and everything, most of which are present only on the MP ( partially retextured FP gargabe and partially just those who somehow find time and energy to rig even for the long abandoned bodies) will rig for the NUX as well. I mean if someone still rigs for the Slink's Cinnamon and Chai (as a prime example of a failed body with pretty no users even at its peak), and there are some who do, then there's no way they are not going to throw one extra size in.

But those nice smaller/niche stores who already dropped all they could, often Maitreya despite it still being on the very top of the most worn/used female mesh bodies, won't. Most of them create either for Reborn only or Reborn+Legacy now.

I have seen a few big creators actually excited for the Nux avatars, so you may see some involvement. I just wouldn't expect it to come from all. I mean there is some big hype for this. So wait and see, if what I or you said is the case. I have a feeling that this body will have a bit more support than we actually think. 

[Coffee Pancake]

7 minutes ago, steeljane42 said:

No one makes anything good for any current freebie bodies, despite the fact they are pretty widely used and getting a dev kit

But this isn't a free body.

This is the new defacto "system body" from LL.

[Sammy Huntsman]

Just now, Coffee Pancake said:

But this isn't a free body.

This is the new defacto "system body" from LL.

Yes and it is still Free, it comes with sign up. 

[Arielle Popstar]

Just now, Coffee Pancake said:

But this isn't a free body.

This is the new defacto "system body" from LL.

Personally I think they would have been further ahead giving the community an updated system body rather than just another mesh body.

[Coffee Pancake]

25 minutes ago, Arielle Popstar said:

Personally I think they would have been further ahead giving the community an updated system body rather than just another mesh body.

They have to keep the old system body for "legacy content".

Just another example of old pointless guff binding LL's hands.

[Innula Zenovka]

Since I don't make clothes, I'm probably missing something obvious, but I'm struggling to understand why anyone, when offered the opportunity to expand their market to everyone in SL by making outfits for bodies that everyone will now have in their inventories, rather than for the much smaller market of everyone who has bought a particular body, wouldn't jump at the chance.