New Genus heads are out - what do you think?

[Ceka Cianci]

10 hours ago, Dorientje Woller said:

We can only wait and see. As far as I have toyed with the head, huds are still, although redesigned, complicated but the head in itself is good and I think there is possibilities with those 4k skins if they already follow the velours tones scheme atm. Prices of it, well they are in the same ball park as LeLUTKA & Akeruka, 3700 Linden if you need to buy it. And, as always, taste differs from person to person.

I know for myself, when I first heard about the updates and them actually having screenshots. I think it was late last summer maybe. I know I was excited thinking they were going to add Evo x.. then finding out they were not. My excitement dropped to disappointment.. 

I do hope they do well and the new road does work out.. But for myself I'm just not excited about it like i used to be.. I was a die hard genus user.  I think just waiting all that time wore that down and then to fimd out they weren't even going to update to the current market..I think that's what sucked the rest of the hope out for me..

I hppe it does turn out well and those 4k's kick start that excitement back up..I just have my doubts about it is all.

Eta: I'm gonna mess with the heads this weekend when I get some time. See  if I can find some demo skins and get excited about this new road. 

I'm  on my phone ar the moment so if there's any typos it's because i suck at phoning.. hehehe

Edited August 23, 2023 by Ceka Cianci

[AmeliaJ08]

13 hours ago, Ceka Cianci said:

Myself I never had the wonky eyes, which is really about all I remember people complaining about..

I've been on Lelutka since Lilly came out, so a lot of what went on back then, I only remember some of it..

I know the last update I got was in 2020 which I think was after the store reopened, but I'm not sure.. I don't keep real track of a lot of that stuff anymore..

I loved the heads back then when it was beta, even though they didn't have any animations yet..

All I can really remember having a problem with was, once in awhile my eyes would fall out of animation after the head animation being overridden by another animation.. but they never rolled back in my head.. it did look a little silly at times when I would log on, like my avatar had been up to something evil while I was away.. Almost like a, you just got busted look.. hehehehe

It's such a shame, I liked the look of the head but all the bugs made it unusable for me. It was the first time I felt genuinely burned by an SL creator.

 

I just got the updated W001 in my inventory yesterday, if I can find a nice compatible skin for not much money (unlikely) I will give it a try but I'm not rushing into anything, I'd have preferred a refund for the broken product they delivered a long time ago to be honest but of course, this is SL

 

 

 

Edited August 23, 2023 by AmeliaJ08

[Ayashe Ninetails]

6 hours ago, Dorientje Woller said:

Do like me, check if any gloss, materials, shine are activated on the head first and switch those off. I mean of course there are tons of skins that have a shine baked into them, but all head lately are delivered with certain aspects activated out of the box.

Nah, it's never the heads themselves. It's always the baked shine on the skin visible in the ads. I have tried on skins from probably every creator who makes my shade by this point. Only a rare few didn't do this. Once they switched to Evo X, though, and purged the old products, I had to stop wearing them as they almost immediately joined team shine. I'm left with one store that doesn't over-shine their Evo Xs.

This is a long-standing issue with black skins (even back in pre-mesh days).

[Nuuna Nitely]

As a creator, was interested in the "4k" new UV. 4 textures for a head when there's only one for the whole upper body?! Why push for such an ultra-high definition head when the rest of the body is the way it is? Yeah, it's very silly. There is no need for it. So right now if I make a head layer tattoo I make five textures per tattoo (different opacities, black and white etc.)... with this I need to start making 20 just for the head?

[Ceka Cianci]

22 minutes ago, AmeliaJ08 said:

It's such a shame, I liked the look of the head but all the bugs made it unusable for me. It was the first time I felt genuinely burned by an SL creator.

 

I just got the updated W001 in my inventory yesterday, if I can find a nice compatible skin for not much money (unlikely) I will give it a try but I'm not rushing into anything, I'd have preferred a refund for the broken product they delivered a long time ago to be honest but of course, this is SL

 

 

 

I actually ended up not going into work today, So I'm messing with the head this morning.. I'm starting to remember why they excited me so much from the moment I got into beta and even while waiting for the beta..

I remember missing the first beta and waiting in the group for like 6 months for the second beta to release.. I missed even getting the demo of the first beta by like a few hours.. lol

Once I finally got in on the second beta after listening to everyone in group that got in on the first one for six months, I was amazed with what I could do with the head..

I just put on one of my older shapes that I made after  they gave us Babyface  on release for free for being in the beta.. I think we even got a better price for getting in beta, but I can't remember what it was, maybe 3k?  hehehe

Either way , I ended up with two heads for whatever that price to get in beta.. I loved the babyface..

Aaaaanyways, after putting my old look on I'm starting to remember why I was so excited and have to admit, I'm starting to feel a little bit of that coming back..  It may just be that I've had these older looks shelved for so long  or something, But I'm loving the new universal hud more than the older hud..

One thing I'm have having trouble with so far though is, the layer color pallet and trying to tint one thing without tinting the other..

I'll go to highlight something like lashes and the lashes button won't highlight but will let me tint the lashes.. Then go to tint the eye shadow to a lighter color and my lashes will go white.. So unless I'm doing something wrong, that may need to be fixed..( ok just figure it out.. it's just that the buttons are not highlighting and when I go to click them off they go off, so it's just a button not highlighting on and off is all..)

I haven't gotten any of the 4k skins yet so I wanna look at those, but I do like the makeups and things so far in the universal hud..

I probably should have just held off on saying anything until I finally got in there and started to mess with things..

Myself I never really looked at the heads as broken, because with all the heads out at the time, there seemed to always be something that had to be worked around, that and starting out in beta, kind of knowing we probably would have those kind of things, it was much easier to over look.. I just loved the look of the heads so much that the little bit of trouble shooting didn't seem like a whole lot really and  worth such fun looks I was able to come up with..

Will I jump out of my lilly for Genus, I don't know, I kind of doubt it.. I really don't have the time and energy to be jumping around as much as I used to..

It would be nice to see them do well and a new road open up  in the market,  but it just seems so hit or miss  more nowadays than it ever has.. I honestly hope their timing is right or they catch a cloud or something.. I'd love to be reinvigorated again with their products..

Like someone said earlier, Time will tell I guess..

Either way, I'm going to toy with  them today and see how I feel about things afterwards.. I really want to see if there is a big difference with these 4k skins..

 

[AmeliaJ08]

1 hour ago, Nuuna Nitely said:

As a creator, was interested in the "4k" new UV. 4 textures for a head when there's only one for the whole upper body?! Why push for such an ultra-high definition head when the rest of the body is the way it is? Yeah, it's very silly. There is no need for it. So right now if I make a head layer tattoo I make five textures per tattoo (different opacities, black and white etc.)... with this I need to start making 20 just for the head?

I love detail but yeah, this seems excessive particularly given this is just SLUV split into four with all the disadvantages that EvoX addressed - a lot of detail being 'spent' on unimportant scalp area which is usually covered.

I suppose it does address it in some way in that the critical face area now has a lot of detail available but given the opportunity was here to move to an entirely new UV (since they've done that already) the choice of maintaining the SLUV layout (but split into 4) seems curious.

I think maybe the limitations of BOM are on show already as well, we need more AUX channels. If a body does come along that decides to be brave and move to a new UV to up the ante as far as skin detail there's going to be compatibility problem.

Edited August 23, 2023 by AmeliaJ08

[Rowan Amore]

I never actually used the baby face but decided to mess with the new update.  The skin is an OLD applier skin I had and actually looks pretty good.  I just do  not like how the face shapes and that some sliders, especially jaw and chin, do not work as I'd like.  Now I remember why I never used it.  The HUD annoys me, too.  And, I'm not going to hunt for hairbases/eyeshadow/lipstick when I already have enough EvoX to last a lifetime.

I'm happy for everyone who does like these heads that they were finally updated.

[Orwar]

2 hours ago, Nuuna Nitely said:

   Using up AUX1, 2, and 3 .. Nice.

[AmeliaJ08]

8 minutes ago, Rowan Amore said:

I never actually used the baby face but decided to mess with the new update.  The skin is an OLD applier skin I had and actually looks pretty good.  I just do  not like how the face shapes and that some sliders, especially jaw and chin, do not work as I'd like.  Now I remember why I never used it.  The HUD annoys me, too.  And, I'm not going to hunt for hairbases/eyeshadow/lipstick when I already have enough EvoX to last a lifetime.

I'm happy for everyone who does like these heads that they were finally updated.

Have you noticed any glitching as far as the animations? this seems like the critical thing, the heads always looked good but the glitches were significant.

I see people mentioning the HUD still has problems.

[Ceka Cianci]

I was playing with the gift skin they have in the store which is 4k.. I wish they had some variety in the tones because I really don't use the lighter skins.. But it was enough to play around with and get a feel..

I demoed the other skins in the store that were from other stores and really, just didn't see anything I liked, since they went heavy with the lighting on the skin..  I just have to ask, Why do they do that?

One even has a left and right option for which side you want the lighting on the skin.. how about a no lighting on the skin option in there as well?  hehehe

Anyways, This is on an older shape with the new head and the 4k gift skin, which I was glad to see came with options of regular Bom, 4k Bom and even an applier version.. I'll have to wait and see if I can find some darker tones out there somewhere for me..

I didn't really make a look for this skin so forgive the slapped togetherness of it all, it's just testing  things out with what I have already..

 

[Rowan Amore]

23 minutes ago, AmeliaJ08 said:

Have you noticed any glitching as far as the animations? this seems like the critical thing, the heads always looked good but the glitches were significant.

I see people mentioning the HUD still has problems.

Honestly, I didn't even check them for glitching since I knew I wouldn't actually be using the head.  I don't really like the eyes that come with it, though.  There's just something off about them compared to the Lelutka eyes.

I really did try to like Genus before.  I think I ended up with 3 different heads just trying to get one shaped to my liking and failing.  

[Ceka Cianci]

I unpacked a new Universal Genus hud and must have had something wrong with the first one, because the highlight bars in the layer section are working now..

[Marianne Little]

4 hours ago, Ceka Cianci said:

.......... I really want to see if there is a big difference with these 4k skins..

 

What do you say now? Is it enough of a difference with the 4K skin? 

My alts that had Genus heads, switched to LeLutka because of the neck and eyes. Since that is fixed, they can go back.

I used free LeLutka heads and bought skins in the weekend sales, so it is not like I wasted money on them.

I get the updated Strong free head soon. If the 4K skins are not all that special, I think I use only SL UV.

 

[Janet Voxel]

So I tried out the 4k thing. 
 

I’m a big proponent of being super selective about impulse buying things that come out when a new body or head comes out. Creators tend to slap something together for a cash grab. So that’s always in the back of my mind.

So I tried out the 4k skin and didn’t really see a difference. It’s a nice skin, really easy to use 4K, just a click of a button. Took the skin off, put the regular skin on, clicked the button. Just didn’t see a difference. I squinted, I got really close to my monitor, made sure I had my glasses on. Did it a few times….yeah don’t see anything different.

I tried a hairbase…doesn’t work. You have to use the hairbase that come with it. Which are appliers. Man…I sooo don’t want to do that. I’d rather, just wear the regular skin.

So I’m talking to my friend who’s playing around with it too and this is what we came up with: They had to come up with something new with this. It’s really just an update to gin up interest again, but it needed a hook. 
 

The head itself was fine, but it just needed that new thing. It definitely would be easier to just create a regular skin than go through 4 parts. I’m not sure this is going to wow people.

But it could just be the skin.

[Ceka Cianci]

4 minutes ago, Marianne Little said:

What do you say now? Is it enough of a difference with the 4K skin? 

My alts that had Genus heads, switched to LeLutka because of the neck and eyes. Since that is fixed, they can go back.

I used free LeLutka heads and bought skins in the weekend sales, so it is not like I wasted money on them.

I get the updated Strong free head soon. If the 4K skins are not all that special, I think I use only SL UV.

 

I think the best way I'm gonna be able to see any difference is having an alt in one version of the skin and me in the other..

Flipping back and forth and waiting for the gray to go away from the rez just gets in the way.. having them right next to each other I'll be able to tell a lot easier..

[Dorientje Woller]

2 hours ago, Rowan Amore said:

Honestly, I didn't even check them for glitching since I knew I wouldn't actually be using the head.  I don't really like the eyes that come with it, though.  There's just something off about them compared to the Lelutka eyes.

Do you mean the included rigged eyes. If so, sorry to tell but I think that the rigged eyes of LOGO are way better then those of LeLUTKA. Easy to tint, different color settings and reflection options

[Rowan Amore]

9 minutes ago, Dorientje Woller said:

Do you mean the included rigged eyes. If so, sorry to tell but I think that the rigged eyes of LOGO are way better then those of LeLUTKA. Easy to tint, different color settings and reflection options

I actually prefer the Catwa unrigged eyes but have never bothered taking the time to fit them with my Lelutka. I also use BOM on my eyes so there's that.  I've never been a fan of LOGO heads in general, though.  

[Dorientje Woller]

Test with the Baby Face W002 V2.0

[AylarL]

Yup, def better! Nothing changed - same shape, same skin.

Had to change the attachment points to get rid of alpha issues between hair and eyelashes, otherwise all good.

Better eyes, I also like the overall shape better, and yay - no more neckline issues!

Edited August 23, 2023 by AylarL
It's Genus Strong W001

[AmeliaJ08]

2 minutes ago, AylarL said:

Yup, def better! Nothing changed - same shape, same skin.

Had to change the attachment points to get rid of alpha issues between hair and eyelashes, otherwise all good.

Better eyes, I also like the overall shape better, and yay - no more neckline issues!

That is fantastically realistic looking! Which head is that?

[AylarL]

1 minute ago, AmeliaJ08 said:

That is fantastically realistic looking! Which head is that?

Thank you, and it is Strong W001. Skin is [session] Liv, that's what makes the look...

[SabrinaCooke]

I took pics of the regular BOM and 4K BOM skins included in the updated W001 pack the other day so I could compare them side by side. There's a difference but it's very subtle, and honestly nothing that can't be achieved by using external graphics programs to do a proper resize of high res working files. It honestly just feels like a gimmick, and I'm definitely not going to switch back from my Lelutka heads, especially not after investing in so many skins, makeup, hairbases, etc. for them. 

My results, in case anyone is interested. OF course, these are screenshots, so they're not quite as high res as the originals (you can see the original file size in green on the screenies), but it should give you some idea of the difference, at least. I'd be happy to provide the original pics if anyone wants them. They're huge, though.

genus regular & 4k side by side 20% zoom

 

genus regular & 4k side by side 40% zoom

 

genus regular & 4k side by side 100% zoom

Edited August 24, 2023 by SabrinaCooke
What would life be without typos.

[Gabriele Graves]

It's an outright lie to claim 4K resolution for these heads/skins when 4x1K textures are being used.  For 4K you would need 16x1K textures under the current upload limitations available.

They seem to be hoping that many will not understand that texture scaling quality and texture resolution are two different things.

I truly despise it when people pull tricks like this.

They could have been honest and still have been able to claim double the texture space of EvoX heads.

*sighs*
 

[Orwar]

38 minutes ago, Gabriele Graves said:

It's an outright lie to claim 4K resolution for these heads/skins when 4x1K textures are being used.  For 4K you would need 16x1K textures under the current upload limitations available.

   Depends a bit on how you define 4K, though. A 4K display is approximately 4,000 pixels wide (the most common standard being 3840 x 2160 for 4K in a 16:9 aspect ratio), but neither monitors or media tend to be square.

   I'd argue '4K' is misleading because it's the completely wrong terminology. It's 4 MP, though. Which is about half the amount of megapixels in a 4K monitor (4,194,304 vs. 8,294,400). 

   .. But 'everyone' understands what '4K' entails, I guess. Except, evidently, they don't!

[Gabriele Graves]

31 minutes ago, Orwar said:

   Depends a bit on how you define 4K, though. A 4K display is approximately 4,000 pixels wide (the most common standard being 3840 x 2160 for 4K in a 16:9 aspect ratio), but neither monitors or media tend to be square.

   I'd argue '4K' is misleading because it's the completely wrong terminology. It's 4 MP, though. Which is about half the amount of megapixels in a 4K monitor (4,194,304 vs. 8,294,400). 

   .. But 'everyone' understands what '4K' entails, I guess. Except, evidently, they don't!

They've defined what they mean in the UV graphic that comes along with the Developer kit.  They've defined it as 4096x4096 pixels which it clearly isn't.