Head shape conflicting body shape

[Clarke Millar]

So when you put on your Legacy body and add the shape it looks great, but when you put on your lelutka head, and add the shape included with that , so that your head looks right, your body loses its nice shape. How can you have the right shape for your body and at the same time have the right shape for your head? HEELLP?

[Janet Voxel]

The simple answer: make your own shape.

The longer answer: when you use the shape that comes with the head, it’s a generic shape that makes only the head look decent. Vice versa for thé body. So either way you have to put work into one or the other.

or if you’re no good with making a shape, buy one that is specifically for your head/body combo.

[Rowan Amore]

I'd wear the legacy shape, write down ALL the numbers for the body (not head) then wear the shape that comes with the head and plug in the body numbers you've written down.  

[Dorientje Woller]

It's easier to adapt the body shape than the head shape. So, use the body shape first, note all parameters of the body (Body tab, torso tab and legs tab of the shape editor). After that, wear the shape for the head, edit and transfer/input these parameters in the same tabs of the head shape.

Edit: Oh, forgot this, save the shape than under a name easy to remember for you.

Edited August 25, 2023 by Dorientje Woller

[PekeNL]

Quick fix? Just export both head and body shapes to XML and combine them with this.

[Persephone Emerald]

I'm agreeing with the posts above. If you don't want to adjust your shape, you could buy one that's for the head and body combo you use, but I just wear a shape made for that brand of head, adjust my body shape, then adjust my head and face.  Then name this shape so you know which head and body it's for.

Some points to note: Make sure your arms are long enough so your hands reach below your pelvis. Your height and the width of your arms when outstretched should be close to the same. Look in a full length mirror at yourself to check for what looks realistic. Look at photos of people or in a mirror to check what looks right for your face. 

Edited August 25, 2023 by Persephone Emerald

[taisiyakarpenko]

My preferred solution to this is exporting the shapes to .XML files, and then using the Dr. Frank -  Shape Combiner (10L$ on the MP: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Dr-Frank-Shape-Combiner/22345045).

Dr. Frank lets you choose one file from which it uses the head data, and choose another file from which it uses the body data - and then saves this as a new file you can import to SL.

You wear the shape with  the desired head shape,and export it from the Developer menu in Firestorm - then wear the shape with the desired body shape, and export again:

Combine with Dr Frank:

Create a new shape:

 

and import the .XML into it and name it accordingly:

At least this is what I find to be the easiest solution, but YMMW

(oh, and now I see that PekeNL beat me to it while I was writing and taking screenshots :D)

Edited August 25, 2023 by taisiyakarpenko

[Clarke Millar]

1 hour ago, Dorientje Woller said:

It's easier to adapt the body shape than the head shape. So, use the body shape first, note all parameters of the body (Body tab, torso tab and legs tab of the shape editor). After that, wear the shape for the head, edit and transfer/input these parameters in the same tabs of the head shape.

Edit: Oh, forgot this, save the shape than under a name easy to remember for you.

How do you "save shape?"

[taisiyakarpenko]

6 minutes ago, Clarke Millar said:

How do you "save shape?"

The "Save As"-button at the bottom of my last image above...

[Clarke Millar]

Hey guys, I am trying to edit the body shape like you all said but, I am trying it with the demo body and it wont let me? Is it because it is a demo? If i buy the real thing, will that let me adjust the shape?

[Dorientje Woller]

10 minutes ago, Clarke Millar said:

Hey guys, I am trying to edit the body shape like you all said but, I am trying it with the demo body and it wont let me? Is it because it is a demo? If i buy the real thing, will that let me adjust the shape?

Ah, most shapes that come with the demo bodies are not modifiable & no copy. Those with the "real thing" are modifiable and you can even copy them.

[Clarke Millar]

Just now, Dorientje Woller said:

Ah, most shapes that come with the demo bodies are not modifiable & no copy. Those with the "real thing" are modifiable and you can even copy them.

OK, I'm gonna trust you....

[AmeliaJ08]

Head shapes are the most useful to use as examples to build upon. Just make your own body shape (proportionally! use some tools).

I have always just noted down numbers in notepad, the original origin of my shapes is unknown at this point

 

 

 

 

Edited August 25, 2023 by AmeliaJ08

[Thecla]

I've never used a bought shape, only ever used my own. There are a number of good reasons to get comfortable making your own shapes, the primary one being to modify it on the fly to accommodate various bits of clothing and outfits. I change my shape very often when changing outfits to better match the style of what I'm wearing. A few tips:

1. I used to teach figure drawing so I have a pretty good sense of "standard" human proportions. But I think a lot of people have no sense of this at all. For those, a Google search on "basic human proportions" will yield a bunch of helpful resources. There are all kinds of easy rules that you can follow to help you, such as "eyes are generally one eye-width apart". Of course all rules are made to be broken and departures from them are what make us look unique, but they provide a good starting place.

2. Play with the sliders. All of them. A lot. The relationships between the various sliders and the impact they have on your shape is not always obvious and can only be discovered through exploration. The more familiar you become with how one slider affects the results of another, the better equipped you'll be to get the shape you're looking for.

3. Pan around your avatar as you edit your shape. This is particularly true for your head. What looks good from one angle may not look so great from another, such as with cheeks, nose, and mouth.

4. Different heads and bodies respond to the sliders in different ways. What worked on one body or head may deliver surprising results with another.

5. This should go without saying but different skins can have a dramatic impact on how you want to shape your face. In some respects, shopping for a new head/skin combo is like three dimensional chess: every head/skin/shape combination is different.

[Persephone Emerald]

I'll add one more reason to get used to modifying your own shapes.

6. This skill lets you create personal and unique shapes and faces for free. If you want your avatar to look like your RL self, you can approximate this by modifying your shape. If you get very good at doing this, you can make avatars that look like celebrities or specific characters. If you get good at this, you can also sell shapes to other people.

[Nalates Urriah]

On 8/25/2023 at 9:12 AM, Clarke Millar said:

So when you put on your Legacy body and add the shape it looks great, but when you put on your lelutka head, and add the shape included with that , so that your head looks right, your body loses its nice shape. How can you have the right shape for your body and at the same time have the right shape for your head? HEELLP?

You have the simple answer, make your own shape. If that answer seems incomplete... that's because it is.

Shape files contain all the avatar's shape. So when you load/wear the head shape you are replacing the body's shape with whatever is in the head's shape file. There is a workaround.

Shape files are XML files when exported. XML is a type of text file for computers and humans and is easily edited. I think all viewers can export shapes. I know the Firestorm viewer can IMPORT shape files. So the workaround is:

• Export the shapes you want, maybe one for the head and one for the body
• Edit the XML files
  • Remove the lines of XML for the body to have just the head and save as your head shape.
  • Remove the lines of XML for the head to have just the body's values and save as a body shape.
• Wear a new shape in SL that you create - AKA blank or system shape
• Import the head shape's XML file.
• Import the body shapes's XML file - they will combine
• Save the combined shape.

I have an XML shape file for each of my heads. When I get a new body I import the head file to combine with the body's new shape.

Initially, this is tedious. But it only has to be done once. You then have the files on your computer and can modify your shape for any new head or body.

You can find the gory details of the step-by-step somewhere in this forum...

Edited August 27, 2023 by Nalates Urriah

[Persephone Emerald]

^ TLDR

Wear a shape made for your mesh head. Adjust the body sliders until you like how your body looks. Then adjust the head and face sliders a little until you like how your face looks.