What do I do with my Maitreya Lara body without a head?

[Jaden Applewhyte]

I''ve been out of SL for a few years and am now back.  Decided to try a Maitreya mesh body and it's what I wanted but...didn't realize it would need a head.  So I looked at tutorials and info on forums and looked for various heads.  I tried out some demos from recommended makers.  One demo seems to be attached for good with an upside down face.  I can't find it as a worn item in inventory so I can't detach it and every demo I try turns into a twisted mess with the upside down demo face etched into it still.  How can I fix this?  Anyone out there with some idea?  I've spent over a week trying for hours every evening to come up with a solution.

[Blush Bravin]

Sounds like you might be trying a demo from Lelutka. If so this is a video tutorial. here

[Persephone Emerald]

If you are definitely not wearing a head, then you must be wearing an EvoX skin. Try detaching everything. If you can show us a picture, we can probably help you better too.

[Jaden Applewhyte]

Thank you both very much for your suggestions.  The video is a great source of information, and yes these were most all Lelutka head demos.  I will try to post a picture here of what happens when I try demo heads

[Eli Vespucciano]

4 hours ago, Jaden Applewhyte said:

I''ve been out of SL for a few years and am now back.  Decided to try a Maitreya mesh body and it's what I wanted but...didn't realize it would need a head.  So I looked at tutorials and info on forums and looked for various heads.  I tried out some demos from recommended makers.  One demo seems to be attached for good with an upside down face.  I can't find it as a worn item in inventory so I can't detach it and every demo I try turns into a twisted mess with the upside down demo face etched into it still.  How can I fix this?  Anyone out there with some idea?  I've spent over a week trying for hours every evening to come up with a solution.

i would go to market and look at style cards to start with .. or find a friend who enjoys helping .. there are plenty of wonderful free items to start with ... 

 

[Orwar]

15 minutes ago, Jaden Applewhyte said:

I will try to post a picture here of what happens when I try demo heads

   You've got some eyebrows made for Evo X whilst using the standard SLUV. Lelutka's heads can use either (you can change which one you use in the HUD), but whichever you decide to use you will have to go with for all layers, or things will be misaligned like so. 

[Kimmi Zehetbauer]

I wish they'd toss in a head ---- but those must be a complicated piece of engineering!

[SpiritSparrow Skydancer]

1 hour ago, Jaden Applewhyte said:

Thank you both very much for your suggestions.  The video is a great source of information, and yes these were most all Lelutka head demos.  I will try to post a picture here of what happens when I try demo heads

Maybe try another shape?

[AmeliaJ08]

You're using an SLUV skin on an EVOX head. They're different mappings.

Lelutka heads include a switch to switch to SLUV mode, it's at the top of the hud and labelled "Evo/EvoX" - I know, confusing but Evo means SLUV, EvoX means EvoX.

Hit that switch if you want to use an SLUV skin with a Lelutka head. You'll also need to use a shape for the head or make one, the folder the head comes with includes a handful of sample shapes for you to use or build from.

 

 

Edited October 24, 2023 by AmeliaJ08

[AmeliaJ08]

6 hours ago, Kimmi Zehetbauer said:

I wish they'd toss in a head ---- but those must be a complicated piece of engineering!

Me too but they don't, bodies should come with a basic head though imo. Most people wouldn't use it but the whole bodies separate from heads thing constantly trips up new people and a basic head would be a simple thing to include.

[Persephone Emerald]

You could probably use the Senra Jamie head that's in the Library of your Inventory, but it has some problems too. The mouth and eyebrows on that head aren't great, I don't know how well the neck fits on a Maitreya body, and it would have to use a non-EvoX skin.

[Love Zhaoying]

Did anyone suggest using a System head yet?

[BilliJo Aldrin]

13 hours ago, Jaden Applewhyte said:

I''ve been out of SL for a few years and am now back.  Decided to try a Maitreya mesh body and it's what I wanted but...didn't realize it would need a head.  So I looked at tutorials and info on forums and looked for various heads.  I tried out some demos from recommended makers.  One demo seems to be attached for good with an upside down face.  I can't find it as a worn item in inventory so I can't detach it and every demo I try turns into a twisted mess with the upside down demo face etched into it still.  How can I fix this?  Anyone out there with some idea?  I've spent over a week trying for hours every evening to come up with a solution.

mesh heads are overrated. If you liked how you looked with your system head, keep using it 😁

[Blush Bravin]

Totally my opinion, but mesh heads is only second to the mesh body for things that have improved the SL avatar. Yes, they are a little bit of work and there is a learning curve, but they are SOOOOOOO worth the effort and the expense!

[Love Zhaoying]

Alternative: Use a Furry / non-Human head!

This time of year, heck - put a pumpkin up there!

 

[JeromFranzic]

5 hours ago, Love Zhaoying said:

Did anyone suggest using a System head yet?

That's what I do with some of the system avis that I've ported to Maitreya and Atenea. You may see me looking a bit like Gretchen once in a while. Or maybe Iliana (?), she's the gothy chick with the blond hair and pet bat.

[Marianne Little]

You can use a skin that is not made for the new UV layer.

I used Pink Fuel's "Harley" skin for a while, on an alt. They cost only 150 L per skintone, here is the demos:

https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/PF-Harley-DEMOS/5160048

This way you can keep the default head, and still enjoy all the benefits of a mesh body. And you do not have to learn all things at once, for both body and head.

Older skin made before we got mesh bodies, has drawn on fingernails and toenails, and this will look bad on the mesh fingers and feet. But Pink Fuel is still in Second Life, and in their mainstore is a pack with free (or 1 L) feet and hands fix that you add (NOT wear) and they cover the ugliness and is a 100% match to Pink Fuel skins. (Edit): This is if you activate BOM on the Maitreya HUD. It is best, because you will not have a neck seam, the skin on the system head and the body will be the same.

Another thing, it is a month until Black Friday. And it will be sales. Maybe as much as 50% off. You can save much on expensive things, like heads.

Edited October 24, 2023 by Marianne Little

[Silent Mistwalker]

On 10/23/2023 at 6:51 PM, Jaden Applewhyte said:

I''ve been out of SL for a few years and am now back.  Decided to try a Maitreya mesh body and it's what I wanted but...didn't realize it would need a head.  So I looked at tutorials and info on forums and looked for various heads.  I tried out some demos from recommended makers.  One demo seems to be attached for good with an upside down face.  I can't find it as a worn item in inventory so I can't detach it and every demo I try turns into a twisted mess with the upside down demo face etched into it still.  How can I fix this?  Anyone out there with some idea?  I've spent over a week trying for hours every evening to come up with a solution.

I recommend VISTA's heads. I use the Zoe one. Edit: with my Lara body.

Second Life Marketplace - VISTA ANIMATIONS by Vista Barnes

Edited October 25, 2023 by Silent Mistwalker

[AzureWaves]

23 hours ago, Jaden Applewhyte said:

I''ve been out of SL for a few years and am now back.  Decided to try a Maitreya mesh body and it's what I wanted but...didn't realize it would need a head.  So I looked at tutorials and info on forums and looked for various heads.  I tried out some demos from recommended makers.  One demo seems to be attached for good with an upside down face.  I can't find it as a worn item in inventory so I can't detach it and every demo I try turns into a twisted mess with the upside down demo face etched into it still.  How can I fix this?  Anyone out there with some idea?  I've spent over a week trying for hours every evening to come up with a solution.

Slow down. Go to youtube, type in (name of your mesh head) tutorial and watch a few tutorials. It seems like you don't know the difference between different settings on the mesh head for Bakes on Mesh (system skin), EvoX, HD, all the mesh heads have at least 2 options for skins types. Mesh heads are complicated, but once you learn what goes where and how it works, you'll look great. Also fix your shape.

[Sequoia Sojourner]

Just in time for Halloween -- the headless body. I would not worry about it for awhile.

[Sid Nagy]

This thread explains perfectly why retention rates for new sign ups are so low.
I'm around for 16 years already and still don't know what half of the used jargon and abbreviations mean.

In my case it is mainly because I'm not into avatar dress up, but when I read this kind of threads, I so can feel why a lot of noobs think: "Where did I leave my copy of WoW or Sims4 again?",  and leave to never return.
Dressing up avatars should be a lot simpler. It's all because the in hinsight bad decision from the Lab back then, to leave avatars to the market.

Edited October 25, 2023 by Sid Nagy

[AmeliaJ08]

20 minutes ago, Sid Nagy said:

This thread explains perfectly why retention rates for new sign ups is so low.
I'm around for 16 years already and still don't know what half of the used jargon and abbreviations mean.

In my case it is mainly because I'm not into avatar dress up, but when I read this kind of threads, I so can feel why a lot of noobs think: "Where did I leave my copy of WoW or Sims4 again?",  and leave to never return.
Dressing up avatars should be a lot simpler. It's all because the in hinsight bad decision from the Lab back then, to leave avatars to the market.

I don't disagree and I hate even having to dive into jargon to explain something but the alternative means something else: a loss of control, less options, less customizability.

Paradoxically (since it undoubtedly scares new users, no disagreement there at all: it's very, very complicated for them) I don't think SL would be as popular as it is today without such extensive avatar customization options. Virtual barbie dolls is its own unique appeal of the platform and a giant chunk of the SL economy exists because people want to continually change their look.

I think this is an issue that could be solved by LL offering an avatar with a nice friendly UI and most of the same customization options as the third parties but they don't, they offer a substandard one which pushes most users to the third parties and necessitates learning what all of this jargon means. They do this because spending on avatar clothes and customization is a good money spinner. Someone creating exactly what they want and having an avatar on par with paid options but for free is not.

No way around it I'm afraid, it's user-created content for a userbase that demand a huge degree of control and layers of customization options. You can pry that out of my cold dead digital hands

 

Edited October 25, 2023 by AmeliaJ08

[Sid Nagy]

I personally think that everything that is possible now (and even more) would also be possible if we had a standardized avatar system with enough accurately working sliders.
Standardization doesn't mean per definition that there are no possibilities for third parties IMHO. But all these layer possibilities could have been standard and lot simpler too.
For instance with standard colored dots behind each wearable object to show for which layer it can be used.

But it is simply too late for all that. LL did not take the lead and did not enforce standards. They underestimated (again in hindsight, that makes it a lot easier) the importance of avatar customization at that point in time, when mesh was introduced.
Of course that can never be turned back without triggering enormous uproars. We have to live with it.
 

Edited October 25, 2023 by Sid Nagy

[AmeliaJ08]

58 minutes ago, Sid Nagy said:

I personally think that everything that is possible now (and even more) would also be possible if we had a standardized avatar system with enough accurately working sliders.
Standardization doesn't mean per definition that there are no possibilities for third parties IMHO. But all these layer possibilities could have been standard and lot simpler too.
For instance with standard colored dots behind each wearable object to show for which layer it can be used.

But it is simply too late for all that. LL did not take the lead and did not enforce standards. They underestimated (again in hindsight, that makes it a lot easier) the importance of avatar customization at that point in time, when mesh was introduced.
Of course that can never be turned back without triggering enormous uproars. We have to live with it.
 

Yeah, standards should have been enforced with mesh. One of the biggest things I notice when trying to help noobies is just how vague a term 'object' is - I tell them to look for the thing with the little box icon but of course they have a thousand of those... it would be nice if mesh objects could have custom icons/metadata that actually gave useful information on what they are, should have been roughly the same icons used for the old system layer clothing of the past.

You're definitely right there is a lot of stuff that has been badly handled, I'm 2017 intake and was basically exposed to nothing but the world of mesh and learned how everything works by trial, error and a whole lot of wasted money. Could have gone better by actually seeking out help and tutorials but I'd like to say I'm typical in that I did next to none of that, any new user joining up today really needs to be able to reach out for guidance (and find it) because the alternative isn't pretty and will scare most of them away given the complicated, incompatible ecosystems at play.

Senra should/could tackle this head on but I'm not convinced it does, it seems carefully designed to quickly spit new users back out into the absolute mess we see above and get them spending real money.

 

 

 

 

 

[Blush Bravin]

1 hour ago, Sid Nagy said:

In my case it is mainly because I'm not into avatar dress up, but when I read this kind of threads, I so can feel why a lot of noobs think: "Where did I leave my copy of WoW or Sims4 again?",  and leave to never return.

I think perhaps you disregard the community of modders for the Sims4. Avatar customization in the Sims4 is rampant and also ends up in SL and vice versa. I see hair and clothing crossovers all the time.

I think also you may be discounting the resourcefulness of those new to the grid. I'm hardly active as a helper for the Maitreya Friends group now that I have a RL job that takes up much of my time, but during my days in that group, it was not unusual for those brand new to the grid to run in and get a Lara mesh body and a mesh head of some sort right away. Did they need help? Yes, but not as much as you might think. Part of the fun for them was getting that avatar customized and buying a wardrobe for it.