Going from Classic Av to Newer Av

[Mariposa Psaltery]

Hello. I want to change my av from classic to one of the newer ones. I would want to change body and head. Is there a certain one that is better than the others? Are there pros and cons to them? 

 

I have a large amount of clothes, skins, hair, etc. that I would like to use with the new body and head. Is there an easy way to find out what will work with the newer ones?

 

I am not a new member. I have been playing since April 2005. Please recommend any and all ideas.

 

Thank you. 

[PheebyKatz]

I'm not as experienced with what's at the forefront of the mesh avatar spectrum, but you'll certainly get good answers from whoever posts after me. My avatar body and head are by Rebirth, and my head uses the old SL UV map and all, unlike a lot of the newer heads. My current avatar is my third mesh incarnation, and I went in the order: Classic, Kemono, Tweenster, Rebirth, over the course of about 6 years. I do know that BoM is the way to go (probably an unspoken thing by now), because even old system layer stuff can be put on it, and a lot of that old stuff even looks really good on a newer avi. Some of it even maps a little more accurately.

You'll want to avoid any body or head that still uses appliers.

I do have a Lucybody avatar, and it's compatible with all of the clothing for the Maitreya Lara, though I don't think most of the top name avatars are going to have much crossover with clothes. Fortunately, unlike earlier mesh stuff that came in 5 sizes and still looked wonky, most good designers these days are including versions for several different brands of mesh avatars. Always check the ad to make sure they have your body covered, no pun intended.

Edited February 1 by PheebyKatz

[Persephone Emerald]

There are pros and cons to any mesh body or head. To figure out which are best for you depends on a few questions.

How much are you comfortable spending?

I'm assuming from your name and picture that you want a female body and head, which gives you alot of options. Do your prefer a thinner body or a thicker, curvier one? 

I assume you'll want to be able to find plenty of skins and mesh clothes.

The most popular female mesh body, and thus the one that's easiest to find skins and clothes for, is Maitreya Lara. When you buy this body, you'll actually get 2 bodies - Lara v.3.5 and LaraX. Lara v.3.5 is the classic version with the most mesh clothing available for it. LaraX is the new version that doesn't have much mesh clothing available for it yet. The LucyBody Atenea and Valentina bodies also fit classic Maitreya Lara mesh clothes, are much cheaper, but have some downsides. All of these bodies are BOM (Bakes On Mesh) compatible, so they can use your current system layer skins, tattoos, and clothing. Old system layer skin won't look right on the fingers, toes, and probably other parts of the body though. System layer skirts don't fit right on mesh bodies, though flexi skirts can sometimes work.

The most popular mesh heads are Lelutka EvoX. Akeruka, LOGO, Catwa, LAQ, and other creators also make heads that are similar in that they work with EvoX skins and BOM makeup. They won't work with Lelutka applier makeup however. 

Genus mesh heads are not EvoX compatible, but might be more compatible with your old system skins. SLUV is how we refer to the original skin system. Genus mesh heads can now toggle between SLUV and their new higher definition version. Genus has a free group gift mesh head and skin, if you want to try them.

Lelutka and I think LOGO? can also toggle between the SLUV version and the higher definition EvoX version.

With all mesh purchases - bodies, heads or clothing - it's important to try demos before buying. Not only will you want to pick a shape that you like best, but the HUDs and functionality of the mesh bodies and heads will also be different. Decide which ones you like best, are easiest for you to use, have enough skins and clothing for them, and are within your preferred price range.

Choose a body first, then choose a head. Use the shape that comes with the head or one compatible with it (so the head won't look weird), make a copy of that shape, and then adjust the copy until you like how it looks with your chosen body and head. Record those shape slider numbers on a notecard, so you can use them later for another shape if you wish.

Skins for mesh bodies and heads usually come in 2 parts now - a system layer skin for the body and a tattoo layer for the head. This is because there are so many different mesh bodies and heads that it's impractical for skin makers to make a single system skin that will work with both the body and head. 7 Deadly S[k]ins and I think Wow Skins make system skins that work with both the Maitreya Lara body and various mesh heads. There are also tattoo layers that adjust for the differenence in various mesh bodies and Universal Tattoo layers for EvoX ears.

[Theresa Tennyson]

7 hours ago, Mariposa Psaltery said:

Hello. I want to change my av from classic to one of the newer ones. I would want to change body and head. Is there a certain one that is better than the others? Are there pros and cons to them? 

 

I have a large amount of clothes, skins, hair, etc. that I would like to use with the new body and head. Is there an easy way to find out what will work with the newer ones?

 

I am not a new member. I have been playing since April 2005. Please recommend any and all ideas.

 

Thank you. 

There is a folder in your library labeled "Senra"; and inside it is a folder labeled "Jamie." If you copy that entire folder into your main inventory you'll get a free mesh body and head that will work with older skins. Using that for a while will at least give you an idea of how newer bodies and heads work. You'll have to change your shape some but I find the "Jamie" head to be one of the easiest heads to match to an older look.

[Frigga Freidman]

As someone who's been in SL since 2007, but never considered moving beyond a system avatar until a few months ago, I agree with @Theresa Tennyson - start with Senra Jamie. Not only will old skins in your inventory work, but many of your clothes will as well if you make use of alpha layers. (See my post here for info on Alpha layers and other Senra-related stuff: 

 

)

I recommend looking through that entire thread, keeping in mind that the Senra avatars have been updated so some of the complaints and issues highlighted during earlier posts have been addressed, including the problem with eyebrows moving when the avatar blinks, the overly-prominent pout, and the need to use a workaround for the fingernails and toenails.

Edited February 1 by Frigga Freidman

[Markham Weatherwax]

Really, just go with an Avatar that you like. Don't worry too much about your old clothes. Some will work with your new avatar if you apply the alphas just like you always have with your current non-Mesh AV. Some won't look as good anymore, but that is just part of it. Some clothes age well, some do not. Some will look good with the new AV and hair, some will not. When you see clothes that are "made for" this specific body, it probably isn't specific to that body. Not really. Compatible with multiple body types, same thing. The down and dirty of it is, most of that clothing has autohide for that body brand. That is essentially alpha layers that the creator made that the autohide uses when that piece of clothing is attached to a specific body brand. If the creator didn't do a perfect job on that, it might look perfect when you are walking or standing, but when you sit or dance, you will see the parts of the bleeding through that clothing. 

What I am saying is, either you will be applying the alpha layers, or the clothing will be doing it for you. In essence that is what it is, although not 100% accurate in technical terms; That is the end result. So, don't worry about that part. Use your older outfits just like you always have. Apply the alphas just like you always have. Some clothes will look good on your new body, some will not. The body shape plays a big role in that, but so does the hair you will be using, and the skin. 

Go find the body and/or head that YOU like, that works the best for you, and don't worry so much about your existing wardrobe. Don't believe that you have to start from scratch on all your clothing, having to go out and buying clothes specifically made for your new body, because that is simply not true. In my case, I use an Altamura Full Body BOM and I can usually use clothes that are compatible with other body brands just fine. Yeah, some I have to add an extra alpha layer or two, but some I do not. Slink works great for my AV (usually) and the shoes usually do. My old clothes, some of my favorites I've used for years, I just apply the alphas like I always have. 

Of course, being male, there is less clothing available than with a female body, and different body issues and physics, but you don't have to throw the baby out with the bathwater when you upgrade to a newer avatar body in regard to your existing clothes. Just remember, either you apply the alpha, or the clothes tell the body to hide this or that body section or part. Go find the body YOU like and appeals to you and don't worry so much about your existing wardrobe. 
 

Edited February 1 by Markham Weatherwax

[PheebyKatz]

I forget there's a whole new line of starter avis. I do agree that practicing with one of the new system mesh bodies is a good idea, and Markham makes a really good point: everything works together to make a good avatar.

The same way your skin and shape make a drastic difference in how you look, the way you accessorize can be all the difference between looking like a clunky patchwork person and looking like someone with style. Having different hair for different outfits, just because it goes better with those outfits, well, yeah.

Really, it's not all that different than working with a classic avatar, you just have a smoother/curvier body, and a way higher-polygon head to work with. Think of a mesh body and head as clothing items, or costuming, and it helps.

Edited February 1 by PheebyKatz

[Marianne Little]

On 2/1/2024 at 4:06 AM, Mariposa Psaltery said:

Hello. I want to change my av from classic to one of the newer ones. I would want to change body and head. Is there a certain one that is better than the others? Are there pros and cons to them? 

 

I have a large amount of clothes, skins, hair, etc. that I would like to use with the new body and head. Is there an easy way to find out what will work with the newer ones?

 

I am not a new member. I have been playing since April 2005. Please recommend any and all ideas.

 

Thank you. 

I am going to talk a bit about using your old wardrobe with a new mesh body, and your old skins/makeup with a new mesh head.

If you have mesh clothes, I assume you have what we called 'standard sizes'. You can use them with mesh bodies. The fit will not be as good as with mesh made for a certain mesh body. The more of the body that's covered, the better. I still use COCO clothes like coats, sweaters and pants from when they were made in only 2 sizes, with an alpha layer under. Gowns and tops with straps will be a problem. Straps will either float over the shoulders, or dig in them. Mesh bikinis will be impossible to use.

You can use system clothes when you set the body to BOM (Bakes on mesh). This let the layers you are wearing, show on the mesh body. You can layer freely with all sort of layers, tattoo layer, pants layer, jacket layer, gloves etc etc. Sculpted details like cuffs, can you wear and edit like on your classic body.

Sandals and pumps made for the system avatar will not fit at all. You can wear boots, and use an alpha layer for the feet.

SL UV skin that you own, can you use on mesh heads. You will have to set the head to 'SL UV' instead of 'EvoX UV'.

EvoX is the dominant layer today. But some stores sell SL UV. You will have to look for 'SL UV' and demo before you buy.

It is not sure that the old system skins will look good on the head. You will see this when you try on the new Senra avatar from your library. I was very exited when we got BOM, I had packed and saved a box with a lot of skins, League, Deetalez, Wow, Glam affair, and many more. They look slightly 'off' on mesh heads. The topology of the heads does not match the SL UV perfectly. Here is an example that is some years old, but you run into the same problems now.

You can try the free Genus head and see how it works for you. That head is a free gift in store, just join the group and the group is also free. It is a good start.

You can NOT mix SL UV and EvoX UV. So if you wear one of your old skins, makeup and hairbases that is made for EvoX will not fit at all.

Always use demos. That is the only way to find out if things will fit.

Since I have been in SL almost as long as you, I had a lot of makeup and hairbases, and thought I would never use EvoX UV. I changed my mind because I found out that 10 years make a difference, the old skins and makeups was not my style now. It is so many freebies and things for sale in the weekend sales. I have gone full EvoX UV now.

 

Edited February 2 by Marianne Little

[Persephone Emerald]

5 hours ago, Marianne Little said:

 

You can try the free Genus head and see how it works for you. That head is a free gift in store, just join the group and the group is also free. It is a good start.

You can NOT mix SL UV and EvoX UV. So if you wear one of your old skins, makeup and hairbases that is made for EvoX will not fit at all.

Always use demos. That is the only way to find out if things will fit.

Yup, yup. ❤️ 

Every mesh head has its own peculiarities and limitations, Genus heads seem to map pretty closely to the standard SLUV map. I've also had good luck fitting skins made for Genus heads to Lelutka EvoX heads when they're on the Evolution (not EvoX) setting, though EvoX skins fit best.

Even within the same brand, individual mesh heads are shaped differently and are limited in how much they'll respond to shape sliders, so if you want a particular look, you'll need to demo alot of mesh heads and skins to find the perfect match. When you get to this point, demo heads that look closest to the look you want, then adjust the shape that comes with them in small increments. 

The free Genus head is a good one to start with. The Senra Jamie head and body in the Library of our Inventory is a good mesh avatar to start with because it's easy to use, but it's limited in how it responds to shape sliders too.

Edited February 2 by Persephone Emerald
Spelling

[Psyche Starling]

On 2/1/2024 at 4:49 AM, Theresa Tennyson said:

There is a folder in your library labeled "Senra"; and inside it is a folder labeled "Jamie." If you copy that entire folder into your main inventory you'll get a free mesh body and head that will work with older skins. Using that for a while will at least give you an idea of how newer bodies and heads work. You'll have to change your shape some but I find the "Jamie" head to be one of the easiest heads to match to an older look.

There's also a lot of free stuff for the Senra body at the Shop & Hop currently. Check out this post for more:

https://fabfree.wordpress.com/2024/01/31/fabfrees-ultimate-guide-to-the-valentine-shop-hop/

There wasn't much clothing for it, so for this event Linden Labs specifically encouraged people to design for it.

[Marianne Little]

1 hour ago, Psyche Starling said:

There's also a lot of free stuff for the Senra body at the Shop & Hop currently. Check out this post for more:

https://fabfree.wordpress.com/2024/01/31/fabfrees-ultimate-guide-to-the-valentine-shop-hop/

There wasn't much clothing for it, so for this event Linden Labs specifically encouraged people to design for it.

I honestly belive that Linden Lab do not want us to use these avatars longer than 1-2 weeks. They do not want to encourage creators to make a wardrobe for them.

Not only is it hard to find clothes, but he topology of the Senra avatars faces are really hard to match to SL UV skins. My 'big box' of saved skins was almost useless unless I accepted weird fit around nose/mouth/eye corners. I can dive in my inventory and find old skins, but new people can not buy these skins anymore.

I think I found only one skin creator with original SL UV skins that is still for sale. That was Pink Fuel. And one skin creator has made a new skin for Senra Jaime. Male SL UV skins that I tried on the Blake avatar was even uglier (in my eyes). I found a male skin from The Body Shop, but that was of course old and could not be purchased today.

 

[steeljane42]

3 hours ago, Marianne Little said:

I honestly belive that Linden Lab do not want us to use these avatars longer than 1-2 weeks

Of course they don't. They want to provide something not awful enough so potential new users won't alt+f4 in a second after they see themselves in-world. I'd argue that it still might be the case, but at least it's not classic avatars level of awful. After that those who stick around are encouraged to upgrade to something better and pretty, and become part of the existing mesh bodies/heads/clothing ecosystem. Those people who were writing on this very forum how some mesh bodies/heads creators might get all upset when "NUX" bodies are out were rather delusion if put it mildly.

It's the exact same path many F2P mmorpgs (and games in general) take. While free options are there, the paid ones are always better/faster/fancier. E.g. a "super cool dragon mount" vs the default "slow basic horse" one.

 

[Psyche Starling]

They really did encourage Senra designs for this event, though! It was in the call for designers. And I've only been to one sim so far and have still seen more Senra stuff than I've ever seen before this. So if someone wants to use the bodies, it's a good place to go.

[Persephone Emerald]

26 minutes ago, Psyche Starling said:

They really did encourage Senra designs for this event, though! It was in the call for designers. And I've only been to one sim so far and have still seen more Senra stuff than I've ever seen before this. So if someone wants to use the bodies, it's a good place to go.

The Chicory region has stores for Dinkies, but also has a free Centaur body by Jinx for the Senra bodies. I picked it up to try it. Maybe it will work with other bodies too? I saw one store giving away skins for the Senra avatars, but I wasn't impressed enough to pick those up.

[Marianne Little]

I have made some looks with my old stuff on a new mesh body. This is Maitreya set to BoM, with older clothing on system layers. And the jodhpur pants have sculpted leg parts. The jodhpur that we can buy today have a better look since it is all in one part, not having to mix a flat 2D layer with 3D sculpt/mesh.

(I had lost the beret. It must have been an inventory clean-up that got out of hand. What a shame. It was really pretty.)

 

[Marianne Little]

On 2/3/2024 at 3:23 AM, Psyche Starling said:

They really did encourage Senra designs for this event, though! It was in the call for designers. And I've only been to one sim so far and have still seen more Senra stuff than I've ever seen before this. So if someone wants to use the bodies, it's a good place to go.

I hope the designers keep the Senra clothes as a freebie in their stores when the event is over.

That is an obstacle new people struggle with, things that are not available longer. Like all the good system skins and clothes.

System clothes from COCO, Maitreya, LeLutka, Zaara... gone, while god-dawg awful system clothes are left on the Marketplace. (LeLutka and Maitreya sold clothes many years before mesh bodies and heads.)

[KatrinaSvetlana]

I would advise you try out the Eve Fusion body. It can morph to fit legacy, LaraX and Maitreya. So its a good start for upgrading your avatar and then later on you can try something else! I also have many mesh bodies and heads, so Im always happy to help you out with figuring out which works best for you