When I log in my avitar just looks like a white blob. How do I fix this?

[Freya Spingflower]

When I log in my avitar just looks like a white blob/egg.  I have logged off and then on again and I have also restarted my computer but, nothing seems to help.  How do I fix this?

[Rolig Loon]

I'm going to sound like I'm repeating myself, because I'll copy exactly what I just put into the next post in line.  I can't help that... it's the right answer.  :smileyhappy:

You have a communication problem between your computer and SL's servers. Information about your appearance has to be "baked" onto your avatar on your own computer, saved there, and then uploaded to SL before it's fully visible there. If the necessary information is messed up in transmission, you may end up with a borked file on your computer, or SL's servers may end up with a borked file. Either way, your av's appearance defaults to a fluffy cloud, or a "white egg", or you get a mess of old clothing textures mapped on your avatar. Sometimes you stay gray.  What works to repair the damage for one person won't necessarily work for the next person, and it may not be the same thing that works for you tomorrow. See the full list of possibilitites here >>> http://wiki.phoenixviewer.com/doku.php?id=fs_bake_fail . Start with the simple things at the top of the list and work down until you find what works for you today.

You may find that the bake fail problem comes back repeatedly, even after you fix it with one of the suggestions on that wiki page. If so, you have a chronically weak Internet connection. There are many steps to take for repairing it. Perhaps the simplest ones -- ones that work best for most people -- are: (1) Don't Use WIRELESS. Wireless connections are inherently less stable than direct cable connections and are more vulnerable to interference. Then, (2) Reboot your router. Unplug it from the power for a few minutes to let it clear its RAM. The plug it back in and let it get a fresh hold on an IP address.

[Nalates Urriah]

The long explanation is here: Avatar Render Problems: Ghost Cloud Smoke Ball Ruth

You will find some recommend turning on RenderUnloadedAvatar in the Debug Settings, which is used to force early render of an avatar that has not yet downloaded to your computer. Your viewer fakes it using Ruth for the missing parts.  I consider it a useless setting for resolving the problem and suggest you avoid it.

While it is uncertain there is speculation that use of the setting may contribute to avatars appearing nude to others.

Understand what is happening can help you figure out what needs fixing. So… Your viewer bakes a composite image that is made up of your skin and clothes. The viewer sends that to the SL servers. You will see your avatar nice and sharp as it uploads. Next the viewer downloads the composite image it just uploaded. I think it is an artifact of how the viewer works handling all avatars the same in spite of already having the image you need. Your avatar goes blurry as the composite downloads. Then, if things went well, you see your avatar nice and sharp. If that fails, you see a blurry avatar.

The particle ball indicates the system cannot find some part of the avatar it needs to render it. It can’t start the bake process of the composite image. The challenge is finding which part of your appearance is causing the problem. The step-by-step for that is in the article linked to above.

Some recommend switching to the test avatar to fix the problem.  I think that is sort of the last resort and requires more effort than needed. There are several easier possible fixes.

Changing your bald is one of the easy ones. Just wear a different bald. I have a folder with my basic look, i.e., skin, shape, bald, etc. I have two different bald items there to switch between when I have a problem. A good choice for troubleshooting is to use one of the balds from the Inventory’s Library collection of SL avatars.

Changing your active group also often forces the avatar to render. I don't understand why that works but a load of people claim it works and I’ll testify it does.

Pressing rebake (Ctrl-Alr-R) often forces the AV to render. If not, wait a full minute and try again. If the av hasn’t rezzed by the third try give up on that one.

Those using multiple viewers seem to have this problem more often than others. Use a separate cache for each viewer and you can avoid a load of problems.

If the simple fixes above have not worked read these two articles: Avatar Render Problems: Ghost Cloud Smoke Ball Ruth (same as above) and Troubleshoot Your #SL Connection. Because of the upload and download sequence checking you connection is important.