MaxMare

Lady if you are struggling with basics, I would suggest to check youtube channel by Strawberry Singh, she has a few introduction videos.. btw underwear can be mesh or an applier or system (works only on basic LL avatar atm depending on the viewer you use)...a number of stores add underwear to their clothes, for instance skirts or dresses come with panties option which you can hide/show via HUD... if you are new to SL, all this we are saying here probably sounds like a foreign language which is quite common for new users, there is a lot to learn/get used to...I really think you would benefit greatly by checking this video: Intro to SL/Appearance

Keeping your complexity around 50-70K (with a full mesh body, head, ao, hair, clothes and accessories) shouldn`t be a problem if you are willing to abandon some older meshes and prim hair/jewelry ..You can see it by example from some prominent mesh makers, their older stuff can add nearly 100K per mesh, but more recent items (created in the last two years) rarely go over 15K.... Speaking of LODs, different rules apply for rigged mesh (and fitted ofc), so seeing everything right from a distance in that case is not creator`s achievement, it`s just how SL is made to work... Nothing will ever change, unless majority of residents suddenly start caring about optimized content and creators who spend a lot of extra time to provide such content get rewarded for the effort...sadly that is not how SL market works... @FairreLilette I use Premium for a long time and I can say there is no difference in viewer performance or anything like that, the only benefits are as stated by LL; access to Live Help, weekly stipend, more group slots, LL home...You can see payment schedule on your home page/account summary at any given time, so there are no surprises..if you do not have any funds on your card at the time, you will be notified/reminded via e-mail... Speaking of lag, I noticed the size of my inventory plays a role as well...I have zero lag and my FPS is a lot better on my alt account which is only used as storage for my 2nd store, so inventory is a lot smaller...everything else is same for both accounts, same machine, same viewer, same home, the only difference is the size of my inventory...I guess doing an inventory clean-up would help...I also often see ppl have their settings for machine and connection they wish they had instead for what they actually have....go through your settings and adjust things, lower draw distance, max avatars, max complexity, turn off shadows and keep general graphic settings on the level that allows you to run SL without issues , using cable instead of wifi can help a lot too...If you need higher settings at times, you can make presets (in firestorm at least) for quick access, this way you can switch easily without fiddling with all the buttons every time...LL wiki also suggests if avatars sit opposed to playing AO animations in the endless loop helps as well cause viewer calculates things differently in that case...

I have a feeling you are using option "wear" instead of "add" when trying to wear body, clothes etc...The problem is attachment point for 99% meshes is hand, it is just the first option in the drop down menu for creators, but it doesn`t mean the item is worn on the hand since it is all rigged/fitted, which is why most don`t bother changing it....so when you choose "wear" option, if the attachment point for the new item is same as something you are already wearing, worn one will get replaced, using "add" on the other hand adds the new mesh instead... There are a few things you will have to wear/replace like shape or brow shape cause you can wear only one at the time... In short, in order to wear multiple attachments (clothes, hair, shoes, body, head etc), always use "add" option Hope this helps! Edit: ok I see Marianne already suggested this lol my bad!

*YS &YS* - YourSkin & YourShape , every single one of their skins comes w/wo freckles option for face and full body..they are also a personal favorite..btw, it is better to visit their in-world location cause of most recent releases MP store doesn`t get updated as frequently!

That is a terrible idea, using same mesh for physic and definitely not what was suggested....Physic model should be much much simpler, basically determining outer boundaries of mesh shape as well as collidable surfaces

I know exactly what you are talking about, layers on mesh body? Those indeed glitch often and for various reasons i.e. lower graphic settings, more layers stacked one over another, high altitude etc...LODs are important in how we see SL mesh but not relevant in this particular case, this is alpha texture problem.... there are some half solutions, i.e. changing blending mode for top worn layer (most bodies have this), but in my opinion, masking creates ugly rugged edges which makes it entirely unusable...Sometimes re-applying provides a temporary fix... Anyways, there is light at the end of the tunnel , "Bakes on mesh " should resolve flickering even with multiple worn layers (BoM is similar to system layers but wearable on mesh bodies, you can read more about it in SL wiki and/or check BakesOnMeshVideo by Strawberry Singh) I believe official SL viewer has been updated already and Firestorm usually follows shortly with all new features...Your mesh body/head will have to be updated to work with this new system, some already are BoM ready, if you aren`t sure about the brand you`re using, ask in their support group, check group notices or their official web-site.. Ok this is probably more then you asked for lol, but I hope it helps:)

I would suggest to check out Strawberry Singh Youtube channel..She has a few introduction videos where she explains what is what and how to find it...She also has detailed reviews as well as crash courses for various mesh bodies, mesh heads and so on, those are brand specific...Just a tip, SL ppl are very attached to their own style and brands they prefer, so take any suggestion with a grain of salt. Not sure how it works in IMVU, but in SL you can test any product before buying it, those tests are called DEMOs and are generally free... If you are asking what are norms, well most of us have abandoned default SL body and wear 3rd party mesh bodies and heads. If you opt for that, you will need a skin that is created for brand of body and head you have. Shape is also needed. AO (how your avatar moves, walks etc) is something you will need as well...Clothes is also created to fit certain body brands and it is always stated which are supported...To give you some idea about pricing; heads are cca 5k, bodies are cca 2000-5000, AO 2k, skins head- cca 1000, body-cca 300.. A lot of info can be found on various blogs created by residents, Flickr and in world groups where you can find help at any given time... Hope some of these tips help you get started and welcome! Edit: Almost forgot, not all stores are listed on Marketplace, some brands only sell stuff in their in world store...also before you decide what brands you want to go with, check which ones are best supported by clothes, skins and such. Most popular for bodies are: Maitreya, Belleza, Slink and new arrival Legacy, when it comes to heads, most worn are: Genus, Lelutka and Catwa...

@FairreLilette Mesh bodies are fitted mesh which means they are not only rigged to the SL avatar skeleton but also collision bones are used to allow further deformation. That fact alone allows the body to be affected by shape sliders and does not require modify permission. Regarding skins, those are applied using appliers, either Omega if body is omega ready and you have a relay or appliers created with body brand original script and soon it will be Bakes on mesh option as well, none of which need modify permission to function properly. So, as you can see, when it comes to mesh bodies or even heads, modify permission has little to no practical use... Shape is just as the title says, a shape (a preset of shape sliders adjusted in a certain way) and can generally be worn with any body, however if you are buying one it is best to stick to brand specific ones (i.e. shape made for Maitreya if you wear Maitreya, or shape for Slink if you wear Slink etc). This is something you want to be modifiable cause it can be changed/adjusted in a meaningful way.. oh almost forgot, Legacy and old TMP body are the only bodies where sliders affect feet size, perhaps this is the reason feet looked funny to you when you tested the demo? To conclude, modify permission is good to have for things you buy, but in many cases (as explained above) it has no purpose....however, for shapes, furniture, poses, houses, unrigged accessories/attachments etc, modify permission is very much needed and I`d probably not buy any of those without it...btw, creators are not obligated to explain basic usage of SL tools or general nomenclature to us, that said, most do have detailed instructions and necessary explanations on their web-site as well as in-world groups with either mods or user based help.. Regarding Legacy description line, I guess the shape part confuses you? Mesh body is a 3d object- aka mesh, it is also fitted as explained above so it responds to sliders, however, sliders mostly just add/reduce volume which means definition comes from mesh it`s self....Legacy ppl were simply stating their mesh is made to mimic real life body as closely as possible with all the details sculpted in...Hand painted skin part, well nowadays most skins are created from real world high rez photos blended together, hand-painted skins are harder to make and can follow anatomy more accurately.... I hope this explains things:)

I had some weird issue with Bosch script a while ago and solution was to create a fresh HUD, by fresh I mean a whole new prim (for base and buttons) and ofc a fresh script copy, that solved things for me...was another problem tho, but it`s worth a try... If this doesn`t help, you should contact Boschwer Honi (I might have spelled it wrong), he is extremely helpful and replies the same day...Make sure to send him a copy of your HUD and mesh with modify/transfer permissions enabled so he can do the testing, fix it and return it to you btw, some of possible reasons for textures not loading fully or doing so extremely slow are; dense mesh, textures too big, overall avatar+attachments high complexity, graphic settings jacked up too high for your machine, internet connection too slow (I always use wire for my working computer opposed to wifi), laggy region

Actually custom alpha cuts are an improvement..Your mesh body won`t be limited with preset alpha cuts from the hud but custom made in any shape or form that fits any piece of clothes best. Most fit-mesh clothes creators offer auto-alpha scripted garment, so you won`t have to bother anyhow, it will be done for you as it`s been so far... This should provide more freedom, plus it would be easier to add 2 UIIDS for alpha textures then determining which alpha cuts your clothing uses, adding numbers for 20485757 alpha cuts to the script which is different for every piece of clothing and mesh body brand...Btw I don`t exactly know how will auto-alpha scripts work with BoM update (need to look into it), this was just a guess, but surely it would be a waste if mesh body brands don`t take full advantage of additional options BoM offers in that regard. Even if it`s just added as a system alpha, it shouldn`t be a problem..it won`t change properties of fitted mesh, alphas are used anyhow just not in such an obvious way as it`s been done with sized mesh anyways, been reading through this section of forum and I don`t understand why ppl feel so much resistance to anything new without properly investigating the matter on their own first?

This is pretty much exactly what you are looking for, full styling is listed in photo description Styling (stumbled upon this and remembered seeing your post the other day)

This is definitely Catya, I can tell by nose shape and duck lips..Skin looks like Glam Affair, but that is just a guess...btw when it comes to bento heads, shape plays a huge role in getting a certain look so if you are not at home with shape sliders, even the right skin/head combo won`t be enough...The image is also heavily edited, best to use demos to see if you can achieve this look before buying anything...

Bakes on mesh are basically system layers (bigger resolution tho, used to be 512x512 limit, I believe it`s 1024x1024 now). The cool stuff we get with Bakes on mesh are; 49 layers per mesh, custom alpha cuts, BoM textures or layers if you wish will be listed under currently worn items/outfit unlike appliers ...We will however still need appliers/Omega for materials (skin details, shine etc). In that sense it won`t be either or, both are needed for different purposes This update will also shake things up when it comes to mesh heads/bodies market since those massively depend on 3rd party product support (i.e. make up, tattoos, skins)...we all know certain brands are more then supported/covered in that regard while it`s nearly impossible to find content for others..Bakes on mesh should level the playing field since 99% meshes use SL default body/head UV maps, in other words, same textures fit no matter the brand.. There is really nothing to worry about, this is a good thing for sure in more ways then one!

I have to give TMP ppl credit for amazing advertising campaign, they had big brands promote them (i.e. Blueberry), most top brands started doing clothes for Legacy within a few weeks from release...bare in mind in order to get the kit as a creator you have to give a photo of your self holding a real life government issued ID and ofc sign a contract etc , the most any other brand asked so far was a signature (which is a reasonable request imo)..They achieved something many new brands with great product and intact reputation could not! In just a few months ppl went from "ugh TMP, never again, fool me once bla bla" to "omg love it, legacy is the best, worth 5k, have to have it" We`ve seen it before tho, Maitreya, Catwa, Genus and now Legacy, they managed to push their product in spite not necessarily being the best choice on the market and in some cases in spite questionable business practices (i.e. TMP lack of updates, pricing and a whole lot of other issues or Maitreya poorly made and inaccessible dev kit)... @OptimoMaximoSL default body is used as a frame for creation of any body/head/body part, which means any body should fit SL default head and any head should fit default SL body. If that simple rule is accepted as it should be, no seam would be happening. Creators have zero excuse for their product not fitting properly, clearly some managed a nearly seamless fit and for 5k I would expect as much @Roguerie the lack of more layers on Legacy body shouldn`t be a problem assuming their body is "bakes on mesh" ready, that update will allow you to add 49 different layers/textures/alphas on any mesh part (body, head etc), the only limitation are materials for which we will still need either Omega or body/head appliers provided by original brand. I believe Genus opted out on adding more layers as well for the same reason...

Pixicat, ISON, COCO, Tres Blah

Before switching to substance, you need 2 models, a regular low/med poly with unbeveled edges (I almost never use bevel for SL) and another model with bevel edges, it can also have more defined geometry, btw bevel aka chamfer, insert loops etc will not mess up your UVs, edges/loops are added/placed automatically to existing maps, the only issue can arise if you later on move mentioned edges in which case UVs should be manually adjusted (I`m a max user so this is how autodesk software works)...ok so substance; save the complex model with _high suffix and the simpler one with _low suffix...once you open substance, import the simple one..The complex aka high poly model should be added when you open "bake mesh maps" tab (Bake/Normal/High definition meshes). With your scene set like this, textures are going to be created based on high poly model and applied to low poly model (with beveled edges and generally smoother). That said, you don`t always need 2 models, it is really up to you to decide when it is beneficial and worth the trouble and when not. Anyways, now you have a decent medium or low poly model with maps that give illusion of more complex geometry... If you want to create lower LODs, just remove any edges that are not necessary to keep your model base in shape so to speak... The important thing is to keep material count/faces number same and intact or else you won`t be able to upload to SL. So if a certain face is removed you can simply keep one triangle with that particular face number/material and it should work...The lower the LOD the less detail you need, just imagine you are viewing that model from a far and what would be visible, that will help you decide what parts are essential and what can be completely removed for lower LOD models... When it comes to game asset creation it is generally advised to keep geometry as simple as possible. Tools such as smoothing groups, smooth/hard edges as well as normal baking are of great importance and definitely worth implementing...last but not least, good texturing can transform rather simple meshes in to complex looking builds....ok, I`m a bit off-topic now, but figured it might help with your workflow. Hope this helps

Weird fonts...as a multilingual person I can`t help but read those names as they are supposed to be read considering the letters used, sure, I do end up laughing often so ok...maybe that one is not so bad after all... Bitchy profiles with a number of do-s and don`t-s any sort of wish list BDSM test results SL is SL /RL is RL empty profiles disclaimers (the IM thing) voice, pic etc verified any type of statement implying the person is superior to others overused quotes links that change your appearance not to be all negative, I appreciate witty content, even rants as long as delivery seems intelligent and original....

On the left, Catwa Stanley, with a custom shape, Stray dog skin and mesh ears....the right pic is a system head (with mesh ears)...

I think I got missunderstood here...I am not against mesh bodies, far from it, I actually own several mesh bodies and attachments and yes they mostly did good with alphas, but you will not get everything to work when wearing mesh on a mesh body even with shape modifications and that`s a fact...another reason why I said I`d advise against it is, if you are wearing mostly mesh clothing then your body is kinda covered always, so not much gained there...btw there`s nothing to get a hold of really, you just hide parts of your mesh body to fit mesh clothing item using alpha HUD, not rocket science? Regarding system clothes, I would agree it doesn`t look so good on default avatar mainly cause of textures being downsized to 512x512, however it looks really great on mesh bodies as they have more polygons then default SL one....besides, If textures are done well, there is no reason why they wouldn`t look realistic.... The idea behind my previous post was offering my opinion to someone who needed information, if you noticed I made a comparisson among all those I`ve tried (and own/use) which I believe can help someone who is new to it and unsure of mesh body advantages and down sides...I`m sure your input may help just the same...

I have just recently tried almost every mesh avatar there is and here are my top holders plus reviews; Belezza; great shape, user friendly, very good alpha hud, downsides, not so many designers make appliers for that one and is a bit pricy, don`t remember the exact number, but was between 3500-3900L The mesh project, great shape, however it offers just one clothing layer and one for tattoos unless you buy the most expencive version which is 5000 (and still offers only 2 clothing layers), not so user friendly more so if you are new to appliers and everything, the good side is that many designers offer instalers (appliers) for TMP body Slink Physique; good looking shape for a decent price but you`d need to get hands and feet separately as it looks awful with default sl hands/feets..many designers offer appliers for Slink so that`s a good side, it is also user friendly and has good alpha hud, customer support is amazing and the price is almost half from what others charge; think it was around 1200-1500L Lena perky body, I only tried a demo, and it has a very nice shape, price is also good BUT there is a visible seam on the waist, you can see where the two parts of the mesh meet, that was a deal breaker for me... All can blend nicely with your SL head and good skin makers offer a blending layer to cover the neck seam.. Wow meh; currently unavailable but that may change... What is good about all those is they are fitted mesh, meaning, you can play with your SL shape and it will also change the shape of the mesh body, you can really get the look you want fairly easy plus, no need for mesh breasts etc... So called system clothes looks amazing as all those bodies are high poly so the textures are christal clear compared to SL default avi...Mesh clothes can fit, but not always cause you depend on the alpha hud you get with the body, the alpha you get from clothing designers works only with SL default body... If you like tight looking clothes, sexy etc, mesh body would be a good idea, however, if you prefer mesh clothing then I`d advise against getting one. Hope this helps, Max:)

Thanks Drake and Sassy:) One more question though, do you maybe have the link to the store, either market or inwold or designer`s name? For Lola`s and Phat azz? I tried searching but lol it`s a mission impossible since every other outfit comes out as result...

I am looking for some sort of "designer kit" containing UV maps (or even obj files) for popular enhancements such as Lola Tango, Lush, Phat azz, Slink etc, but so far I only had luck with Slink... If anyone knows where can I find any of that? Thanks:)