MaxMare

I think many are using LeLutka axis HUD for this type of pics...SL photographers praise it all the time and it`s said to work great with any bento mesh head.. LeLutka Axis HUD Face just figured it`s worth mentioning:)

I am very sorry to say, in order to get your avatar up to date you will need about 10k L$...that is like 40 bucks (give or take), so not that horrible and once you set it up, you should be fine for the foreseeable future...Clothes and hair is prob cheaper then ever, but everything is made for mesh avatars nowadays and that part, the base avatar is the biggest investment (10K I was referring to)...I`m sure you will get tons of suggestions on cheaper options, but bare in mind, if you go with a no name avatar, you probably won`t have much choice with clothes later on...oh and don`t bother your self with terminology for now, you will get a hang of it soon enough. Here are parts you need for your new mesh avatar aka your 2020 starter kit: fitted mesh body - Most popular body brands: Maitreya, Belleza, Slink, Legacy (2500-5000) bento mesh head - Most popular mesh head brands: LeLutka, Genus, Catwa, and a few less popular but well made; Logo, Vista, Akeruka (cca 5000, some have promos or intro prices at times) decent bento AO - Animation Overrider is around 2K, but you can probably find a much cheaper one, just make sure it is recent and made for updated bento avatar... skin - Skin makers with quality product and enough variety: Skinnery, Glam Affair, Amara Beauty, YS&YS, Essence, Session (700-1200 for head and cca 300 for body) If you are really that short on cash and don`t mind waiting, join all relevant groups (brands mentioned above) and keep track of notices as well as their Flickr posts so you can catch sales and promos....For help on how to use any of the stuff I mentioned, check Strawberry Singh Youtube channel... Hope this helps!

If I understand correctly, you tried using HUD to restore your body/remove alpha cuts but it is not working? If HUD is not functioning all of the sudden, you should re-deliver and start fresh. I had a situation where after a crash every single scripted object I was wearing stopped functioning, but fresh copy of those items solved the issue. Don`t worry about saved outfits, you can easily replace links with just a few clicks.

I know my rights as a creator so no, purchasing a mesh in my store does not give you the right to download, resell or use any part for derivative work. In order to get access to those files you need to use questionable tools which are definitively not provided or supported by Linden Labs or my self (or any other creator for that matter). If we agree to custom work, then sure, your rights would be whatever we agree upon, but again, price would not be 2 bucks. When it comes to real world goods, let`s say you buy a dress I made, then sure, you can do whatever you want with it, however we are talking about intellectual property here. intellectual-property-infringement you really don`t need to read past the 2nd sentence to see what you described is indeed illegal...and if that is not enough, please refer to the link bellow DMCA more about the digital millennium copyright act; copyright ownership, copyright owner`s rights (derivative work, distribution, take down, ownership of work vs ownership of a copy etc etc)

Even if it`s BoM (or Omega), it does not guarantee it will work across brands, UV mapping is slightly different and what works for LeLutka, won`t always work for Catwa or Genus etc. so unfortunately, you will have to work with brand specific UVs...not for all parts, but in my experience, lipstick, eyebrows and lashes are the least compatible, luckily freckles, eye shadow, highlighters and such can be reused without much or any modifications.

@Alyona, you do not own skin texture, you own the rights to use it according to the TOS which means you can apply it to your avatar and maybe tint it if it`s modifiable..Owning in terms of digital art would mean you purchased the rights/original artwork in which case the price would not be 2-5 bucks...

If you are skin creator, check Create box in Legacy body folder, there is a help NC with link to psd files download page. As with most mesh bodies, hands and feet do not match SLUV, meaning you will have to adjust to their mapping and then create BoM or applier, or just create a tattoo and wear over the skin. If you are trying to work with someone else`s textures/skin, then your best bet is to contact the creator or perhaps check their store in case they have Legacy compatible skins or tattoo overlays for feet and hands. @Desire, High to low poly baking is just a way to capture fine details modeled in a high poly version to a low poly/game ready model, both models have same UV coordinates/mapping.....However, in this case, we have two different UVs, SLUV and Legacy UV, most of the body is fine, but feet and hands do not match.

Based on what you said, I have a hunch you are working with your viewport set to "Material" instead of "Base color", so as you work you keep seeing Sunstance render but once you export textures you get base material+lighting filter...You also need to add baked lighting to your export preset. A few more tips for getting a good result: Substance works best with meshes with good edge flow, decent overall geometry and properly connected (not just put a cube inside a cube as I`ve seen in so many tutorials cause intersection won`t bake well)..you should also learn how to set up your file properly. When it comes to materials, don`t just use presets, look into creating your own smart materials so you have better understanding of what each effect, filter, generator etc and material component does. Baked lighting/environment filter can be used for entire stack or you can utilize masking and have different settings for each group/material separately. Substance also offers 2d view export since some time last year, which means you get the exact same texture as rendered in Substance (you can change environment preset or add your own, rotate it etc for different result), if you don`t have this option, then you need to update to a more recent version. Not that anyone asked lol, but I prefer baking in Max with materials created in substance (diffuse, roughness, normal+height and specular) and lights set up as I want them to be cause Max offers much more freedom and realism in that sense (you can dl photometric data from professional lighting web sites)... alternatively, export 2d view and just bake light maps then make composits in PS (works well with natural and monochrome lights) If you need more help, Substance painter has their own channel on youtube and a very good tutorial series that covers pretty much everything you could possibly need, I believe they even offer file download so you can learn with the same object (you can find links on their web site under tutorials). It is made with a slightly older version but nomenclature is the same so you shouldn`t have any issues following the series. PS: It would have been better if you posted what you made, would be easier to pin point what went wrong

If you are using 3ds Max, I am pretty sure it is naming issue, I`ve encountered this as well when I started but luckily SL wiki addressed this... When determining faces numbers do just fine, but before export, you`re supposed to apply material (just diffuse) to each face, best to go with multi-sub material, SL allows 8 max per object. Each time you add a new material, Max names it Material# by default, but SL does not read anything after #, so when naming do not use any special characters or spaces (underscores are fine). I have one multisub with 8 materials saved for this purpose, each material is named Face1, Face 2....Face8 and consists of nothing but a colored 1024x1024 square in diffuse slot. Btw if you are using 3ds Max Design, it uses real world size (in material editor) by default so make sure to change it to 1x1 ratio. btw I`m late to the party, but it might help someone else in case you got it resolved by now:)

You can apply for dev kits directly with mesh head brand. For male heads Catwa and LeLutka are brands you should definitely look into, Akeruka (AK) and GAEG are not as popular but quality stuff with big enough following, not so well supported by 3rd party developers so it could actually be a good idea to include them...Info about procedure and relevant links are usually found in their in-world stores or web sites. Before applying for any mesh dev kit, I would suggest to open a store and have a few original mesh items on display cause without that, there is no chance of you getting the kit. You will be expected to sign a real world contract with your actual name, just saying cause I noticed some ppl have a problem with that...

I can`t help with scripting part, but I can recommend script that solved my problems KoolDOOR script It`s super easy to set up, works for doors, windows, cabinets, drawers and no matter which way or how you want them to open/close, this script does it in just a few clicks...It also allows your build to be linked, it works with resize script as well as texturing HUDs etc...btw the link is for builders version, but if you just need one for personal use, there is a cheaper option. Regarding texturing scripts, I use BOSH Material Changer cause it allows me to change not just texture but materials for each face..It has tons of options integrated in one single script and seller/creator is extremely helpful Hope this helps!

As crazy as it sounds you are actually supposed to redo/adapt mesh for each body, there is no way to just use one mesh without adjustments (in most cases, especially for tight fitting garment)...I talked to some fellow creators (who offer multiple sizes) and most start with Belleza Isis for female clothes, meaning you model your mesh with this body as a template then adapt to each size using various tools ..Here is a good video showing the process in Maya, but general idea is the same no matter what software you use Adapting mesh size to different body If you are going to use MD mesh as is/ without retopo, then you may as well just keep the pattern & general settings and import one body at the time, simulate and you will have a perfect fit, BUT MD meshes tend to be very messy with dense topology...this may be frown upon by professionals, but realistically speaking, majority does exactly that.... Bare in mind you still have auto alpha script at your disposal (and even custom alphas now with BoM update) so your meshh does not have to be a second skin, you can save your self some work by taking this into consideration when rigging... you should know what alpha cuts look like for each body, you can`t rely on BoM alphas yet, not everyone switched to using that option.. Hope this helps!

Toxxic Rhiannyr has a Youtube channel entirely dedicated to working with templates..... Templates Part 01 btw this is just the first video, there is an entire series covering the process from buying a template to finished product and more, you should easily navigate to the part you need help with...beginners friendly Hope this helps and good luck:)

You seem to be texturing each button with a standalone texture? The easier and more efficient way to do it would be to add just one texture on the base, button textures could be arranged on top of it in PS or Gimp or whichever graphic software you`re using..once uploaded and applied to HUD base/root prim, arrange button prims so they follow the texture scheme, make buttons transparent and there you go....if you have a multiple page HUD, repeat for each page...this way you won`t have alpha issues and HUD will load much faster! Hope this helps:)

Action Incubator, Mina, Tableau Vivant and Lamb have a few...Wasabi and Runaway (RA) have some, but older....To achieve the look from the pic, you will have to buy a hairbase separately which is a challenge in it`s self since most bases are Kardashian clone type thing,.....I got one from Dura, comes with omega appliers and is free even....Glam Affair/Tableau Vivant and Mina have a shaved base as well (for sale)...you can even use some male bases, just make sure to try a demo first.. Hope this helps!

I had the same thing happen to me a few months ago, asked in several groups including Firestorm Support, they explained what it was about, but that was the type of dry info my brain did not care to retain lol..anyhow, the only solution was to get everything I was wearing at the time re-delivered and tossing broken stuff away...

Create a box, add your texture design (i.e. alpha texture with your logo, text etc), add unpacker script (sold on MP, it should be full perm, just make sure to change script permissions to copy only), set the script if needed (group invite, confirmation text etc..all optional and easy to change in most scripts)...now add your product to contents tab of that object/package and pick it up to your inventory... right click on the package in your inventory and select add/attach to HUD, you will get different options like top screen, mid etc, just add anywhere and use edit tools to place where you want it to be on the screen...detach and you are done.. this may seem like a lot, but you can do this just once, create a package with texture and script, place where you want it on screen and save so later on you have an empty, ready to use package...

The best way for making friends in SL is just like in RL; don`t assume, be polite, use common sense and above everything else; humor...you usually get what you put out/project...I`ve had IMs from guys offering sex and still managed to have a really fun, friendly conversation with them instead..I mean sure there have been instances where my outgoing character and politeness would be mistaken for interest and yes there have been guys who`d all of the sudden break up with their gfs the next day, throw a fit and get dramatic if I did not reply as soon as they IMd, but ultimately it is up to me (or anyone else in that situation) if I want to engage and how much of that drama (if any) I am willing to participate in.. @PeterSlattery, you may have a few valid points, but this entire "ladies this and ladies that" is where you lost me..

FMD club is where I`ve met mostly younger crowd...however, you need to pay a one time group fee to have access.. there are always ppl there with updated good looking avatars, events are on regular basis (parties, dating auctions etc)...Teqis is not bad either (again a one time fee), but from what I see, ppl are a bit older there, 30-40 mostly.. Both places have open access days from time to time so you can check if you like it there or not before paying anything... Oh yes Elysion seems popular too, but I`ve only been once or twice for super short and with friends, so I can`t say for sure what ppl are like there... I don`t socialize much, so that`s all I`ve got atm...good luck:)

Apply auto smooth or edge smooth (nomenclature depends on the software you are using) , this will resolve the hard edge issue you seem to have, more visible in the preview window...btw with smooth applied you can get a cylindrical shape with as little as 4 vertical edges or if that part of the mesh is more so in focus then I`d go with 8-16 max (you seem to have idk 30 vertical edges on that bent cylinder which is really really over the top)....

Photoshop Extended has a built in 3d option which is perfect for this, especially tattoos...that said, you can get a decent connection at least for clothes just by utilizing UV maps...I would also suggest to work in higher resolution and downsize before upload...Most SL mesh bodies are SLUV compatible, but I noticed there are differences and some bodies and some areas are more problematic then others...Best match was always TMP body, now Legacy, closely followed by Slink and Belleza..Maitreya is terrible, you will get all sort of miss-matching and stretching and weird shapes... Slink has a dev kit for texturing with a very cool studio that lets you see things on the body with UVs and without paying for upload. .. As Rolig said, you are bound to spend some time testing, do not get discouraged by this, it`s just a part of the process..

I use 3ds Max so I won`t be able to tell you what settings to use in Blender, but generally, any 3D software has a bunch of settings related to bake to texture process, definitely look into this..Another issue is that default SL body is low poly in comparison to mesh bodies, so either apply subdiv (make sure UV mapping didn`t get distorted in the process, this is fixable), adjust your bake settings and quality of baked maps....HOWEVER, I don`t think baking an AO and using it as an overlay is the best solution for this particular task, besides, you won`t capture correct anatomy for simple reason-it is not modeled in the mesh. From what I see on the market atm and what is popular and worn are realistic skins created with real life photo textures (you can buy these on texture sharing sites) blended at the seams and added highlights (drawn by hand)...another, more advanced and complex procedure would be hand painted skin which requires some serious drawing skills, knowing how to use color to create illusion of 3rd dimension and ofc some understanding of human anatomy as well as UV mapping (regarding placement and how polygons stretch when textures are applied). Another thing you will need are skin swatches/palette, there are tons of presets on pinterest example.. There are also tons of amazing drawing/painting tutorials for each body part example1, example2...drawing is rather easy, but using color is not...takes a while to get used to it (best to start monochrome until you are happy with the result then do the same in multicolor) Photoshop Extended has an in built 3D option which is, in my opinion, the best tool for this task...it works with layers as usual, but let`s you paint in 3D viewport so you can literally paint over seams which is then captured on the flat UV... One final note, having a decent graphic tablet would make your life easier and is worth investing into if you want to go down this route... Hope this helps (and that I made sense explaining lol), good luck!

Here is a very good in depth tutorial on how to create complex mesh with clean topology whilst keeping MD UVs: Retopo Btw the link will take you to part 2 cause that is where they showcase stuff you asked about, part 1 is more so oriented on creating base mesh in MD...

"Metric system" does not mean using meters..centimeter is also a metric unit which is what I use as my base unit....Metric has always been a standard in 3d modeling And yes ofc any unit used correctly will work, I mean that`s basic math. However, any unit will behave the same when transferred between 3ds max and Blender cause Blender has their own internal units...I did follow instructions from Blender official site and did a lot of research and testing but results were not satisfactory when working with Avastar ..I am talking about versions prior 2.8, cause Avastar did not yet offer corresponding update btw I was not aware of any Max plugins of that sort, thank you for sharing that information!

Us, Max users are completely overlooked when it comes to dev kits, information or anything.... I do my rigging in blender even tho I make everything in Max... First thing you should do, if you haven`t already is to switch to metric units so you can match things better with SL... Transferring from Max to Blender is a big problem tho cause sizing, latest 2.8 blender is a huge improvement just make sure to set it to metric as well...Older versions don`t transfer as well even with units set properly... Try with a shorter style or a bun, those styles do not need to be rigged, (adding a re-size script will suffice, those can be bought with full permission for builders/creators on MP) so you can focus on how SL works Another important thing for Max users is setting up materials/faces, system has a weird way of reading names, so before exporting your mesh, determine faces of your mesh as you want and apply a material to it (or multi sub for objects with more then one face, only diffuse!!) name of that material in material editor can only use simple letters and no special signs, underscore is ok, but best to keep it one word..if you keep the usual Material# naming, system won`t read your UVs properly..btw max number of faces per mesh in SL is 8... Export as AutodeskCOLLADA, for SL upload. If you are working with unrigged mesh then you want your mesh to have strong LOD settings, especially for hair (so it doesn`t start disintegrating when someone zooms out) if it`s rigged, you can completely scrap all LODs except high...physic shape is also not important for avatar attachments like hair, clothes etc, you can use a simple cube or none at all... There are a few groups in world for 3ds max users, it would be a good idea to join, you can always ask anything in the group chat, most times there is someone who can offer advice, suggestion etc... I don`t know where to get the basic rig since I only use dev kits for mesh bodies (those come without a head so you still need a base if you do hair)...alternatively you can buy avastar or mayastar, those are plug ins for blender and maya with base avatar already added, it`s a great rigging tool and would save you a lot of time! Speaking of dev kits, you will have to apply for those for every mesh body and mesh head brand...some are easy to come by and some not so much. Don`t worry a lot about mesh heads tho, just make sure to test your hairstyles in world with some of more prominent brands, at times you might have to adapt your hairstyles for particular brand, depending on the style...Most worn/popular are Catwa, LeLutka, Genus...For dev kits (base head model and rig for those brands), best to check their web sites and fill applications if provided ofc.. Hope this helps!