BigMcIntoshSL

Does anyone know what store this hair is from? https://gyazo.com/0912bc8088671305d88c3e348f9d18f7

This a good point that did not occur to me. I suppose Alpha Cuts are here to stay unless LL can come up with some sort of asymmetrical Alpha Mask solution.

So if you right-click a folder in your inventory and select new clothes... or is it new body part? Anyway, you can select New Alpha Mask and a new Alpha Mask will appear in that folder. If you then right-click that new Alpha Mask and select Edit, you will see that you can apply textures to various sections of the Mask that correspond to the default SL UV map. Back in the day, before mesh bodies, we would use alpha masks to hide different parts of the system body to prevent clipping with mesh clothes. Creators would make and include custom alpha masks intended to be worn along with their mesh clothing items. With advent of BOM, those same alpha masks will now work on mesh bodies (as long as its in mask mode, not blend mode, right?). In a weird way, mesh body Alpha Cut HUDs are a kind of hold-over from pre-BOM days. However, because we are so used to them and creators don't include alpha masks anymore, they're probably gonna be with us for a while. @Marianne Little mentioned she had seen tutorials "how to make your own alpha mask". Maybe she can post one? Going through the process of making a custom alpha mask is probably the best way to learn how they work.

I agree with you on almost every point. Generally speaking, alpha cuts are more accessible to the layperson and easier to adjust on the fly. But since you mention it, I would love to see more creators include alpha masks for their products. I often have to go back and adjust my alpha cuts after changing outfits due to glitchy auto-hiders. Adding alpha masks to an outfit would eliminate this issue.

So, technically, IIRC, if you put the body in alpha mask mode, not blend, you can use the system alpha masks and they will work on the mesh body the same way they work on the system body. That was one of the things I liked about the old SLink redux body. However, I think your statement still rings true, because we are just so used to alpha cuts at this point. Overall, I like the geometry of the body. I think it serves a market for a male body type that often gets over-looked or requires deformers to achieve. However, as many others have pointed out, if it fails to get significant third-party support, then it will not be a viable body. In this case, I think that would be a shame.

Are you willing to post a picture of the avatar in question? I am curious to see what it looks like.

Under 100K is my rule of thumb as well. I often try to go for under 50K, but within the kink communities, with all of our... "Flair" ( @Love Zhaoying is not wrong about that), that can be very difficult. @5p4c3 I usually keep my avatar complexity render limit (a feature in the Firestorm viewer) somewhere between 300K and 350K, thus your avatar at 360+ K, unfortunately, would not even render for me. That said, your question is NOT dumb AT ALL. It is a question I wish more people would ask and consider when putting their avatars together. Most of the video lag we experience in SL comes from complex avatars and not necessarily the environment.

IIRC, the MAGNIFICENT beard HUDs should have an alpha function that allows you customize the look of the beard by making different parts of the beard invisible . It might be worth your time to check out the Drogo DEMO to see if that "Show / Hide" function can give you the look you are seeking.

I am surprised no one has mentioned MAGNIFICENT. They actually have like 3 different bento beard styles fitted for Skyler. And you can actually make them look longer and fuller by increasing the jaw depth value of your avatar's shape: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/160169/search?utf8=✓&search[category_id]=&search[maturity_level]=G&search[keywords]=skyler

Has Belleza made any statements about a new male body? Or is it pretty much just speculation?

A friend of mine who uses the old SLink male body, finally decided he wanted to move on to a new body and asked me to help. I'm probably going to recommend Belleza Jake because, right now, I am convinced it's the "best value" when you factor in the current price , its ample 3rd-Party support and relatively easy-to-use HUD. I will also be showing him the Legacy male body (It's just so damn pretty), but will probably dissuade him from getting it due to price and its complicated HUD. I might show him the new signature Davis body, but I still have doubts about its ability to accrue 3rd-Party support. So far, Gianni is Signature's only real successful body. After Geralt failed to gain traction, I am taking a "wait-and-see" approach with Davis. That said, I welcome any input on the Davis body that I may have not considered. I do not care for the Kario bodies at all and its my understanding they are not garnering the critical 3rd-Party support that makes a mesh body viable.

Yes, I did. Found the switch, thanks for the heads up!

Hmm, signatures in general don't seem to be displaying for me... Is there a setting somewhere? This is how her post appears to me:

Can I get a link to your store?

I do not recognize this tattoo, unfortunately. In addition, I suspect the texture of the tattoo is incomplete; obscured by either an alpha glitch or incomplete application to all the relevant faces.