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How do I change shape/skins?I'm stuck with default textures


SunMage
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I'm really new, just joined yesterday!

I got the hang of rezzing my items, so I'm not clicking on them and wearing a box. It shows up in Edit Outfit but my avatar is still the same as default? I can only put on clothes and hair. I got Iffy Shape ~*By Snow*~ for example, clicked on it, and it changes my shape but the skin is still the same (but the item in the shop seems like it comes with a skin?). The same happens with an eyepack I got

Putting on other skins/makeup does nothing and I really dont want to be stuck with an ugly default face :(

EDIT: and how would I fix clothes if they clip into my body?

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Hi SunMage, and welcome to SL...

You change skins and shapes, the same way you change clothes. - You simply replace the worn skin and shape, by clicking in your inventory on another skin or shape, and select wear...(Or drag the skin or shape from your inventory, to your body).

When you purchase a shape, sometimes there is a skin in the box too, and sometimes not. It is very important to carefully read, what you are purchasing... The picture can show an amazing skin and shape, but if the ad says: skin 50L$, the shape on the picture does not come with the skin.

Same thing when you buy eyes. You see some eyes you want to buy, sitting in the head of an handsome avatar, but the skin and shape of this avatar may not be included.

It is confusing, I know, because skin, eyes and shapes are often sold separately...but also sometimes as complete avatars. You simply have to read very carefully, what is included in your purchase.

If you have chosen a mesh-body-avatar, when you joined SL, please go into the library of your inventory, and put on one of the classic avatars from there (avatar = shape and skin)...then look at the 'worn' tab in your inventory, and detach all kinds of mesh-stuff from your body... Wearing a classical avatar, should make you able to change your shape, eyes and skin.

 

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Maddy has given you an excellent answer, especially the last paragraph.

I also recommend that you visit Caledon Oxbridge University and stroll through the campus.  Each building is a self paced tutorial on an aspect of Second Life, and there is one dealing specifically with avatar appearance.

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There are different types of avatars in SL. There are the new starter avatars, which have what we call mesh bodies or we just call them mesh avatars. There are also the older avatars which we call classic avatars. The classic avatar skeleton and skin are the base avatar for both types. To use a new mesh body the skin of the classic avatar is hidden using alpha layers.That means some clothes you put on using WEAR will not show.

So, you need to understand how the avatars and clothes work before trying to change clothes, shapes, skins, or tats.

Clothes and skin made for the classic avatar apply a texture/image to the mesh surface that makes up the skin of the classic avatar, which we usually just refer to as the system (original) skin. We call these clothes and skins classic, system clothes or skin. You can think of the images as being like decals. These are the clothes we make with GIMP or Photoshop.

If you use GIMP or Photoshop you are familiar with layers. In the classic avatar the skin is the bottom layer. On top of that we composite the tattoo, undershirt, shirt, and jacket layers. We can also wear ‘attachments’ on top of all those classic layers.

Over those ‘system’ layers the new style mesh avatar places a new mesh surface. The two surfaces are so close to the same position we generally hide the classic surface with Alpha Layers, so the classic skin won't show when it pokes through the surface of the new style mesh avatar surface - which it will as the avatar moves. It’s a basic limitation of modeling and animating in all 3D worlds that surfaces conflict. It is just the state of the technology we have. Note, this hiding also hides the system clothes applied to the classic skin.

The viewer always applies system skin, tats, shirt, etc. to the system or classic avatar’s surface. This is why when you wear a new style mesh avatar and make changes to system clothes you see no change. The change happened on the classic avatar skin/surface, which is HIDDEN UNDER the new style mesh skin/surface.

Special skins and clothes are needed for use with the newer style mesh avatars. With mesh clothes another mesh surface is placed over both the classic and new style mesh skins. A rigged mesh top should fit over both skins. A rigged mesh jacket will be another surface that fits over all the surfaces below/inside it.

We use 'Appliers' (a HUD that usually comes with a skin or other attachment) to place textures/images on the new surface that makes up the mesh avatar skin or clothing. We must composite the skin and clothes we want to put on the new style avatar skin ourselves. But, it is intended that we use new style mesh clothes with the new style mesh avatar body. So, in general we only place skin on the new mesh skin.

Unfortunately, skins made for the classic avatar generally won't work with the new mesh avatar skin. The skin makers are modifying classic skins they made to work with Appliers they build, which put the skins on the new mesh avatars.

Mesh clothes can be used with the new mesh avatars and classic avatars. System clothes can only be used with the system/classic avatar.

If all this seems unnecessarily complicated... you're sort of right and the thinking is understandable. But, the necessity for it comes from the Lab's habit of making all new things as backward compatible as possible. Classic avatars came first. We are now in a transition to newer things. We expect these complications to be removed in the coming SL2 aka Project SANSAR.

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