Alpha, Mesh, Appliers, Deformers...Wait, What??

[Scout Pevensey]

Alternate Subject: Teaching an old dog new tricks...

I have been away from SL for quite some time and have slowly been starting to play again.  And the concept of the mesh avatar is kind of daunting.  I'm getting outfits that contain 5 different sizes and I'm not quite sure how to wear them and the thought of changing my body and appearance to fit one (of five) one size fits all types and then does that mean everything in my inventory is crap and I have to get rid of everything and AHHHHHH, OMG, my head's going to explode.  

 

Are there any great tutorials out there (in layman's terms, I'm not a designer and don't speak the lingo) or advice on where to start in order to convert my avatar over to the seemingly more popular mesh avatar?  "Dress up" (to borrow a term from my niece) is one of my favorite aspects of SL.

 

Thanks!

[Venus Petrov]

This blog meshbodyaddicts.com/  will answer most of your mesh-related questions as they pertain to avatar bodies. There are separate sections for male and female bodies.  Just take your time getting into all of the 'new stuff'.

[Ariel Vuissent]

First off, a mesh AVATAR and mesh CLOTHING are not the same thing. 

An alpha layer makes part of your avatar invisible. This keeps body parts from sticking through mesh clothing. Same concept as the old invisiprims (that invisible halo that sometimes surrounded older shoes, etc.), much better execution. 

Here is a free set of standard sized shapes for both men and women. These shapes are intended as a base, so you can edit them to suit you as long as you don't edit the standard sizing relevant sliders. You don't have to buy the package, though: If your shape is modifiable, you can simply use the values provided in the product description to get a standard sizing compatible shape. You may find, like I did, that your regular shape is already fairly close to one of those sizes. 

No, it doesn't mean everything in your inventory is crap. I still wear system layers regularly, for various reasons. Underwear, in particular, tends to work better in system layers, IMO. I do recommend that if you have older items with invisiprims, you either get rid of those items, or if possible, edit them and remove the invisiprim, and use an alpha instead. 

I haven't noticed mesh avatars being more popular. Mesh clothing is quite popular, but mesh bodies, although rising in popularity, certainly haven't overtaken the default avatar body. They do look nice though, so you can check out some demos and see what you like.

If you'd like more help, or a shopping buddy, feel free to contact me inworld. Shopping is my weakness...

[Marianne Little]

You should get the list of standard sizing that Ariel links to. Now you will probably be annoyed and think that you have to change totally to fit into a new shape that isn't you?

You don't have to touch the sliders on the bones of your avatar. The mesh is rigged to stretch with the bones. The "soft parts" is what matters. 

Body Fat
Muscle (Torso and legs)
Breast Size
Love Handles
Belly Size
Butt Size
Saddle Bags

Using the standard sizing as a reference, you will perhaps discover that you are close to one of the sizes, and so the change in the "soft parts" does not mean you have to start over and look totally different.

Let us say you adjust your avatar to a size M, then that is what matters. A Marketplace ad will often show a long and confusing list: "The shorts come in 5 standard sizes + Belleza Venus, Isis, Freya Fitted + Slink Physique Fitted + Maitreya Lara Fitted sizes for the jeans." You can totally ignore what comes after 5 standard sizes as long as you wear the avatar shape you are familiar with. You wear the size that fits you and the others can be deleted.  But maybe you will change to a different size or buy a mesh avatar in the future. It is best to keep a boxed copy of the item. Also look to the right side and you will see: "Works with classic and mesh avatars". Classic, that's you. https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Blueberry-Lana-Maitreya-Belleza-Slink-Vox/7403425

Sometimes you will see that clothes do not fit exactly even if you wear a standard size. As in RL clothing, brands can smaller or bigger. Even if you wear a size 10 sometimes you have to buy 12 or 8. Making small adjustments to the body is normal. particularly for the breasts. Different clothes gives you a different lift, so the buoyancy and cleavage might need to be adjusted. Think about how a RL sports bra or a push-up changes your shape. The alpha layer takes care of most issues, but the top if the cleavage must be fitted in manually of you in some cases. Keeping an adjusted shape copy in the folder may be a good idea. It is the same as the old "skirt shape" we used before, not really more work.

Sometimes you will see ads that have a collage of icons like this ad: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/Big-Beautiful-Doll-POISON-Lingerie-Set-Black/7169409 Wow, what is all this? Again, you don't have to think about the icons as long as you check the ad and finds that it has layers for classic avatars.

Maybe you will start to think about a mesh avatar. Then the blog you was linked to in reply #2 is really the best guide you can read. That, and demos. Then those icons in ads and names of mesh bodies matter. 

The classic avatar is good enough but you should really change the feet. That is the best investment you can do, it is simply hard to find footwear for classic feet anymore. The replacement feet that has the largest market is Slink.  https://marketplace.secondlife.com/p/KC-IRONY-Heels-for-Slink-Maitreya-Belleza-EveTMP/7367368 Again, only the brand that you have matters. The other sizes included is there to target as many customers as possible. The text in the ad has changed to :"Works with mesh avatars" meaning they will not fit classic feet. I recommend Slink high for heels and Slink flat for low sandals. Slink medium height is not so popular among those that create shoes. For Slink feet, you simply must set your leg muscle and body fat to one of the standard sizes. Here is their FAQ: http://slinkstyle.com/slink-feet-faq/

The Slink hands and feet come with detailed instructions and has good support. Wait, there is hands too? Yes, and they are cheaper than the feet. The nail polish created these days is almost only Slink (Or mesh bodies like Maitreya that comes with the full body including hands and feet.) You basically only need the relaxed pair of Slink hands if the nail polish options win you over.

Now to match your mesh parts skin to the rest of your avatar, you should go straight to appliers. This is a system with a script you attach to your screen and click it. It then applies an exact copy of the skin to the mesh parts, you should get a a 99 - 100% match if your computer is able to show at least basic shades. Some times a slight color change is visible, but this is still much better than tinting by RGB. The FAQ and the video I link to should help you a bit. It looks complicated, but appliers is really wear - click - take off the applier. All you need to think of is using the applier that match the product you wear and the skin. An applier from a brand will not match a skin from another brand. So if you have mesh parts, then check that they have the appliers you need before you buy the skin. Sometimes they are included, sometimes you have to purchase them separately and add them to the cost.

Last, remember to add instead of wear new items like alpha masks and mesh. If you wear a pair of feet with an alpha mask and you wear another mask for a dress, you knock off the first mask. The mesh can also have the same attachment point, that is different from seller to seller. This add function also applies to all system layers like tattoos, and clothes. You can wear up to 5 layers of each, like 5 jacket layers, 5 shirt layers and so on.