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Comparing Mesh body to standard body


Ashlyn Gedales
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I'm not really new. I started second life in 2008-2010 and then I stopped. I had a really nice skin back then and shape but now I see Maitreya and Belleza, and although pretty, wow what a learning curve! I demo-ed them and they are really nice, but Im wondering if I can get a gorgeous avatar without going mesh? Cuz I like just right clicking and wearing. Or maybe just a mesh head. I love the catwa heads. Anyway. Any thoughts? 

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I don't really understand your question.

What do you mean with getting a gorgeous avatar without using mesh? I ask, because the standart avatar body has not changed and functions in the exact same way it has always been. Maybe the texture of some skins got a bit better, but the shapes and standart body stayed the same.

If you are happy with the standart body + maybe some new skin, eyes, hair and such, then go for it. And maybe just settle for new hands/feet.

Speaking of mesh heads: In my honest opinion those are on the same level of learning curve as mesh bodies.

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Ashlyn Gedales wrote:

Im wondering if I can get a gorgeous avatar without going mesh?

Yes.

First things, if you go with a mesh body you can no longer wear any system clothes.  However with a system body you can wear mesh clothes just fine. So if your mesh clothes cover your mesh body you have gained what exactly?  With boots and bracelets to cover the notoriously crappy parts of the standard body you can make a gorgeous avatar.

 

 


Ashlyn Gedales wrote:

Or maybe just a mesh head. I love the catwa heads. Anyway. Any thoughts? 

No. :D

The heads are the lest modifiable or customizable mesh body parts.  They have a ton of parts and more HUD switches and toggles than command line GREP.  They also cost 15$US for the base and another 20 bucks for facial animations.

 

 


Ashlyn Gedales wrote:

Anyway. Any thoughts? 

Anyone can look pretty for a few L$ but beauty comes from the heart.

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Those images you showed are gorgeous in my opinion. Thats what Im looking for, and I see how the Maitreya and Belleza bodies have pretty boobs and curves. I'm wondering if you can get that look with regular skins and shapes if I shopped around without buying a mesh body. 

So those images are the standard avatar? And actually my terminology may be all wrong. I'm trying to explain the best I can so I can get a answer. You can consider me new.

Im seeing mesh this and that everywhere so basically I'm wondering if I have to change my avatar to mesh to have a very pretty one.

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OMG Talligirl. Thank you thank you so much for the pictures. You are gorgeous and thats what I wanted to see. I dont really feel like doing the mesh body because of all the appliers and do hickeys on my screen and I've been learning about them and I dont want to have my head hurt anymore. I thought that maybe because I had been away from Sl for a while that I needed to update to a mesh body, but I see thats not the case. 

I have some newbie questions about customizing a standard avi so I'm going to post another question soon. 

If anyone else has pics of their gorgeous standard avi's, please share them. 

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You will never get the (almost) perfectly smooth look of a mesh body without a mesh body. The standard body has its jagged edges and poorly detailed bits, and always will.

BUT.

That's not to say that the default body can't be lovely on its own, because it absolutely can. You may want to pick up a more up-to-date skin from somewhere - that goes a long way all by itself. 

I do recommend mesh hands and feet. They're not overly complicated - certainly not as much so as a full body - and you only really have to mess with appliers once, when you first set things up. The feet and hands are the worst parts of the default body. 

I really, really don't suggest a mesh head. For one, I think they're not only more expensive, but also more complicated than mesh bodies. For two, they're far less customizable. Go for it if you want, but definitely try some demos - I think you'll find they're more complicated than they're really worth.

 

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I left SL about the same time as you did in 2010 out of excess use via addiction I had an issue with and needed a break.

 

I only decided to get back into it more over the last 6-8 months and faced the same decision as you with buying mesh. One thing I never liked about the standard body is how low resolution the pictures that make the skins are. They were fine in 2004 on a VGA screen but most monitors are HD now and mesh accommodates high res images so things like little freckles and shadings look nice. As well as that the mesh itself is smoother and the hud will let you tint the whole body skin for a different colour.

 

When I first got back in I was undecided at first but bought the Belleza body after a month because I liked their skins from before and it matched my existing skins.

 

My Avi has the Belleza body and Catwa head (from recommendations) and the menus on those are all in one and not too complicated once you get through the lurning curve. They both have some other advantages regarding using 3rd party textures as well as I can make tatt and clothing layers easy with the body and things like blush or a beauty spot in the head with little thinking in my part with the supplied dev kits.

 

In the past when I have bought quality SL merchandise that lasts for years it works out cheap entertainment especially when spread over many years of use. After having mesh and its convenience it's hard to go back. I have to admit it generated a new interest in the game for me having some new toys inworld.

 

BTW the Laqroki heads look really pretty too and might be worth a look at and asking owners about the hud ease of use.

 

As far as a nice Avi it depends on your standards and tastes and you can still make a nice one from the standard non mesh things. Actually I still use non mesh hair quite often and bought some last week.

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if you are going to get a bit skimpy clothed (like beachwear) then you might think about getting a mesh body. They do correct a few flaws in the standard avatar. Better shaped ankles, wrists, hands, toes, groin area and can get a better bosom shape as well. Better being subjective of course

if you don't get skimpy clothed then a standard avatar is pretty ok. In terms of skins pretty much all the fav skin designers make the same styled skins and makeups for both standard and the most popular mesh bodies. So in terms of texture detail then they are equivalent

here is my new reborn-again neko self which I put together out of freebie everything. Standard avatar

 

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I love the pics of these avatars! The cleavage looks like very nice skin and the faces look gorgeous! 

I do like to dress very skimpy in second life unless I'm wearing a long evening gown. heehee, but you've all given me good info and Im happy to know that not everybody uses the full mesh bodies. For now, I'm playing around with the new Elizabeth Avi to see how much more beautiful I can make her and my old avi has really nice tanned skin and a very curvy shape. 

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I know a lot of people say mesh heads are either creepy or the other one is everyone looks the same. I really don't think that is true. Might as well say that everyone who wears the same skin looks the same. That's patently not true. Everyone does different things with their skins, heads etc. 

Until I got my mesh head I did subscribe to that a bit, now if I take it off I really don't like my system head.

To each their own. Everyone is different RL and SL. Don't think there is any right or wrong. 

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I do not feel ready for a mesh body as of yet and the reason why is that when there is lag the mesh body hangs in pieces with body parts floating in the air in a creepy looking manner around your avatar and it will be completely naked, then for a while after it forms around your avatar it will remain completely naked for all to see before the clothes finally are put on. That is how it looks to others in world when you are walking around. I do not find that appealing.

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Elinah Iredell wrote:

I do not feel ready for a mesh body as of yet and the reason why is that when there is lag the mesh body hangs in pieces with body parts floating in the air in a creepy looking manner around your avatar and it will be completely naked, then for a while after it forms around your avatar it will remain completely naked for all to see before the clothes finally are put on. That is how it looks to others in world when you are walking around. I do not find that appealing.

this a valid point, and is why I struggle with getting a mesh body myself. If I do want to get nekkid then I rather do that deliberately by choice rather than incidentally

is reminiscient really of the pre-outfit pre-bake clothing layer era, when sometimes you would appear dressed on your screen but on others screens then nekkid due to them not getting the clothing layers

i think that in time, LL devs will fix the issue with mesh layers and alphas

from my pov the new viewer jelly baby codes  is foundational to this I think. Like the next step would be to render the avatar as a jelly baby until all the textures that make up the Outfit have been downloaded and composited, and when so then it renders them fully composited (dressed)

basically I would rather be a fully-formed single-color grey ( jelly baby) on others screens than a incidental nekkid or a alpha cut to pieces victim of a chainsaw maniac 

 

--||-
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I'm easily amused, so I giggle at some of the slow rezzes and the impossible scenarios they create. Of course there are times when it's not good, like being inadvertently naked on a G sim, even if everyone knows it's a quirk of using mesh.

To the OP and other new or returning peeps considering mesh bodies - there is a lot of change in that area. An early fad was absurdly ginormous mesh breasts with nipples that could poke an eye out and mesh butts big ennough to require an extra seat on an airplane. Now the rage is full mesh bodies. System clothing was nearly obsolete in some circles for a while, but I've noticed popular creators going back to it. (Makes sense since appliers are a big trend and clothing appliers are just system clothes for mesh bodies.)

LL is also in the process of releasing updates which will probably set off at least two more rounds of major changes. You can read about the one that was just released here: https://community.secondlife.com/t5/General-Discussion-Forum/Jelly-babies/m-p/3031284#M225489A really important one in the pipeline will add new "bones", sort of like more joints for the av skeleton and greater flexibilty in positioning limbs. Some of the things which creators do with those might not work terribly well with existing mesh bodies which weren't optimised for those possibilities.

My suggestion to those who are new or returning is to wait before buying and study other people's avatars to get a better sense of what is possible now. You can ask in fashion-orientated groups too, but IMO it's usually more helpful to ask people who are wearing something you like the look of. And use the Avatar Rendering Complexity figures on demos before you buy anything. The mesh body thing can be overwhelming if you try to just dive in. Fortunately you don't need to do that, take as much time as you need to enjoy the adventure. :matte-motes-smile:

P.S. Both mesh and pre-mesh building techniques have eccentricities which stand out until you get used to them and forget about them. None are absolutely perfect, so go with what makes you happy. And doesn't lag other people out obscenely.

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I really appreciate all the input I've received. As I was travelling around SL in the past few days I was playing with my system body and making it look great and I was able to try a mesh body on it just to see and it definitely made things rounder and smoother. I'm not into the ginormous boobs but I'd love to get a little more than a 40 on the slider and I got sort of square, so the mesh body boobs are great. We will see. 

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  • 1 year later...

*blows the dust off* 

 

I´m a returner as well and some designers stopped making stuff for non-mesh avatars, Maitreya Lara seeming to be basically the most favourized one...

I am REALLY iffy about my "signature look" and that´s why I´ve always rejected the mere thought of going meshbodied. So my question is... if I made the step can I reverse it or switch back and forth? Like with the slink feet you can detach them and wear "old" shoes, too.

 

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5 minutes ago, Akasha Sternberg said:

*blows the dust off* 

 

I´m a returner as well and some designers stopped making stuff for non-mesh avatars, Maitreya Lara seeming to be basically the most favourized one...

I am REALLY iffy about my "signature look" and that´s why I´ve always rejected the mere thought of going meshbodied. So my question is... if I made the step can I reverse it or switch back and forth? Like with the slink feet you can detach them and wear "old" shoes, too.

 

A mesh body does not change your "signature look", unless your signature look is definied by sharp edges and weird looking feet... The mesh body works with your shape. Changeing your shape, affects how the body looks like. So test some bodies together with the shape you want to use and pick whats best looking. A mesh body has nothing to do with your face. (Just make sure you get some appliers that match your chosen skin).

So test some demos (can't say that enough).

A mesh body is also not some magical thing. Its an object, that you attach, so you can put it on and off.

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8 minutes ago, Syo Emerald said:

A mesh body does not change your "signature look", unless your signature look is definied by sharp edges and weird looking feet... The mesh body works with your shape. Changeing your shape, affects how the body looks like. So test some bodies together with the shape you want to use and pick whats best looking. A mesh body has nothing to do with your face. (Just make sure you get some appliers that match your chosen skin).

So test some demos (can't say that enough).

A mesh body is also not some magical thing. Its an object, that you attach, so you can put it on and off.

hahahaha aw bless thanks for the reassurement (reassuration? you know what I mean XD)  Plus... that was quick
Ak ok good thought it was like a ... Mesh shape... I´m happy to have seen that the Maitreya Lara has my beloved Glam Affair Artic applier so hm I should be good ;) 

Plus you´re SO  DAMN RIGHT bout the Demos... Demos rock!!! ;)

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24 minutes ago, Akasha Sternberg said:

hahahaha aw bless thanks for the reassurement (reassuration? you know what I mean XD)  Plus... that was quick
Ak ok good thought it was like a ... Mesh shape... I´m happy to have seen that the Maitreya Lara has my beloved Glam Affair Artic applier so hm I should be good ;) 

Plus you´re SO  DAMN RIGHT bout the Demos... Demos rock!!! ;)

If you need help with anything, just drop me a message and I'll try to help (I have the Maitreya body).

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It is quite likely that a mesh body will actually help you to accentuate your shape, smoothing out annoying edges and providing a prettier overall bodyline. Unlike severely limiting standard sizing shape ideals, you do have more freedom to play with the body sliders ... to a certain degree at least, until the fitmesh clothing starts to deform, but still better than trying to squeeze your numbers into 5 available mesh clothes sizes.

Give it a try, toy with the demos, test them as much as you like, get used to them ... no need to rush a purchase.

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I'm quite happy staying with a 'system' shape and a decent skin.  I've tried the Demo version of one of SL's most popular mesh bodies and while it's undoubtedly really well made, I can't get it to match my normal skinny, sporty shape, however much I play with the sliders.  As for Bento mouths, they're a clever idea but too many of them look like botox treatment gone wrong or even worse, reconstructive surgery!  

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