Linden Lab released eight new starter avatars earlier this month, six of which come with bento parts. Anyone can use these, simply select the “Choose an avatar” option in your viewer. Note: If you already have an avatar you love save it to your wardrobe before changing! You can do this is the appearance tab of your viewer.
Yesterday I showed off the first four (Angels & Demons) and today you’ll get to see the next four (Renaissance & Mystic Heroes). The Renaissance avatars actually come with bento horses which is a fun change for starters. The heroes have adorable little imp pets, too!
Linden Lab released eight new starter avatars earlier this month, six of which come with bento parts. Anyone can use these, simply select the “Choose an avatar” option in your viewer. Note: If you already have an avatar you love the looks of make sure to save it to your wardrobe (via the appearance section of your viewer) before changing!
I’ll show you the first four (Angels & Demons) today and the next four (Renaissance & Mystic Heroes) tomorrow. Both the Angels and Demons have bento wings. These wings move on their own and change based on what you’re doing. Try walking, running, and flying and see what they do!
Note: While the images are from 2017 products, the content has been reviewed and is up to date as of July 2020.
Second Life and some of its many avatars may be free, however a large portion of us invest money into the game. Avatar customization can turn into a very expensive hobby if you have the desire and the funds. That said, you don’t have to be rich to look awesome. If you want to spend some money on your avatar but need to stick to a budget you can still look great.
What To Spend On
The important thing to remember is that your avatar is yours and what’s important to others may not be important to you. Maybe you don’t care about cool clothing but you want a high quality mesh body. Perhaps you love the system body and want to invest in quality clothing and hair. It’s entirely up to you. Here are some things worth investing in when funds are limited.
The Basics: Body, Skin, Hair, Etc.
A high quality base is a great starting point. If you have some of the more popular mesh body parts you can find low cost and even free clothing, appliers, and accessories quite easily. What you should purchase is entirely up to your preferences and budget. This section lists some of the most popular brands alongside which genders they support so you have a place to start. This is by no means a complete list, it just includes the most popular brands to consider.
Mesh Body Parts
If you’ll only be purchasing high quality body parts (and looking for deals on skins and appliers) I recommend sticking with the more common mesh body options. Their popularity makes it very easy to find low cost and free products to use with them. I highly encourage you to demo all your parts together before purchasing to ensure they give you the look you want.
Have you ever looked in the mirror after a new haircut and felt like a new person? A new ‘do can really change the vibe you give off to others! This is true for our avatars, too.
A change of color can be the breath of fresh air your avatar needs, or perhaps you want an entirely different style altogether. You may be surprised at just how much a new hairstyle can change your overall appearance. Take the images below, for example. The hair are the only differences between each image. The red and black cuts are actually the same hair with different styles selected. Notice how each look could be their own different character. Every hair in this post was created by TRUTH.
Truth hairs shown (from top left): Kitten, Horizon, Euphoria, Labyrinth, Kitten, Poetry
Need more mesh help or info? Check out our full Mesh Crash Course. Mesh hands and feet are a popular option for users with all types of avatars. For somebody who goes full mesh it’s a no brainer. Many system avatars also enjoy mesh hands or feet for various reasons including bento hand capability and …
Note: While the images are from 2017 products, the content has been reviewed and is up to date as of July 2020. Need more mesh help or info? Check out our full Mesh Crash Course.
Mesh bodies have become extremely popular in Second Life. They offer more realistic curves and higher levels of modification than the classic system avatar bodies. With so many mesh bodies to chose from you may need a hand narrowing it down. Not to worry! Today’s post covers what to look for when researching and demoing potential mesh body purchases.
Main Considerations
As always you must remember that what is right for others may not be right for you. It comes down to your own needs and preferences. There are a few things to consider when demoing (yes, you should be using demos) and narrowing the options for your personal taste.
Proportions
Some people love fairly realistic avatar bodies. Others love giant booties and chests. Some love small, petite bodies, and still others want to be child sized or feral animals. All of these are possible but work best with different bodies. While many bodies allow for a level of customization there is only so far you can go. Altering shapes too drastically can result in issues with clipping and jagged edges. You’ll want to ensure the body you select will support your own vision. Keep in mind you may have to get separate products (such as third party breasts) for some of the more extreme looks.
For the initial browsing of what body types you may like I highly recommend Mesh Body Addicts. You can browse by gender and quickly get an idea of what style you may prefer. If you’re looking for a child or very petite body you may not find what you’re looking for there. ToddleeDoo is a very popular brand for toddler avatars and UTILIZATOR‘s Kemono is a well loved petite body that works well for anime avatars or petite humans/furries. Sking is a popular brand for those who want huge chests and booties.
Note: While the images are from 2017 products, the content has been reviewed and is up to date as of July 2020. Need more mesh help or info? Check out our full Mesh Crash Course.
Mesh heads are extremely popular due to their smooth, seamless look in comparison to system heads. Whether you’re looking for your first mesh head or your fifth there are a few basics that can help ensure you pick the perfect one for you.
Main Considerations
Of course what is right for others may not be right for you. It always comes down to your own needs and preferences. There are a few things to consider when demoing (yes, you should be using demos) and narrowing down the options for your personal taste.
Bento vs Static?
One of your biggest choices is if you’d like a bento or static head. I won’t get in too deep as we’ve already covered this, however it’s still important to touch on. The main difference between bento and static heads is the shape customization. Bento heads respond to the shape sliders so you can get various looks with the same head. Static heads don’t respond to the sliders and always have the same shape even if you alter sliders. Bento heads can work with bento animations, even from third party creators. Static heads are more limited and will not change with bento animations, but instead rely on the HUDs from their developer.
Alpha Options
Many people like to use different eyes, ears, or teeth instead of the standards that may come with a purchase. If you’re one of those people (or may be in the future) you’ll want to ensure your head will allow for it. If the head comes with those components you’ll want to make sure they are either equipped separately or can be hidden. Otherwise you will likely run into clipping issues and a weird mix of double features.
If you’re not sure why anyone would want to use something aside from the standards take a peek at this list. I’d hate for you to pick a head that didn’t let you hide ears than decide you wanted to be an elf in a few weeks!
I’ve had quite a few people ask about my male avatar, Zane, and how I made his base look. I wanted something that looked nice and was easy to customize. With a little research and a lot of demos he became the handsome man he is today. This post is just a quick explanation of the products used for his base look.
Slink
When I made Zane the most commonly used body type for men was Slink‘s Physique. The popularity of the body makes it easier to find compatible products which can be a bit annoying for male avatars. Slink’s body is Omega compatible which makes finding skins, tattoos, and applier clothing a breeze. The alpha layers make it easy to wear various mesh clothing too.
Note: While the images in this blog post are from 2017, the content has been reviewed and updated for 2020.
As you explore Second Life you’re bound to pick up some items along the way. Okay, who am I kidding, you’re gonna have WAY more than some. You’ll find that your inventory fills up super quick, especially if you’re visiting events or freebie areas. Second Life inventory management is something that everybody can benefit from. Whether you’ve been playing a week or a decade I can help you get that inventory under control. This post teaches you how to organize your inventory easily and without spending a single cent. If you’re interested in a more in depth system check out my post Visually Organize Your Second Life Inventory With Wardrobe.
Your Concerns
I know that there is at least one of you reading this with a mental dialogue of reasons why you can’t organize your inventory. I’ve made this list just for you.
“But Asia! I have SO many things! It’s impossible to organize this mess!”
I promise you it’s not impossible. It’s not even hard.
“But Asia, it’s gonna take forever!”
If you want to do it all at once it’ll get done fast but feel very time consuming.
If you do it little by little it gets done over time and doesn’t feel like it takes much work at all!
“But Asiaaaaaaa! I’m afraid I’ll stop halfway through and everything will be so confusing!”
Actually if you organize your inventory the way I do it is not confusing at all. You’ll have a fresh, clean inventory AND all your old stuff will be (almost) exactly where you left it until it’s sorted.
“But Asia I actually don’t need to organize. I can just use the search bar to find what I need.”
That’s wonderful when you know the name of what you want. What if you’re just looking for shoes to go with your new outfit but aren’t sure what matches right? Do you know the name of every pair of shoes you have? If not you can benefit from a little organization!
The Totally Not Overwhelming Step By Step Overview
I know, I know. This has a LOT of information. You don’t have to apply every little thing, simply take these ideas and tailor your organization to your needs. Here is the basic overview with link to each section for more info.
Note: While the images in this blog post are from 2017, the content has been reviewed and updated for 2020.
This post is currently in the process of being updated. Please bear in mind the info presented may be out of date. A more in depth version is coming soon!
While the standard system heads can look nice, many people opt for mesh heads instead. With mesh you have many options, not only based on creator and style, but also in what type of head to get. Both standard and bento mesh heads have their uses. Read on to learn which is more suited to your own personal needs.
Catwa: Vampire Annie (Standard Mesh)
Standard Mesh Heads
Standard mesh heads are a bit out of date now that bento has been out for a while. What you see is what you get in terms of shape. You can alter the appearance with different skins, but the base itself will not change. Think of using skins like painting a sculpture. The final product will look different depending on the colors and shapes you use but the sculpture itself remains unchanged under the paint. For more information about how much of an impact shapes and skins have on your look check out our informational post.
Standard doesn’t necessarily mean static. While some standard mesh heads don’t move at all, many have movement options. The movement ranges from basic blinking to more in depth expression HUDs allowing for smiling, sticking tongues out, and more. Standard mesh heads won’t move with bento AOs or poses, however. They’ll only move with whatever HUDs are made for that specific head.
Bento Heads
Catwa: Lona (Bento Mesh)
Bento mesh heads are a godsend for people who want to switch up their appearance on a regular basis. With bento mesh you can adjust your facial shape with the appearance sliders. This allows for an entirely different base shape as often as you’d like. Combined with the use of skins you can get many different looks with just one purchase. For more information about how much of an impact shapes and skins have on your look check out our informational post.
As with standard heads, bento heads do not have to remain static. Many have in depth animations so you can express your mood through your face. Different brands have different animations so make sure to look into them before purchasing. Now that bento has been out for a while, bento animations are widely available. Companies like Vista can animate your bento face as part of their AOs.
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