Basics

Maitreya Bento Hands – Lara 4.0 Is Live!

by

Last night Maitreya released Lara 4.0, the much anticipated bento update for the popular body. Most of my groups, even the ones not related to Maitreya, were filled with excited chatter about the new Maitreya bento hands. So many people tried to get to the store upon release that the sim had to be closed to the public for at least a few hours. The sim is open again, however it’s bustling with activity so you may have trouble getting in. No need to fear, if you already have Lara you don’t have to go to the sim to get your update!

Getting Your New Body

If you already own Lara you’ll most likely already have your update waiting for you when you log in. If this isn’t the case simply remove and reattach your current Lara body. This should trigger a redelivery. If this doesn’t work go to the Maitreya Store and use the redelivery terminal. Please bear in mind that this is a new update and things may be a little slow the first few days.

If you don’t own Lara you’ll have to purchase her. You can do this by visiting the store in world. Make sure to demo if you haven’t already, she’s a big and important purchase! At the time of this post she cost $L2750 and includes the body, classic and bento hands, feet, 5 shapes, and two bra/panty sets.

Maitreya Lara 4.0 Updates

Let’s start with the officially announced updates, shall we? Straight from Maitreya’s Update Card:

  • The hands are now rigged to the bento skeleton, allowing for finger movement. The classic hands are also still included in the package.
  • There are 14 hand poses added to the HUD (Skins & Options page), which can be used in combination with all your model poses and AOs.
  • There are 2 new nail shapes added: Stiletto nails and Almond nails, and the option for no nails (if you want to wear Maitreya compatible mesh nails made by other stores).
  • The skin textures have been adjusted to fit the new bento hands.

Digging Deeper

This update is primarily about the hands with small adjustments to the included skins and the HUD to further benefit the new Maitreya bento hands. As with the other bento hands the Maitreya hands are compatible with third party bento poses and AOs. Maitreya’s hands do not come with default idle animations.

Maitreya Bento Hands

Read more

Yes, You SHOULD Be Using Demos!

by

Note: While the images are from 2017 products, the content has been reviewed and is up to date as of July 2020.

If you’re a regular to the blog you know I’m a firm proponent of demoing products before purchase. I’ve had people ask if and why demos in Second Life are really important. People have also told me that they don’t want to spend the extra time demoing a product they already know they’ll like. Demos are very important, even if you’re absolutely in love with the item! Today I’ll cover what to look for when demoing so you can learn why you should never skip the demo step if it’s available.

What’s A Demo?

Demos are inexpensive (usually free or 1 linden dollar) versions of products made for you to test out before making a final purchase. Think of demos as trying on new clothes or shoes before you buy them. You wouldn’t want to make a big purchase just to find that the jacket doesn’t fit and can’t be returned, would you? In addition to being inexpensive, demos also tend to have something missing or added so you don’t use it instead of the final product. This may be weird/missing textures, extra shapes, or even a timed product that can’t be used after a period of time passes. You wouldn’t want to wear a demo out to the party you’re heading to later. The entire point of the demo is to ensure the product is what you need before making the purchase.

A female Second Life avatar wearing a lot of Demos.

Read more

Appliers: How Do They Work?

by

In 2023, appliers are not as widely used as most folks use Bakes on Mesh (Commonly referred to as BOM). I’m keeping these pages available now since some may find them helpful, but if you’re new to SL or making a new avatar you may want to check out your BOM options instead! 

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.

Appliers are one of the most commonly used items for mesh bodies. I see a lot of users asking questions about Second Life appliers or being confused as to what appliers can offer them. Today I’ll go over what they are, how to use them, and why you may want them.

Second Life Appliers: The Basics

Think of appliers like classic avatar clothing for mesh avatars (excluding BOM – more on that in this post). The applier itself is an object (usually a HUD) that applies a texture to mesh body parts. Some of the more common textures are skins, clothes, and makeup. Tattoos, beards, and scars are also textures that can be used via applier, as well as anything else you would want on your mesh body. To understand appliers you first must know about layers.

Layers

Layers allow multiple textures to be worn at once. Lower layers are hidden by higher layers. You’ll find the skin almost always applies automatically to the lowest layer. Most commonly you’ll have three other layers to select from when using non skin appliers.

Think of your real body and clothing for a moment. Your skin is one layer, any tattoos you may have are on a layer above it, your underwear is another layer above, and your regular clothing is the layer on top. Your tattoos hide what’s on the skin under them. Underwear hides any tattoos under it and your pants hide your underwear. It’s exactly the same on your avatar. Here is a breakdown of the most common layers:

  1. SkinA female Second Life avatar with red hair and using an applier skin looks off camera.
    • Skin appliers almost always automatically apply to this layer.
      • As such layers usually aren’t even listed as an option for users.
    • Covers the body parts as the lowest layer.
      • Anything else applied will be seen on top of the skin.
  2. Tattoo
    • This is applied directly over the skin, but under the Underwear and Clothing layers.
      • This means it’ll show on top of the skin but anything on the Underwear or Clothing layers will cover it up.
    • Popular for not only tattoos but also makeup, beards, scars, blood, bruises, and anything else that would be visible over the skin but covered by clothing.
  3. Underwear
    • Applied over the Tattoo layer but under the Clothing layer.
      • Just like in real life this will cover your skin and anything that’s directly on your skin via the Tattoo layer.
    • This doesn’t only have to be used for bras, boxers, and panties.
      • Want to wear a long sleeved shirt under a crop top? Apply the long sleeved shirt on the Underwear layer and the crop top on the Clothing layer.
  4. Clothing
    • The Clothing layer is the top layer.
      • As such it will cover anything on other layers since they are below it.
    • Want to get creative? Use Tattoos as decoration on clothes!
      • Instead of placing a Tattoo on the Tattoo layer, consider placing it on the Clothing layer with the shirt or pants on the Underwear layer.
      • This will show the Tattoo over the clothing and it may look like a neat design. Then again it may not. Play around!

With the basic knowledge of how layers work you’re able to experiment and play with different ideas. Give the tattoo on clothing and the layered shirts a shot!

What’s That Have To Do With Appliers?

Read more

Slink Dynamic Hands Are Finally Here!

by

Known for their high quality mesh body parts, Slink has been respected for a long time by many players. Their mesh feet have dominated the market and spawned thousands of shoes created specifically for use with them by various brands. Today the highly anticipated Slink bento hands, known as Slink Dynamic Hands, hit the market. Read on to learn all about them and for a comparison to Vista’s Bento Prohands.

Slink Dynamic Hands

Read more

Shapes and Skins: Making You Unique

by

Note: While the images used are of products from 2017 when the post was originally written, the content has been reviewed to ensure it is relevant for 2020.

Shapes and Skins are a core part of your Second Life avatar. They determine your proportions and how your body looks to you and others. The skin compliments the shape and vice versa. Nowadays many skins come with shapes, but not all of them do! You can also buy shapes on their own. Keep reading to learn just how your shape and skin choices can make you look unique.

Shape Basics

Your shape controls the base shape of your avatar. When using a system avatar every single slider will alter a different part of your head, body, hands, or feet. With mesh avatars these can be altered as well, however some sliders may or may not have much of an impact on what you see. You can purchase shapes, create your own, or edit some that you’ve already obtained (as long as they have modify permissions).

I think of the shape as the foundation of my avatar. Every skin, every piece of clothing, and every accessory is used in conjunction with the shape. As shapes vary greatly it’s not uncommon for some clothing and accessories to require a little alteration to fit perfectly on a custom shape.

Read more

Mix & Match: Clothing and Accessories

by

Note: While the images in this blog post are from 2017, the content has been reviewed and updated for 2020.

Your Second Life avatar is essentially you. It’s how others see you in world and for many it’s how they see themselves. Today we’ll be talking about how to mix & match clothing and accessories to make your avatar unique. If your avatar needs an entire makeover from the ground up, consider reading my series Making A New You for a guided path from start to final product.

Mix & Match Basics

Generally when making a look you want to have an idea, no matter how small, of what you’d like. Do you want to build your outfit around a certain color? Perhaps you are going to a themed party and need to dress with a topic in mind. Do you have one piece you really love and want to make something special using it? All of these are great starting points.

Whenever I make a new look, I always use what I have first. You’d be surprised how different you can appear with just a change of hair or a different top! Every time I shop I consider how versatile the items are. If I end up purchasing something I try to select a product that can be used in many outfits or even a fatpack that offers various colors and styles.  This makes future mix & matching so much easier!

Read more

The Basics Of Second Life Hunts

by

Note: While the images in this blog post are from 2017, the content has been reviewed and updated for 2020.

Hunting in Second Life may conjure up the image of virtual big game shooting experiences. While that probably exists on grid, it’s not what we’re talking about today; we’re focusing on shopping events! Second Life hunts are a fun way to collect items for both your avatar and your home. Here are the very basics of hunting events in Second Life.

What Exactly Is A Second Life Hunt?

Imagine if a scavenger hunt, hide and seek, and some Second Life goodies were all shaken up together. The result? A Second Life hunt! You’re given a place to start looking and then you scour the area for the product. Usually the product is boxed in a themed shape such as a little coin, apple, or animal. Once you find the product you activate it (usually by touching or paying) to receive the gift and a hint about the next item to find. Most hunts only run for a set amount of time, so make sure to check the dates before you start!

Hunts can be free or they may have a charge. They may hide all the items in one sim or in locations all over the grid. Each and every hunt is different and appeals to different people. One person may enjoy a smaller hunt with items that aren’t too hard to find while another may prefer spending hours looking for many tricky items.

Read more

Are Second Life Gacha Games Worth Your Time?

by

Important Note: Gacha machines are no longer allowed in Second Life. You can still buy and sell things on the Marketplace that were aquired via Gacha, however it is now against the Second Life TOS for creators to sell an item that is completely random. By the new policy buyers must know what they are purchasing at the time of purchase. There are new purchasing systems (such as MiePon) that have come out as an allowed alternative.

I’m keeping this post up as a reference for when Gacha was allowed, however the content in it is outdated and this specific post won’t be updated further.

Based on the Japanese game of the same name, Second Life Gacha machines are a huge hit in world. Gachas offer the chance at multiple items for very cheap, usually less than what each item is worth. The inexpensive shot at high quality products has spawned various Gacha themed events, some of which keeping sims competitively full for days or more. Note: Almost everything my avatar has on in this post is from Gacha events!

How Second Life Gacha Works

The easiest way to sum up Gacha is by imagining those little quarter machines found in supermarkets and other real life stores. An image at the top shows the products contained within. You put in a small amount of money and out pops one of those items. You never know what you’ll get!

In game Gachas are very similar. Gachas will have an image on or near the machine showing you what’s inside. Most will tell you which items are rare, some will even show the percentage chance it has to drop. A script in the machine is used to give you a random item when you pay based on these percentages (whether they are displayed or not.) The odds of winning a specific item depends on what you’re going for and the rarity of the product. Remember, if you have a 1 in 3 (33%) chance to get a specific item, that doesn’t mean you’ll get it in 3 tries. It simply means that each try gives you 1 in 3 chance to get it. And that’s for Gachas with even odds. Some will have rare items that have a smaller chance to drop than the rest. Gachas with Common, Uncommon, and Rare chances are not at all unusual. Make sure to weigh those odds before splurging!

Read more

Why It’s Worth Joining Second Life Groups

by

Note: While the images in this blog post are from 2017, the content has been reviewed and updated for 2020.

While it may not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think avatar creation, groups are one of my favorite resources in game. Whether it’s the gifts or the wealth of information contained within, groups are a valuable tool for making your avatar look just the way you want. So what do you get out of joining Second Life groups?

What Exactly Are Groups Anyway?


Second Life groups have many purposes. Some sims require you to be in the group to take full advantage of everything their sim has to offer. Some groups exist just so you can keep up on the latest news pertaining to the people within. Some are just about being social. Still others are just so you can have the group tag (display name shown when group is active) above your head. Since Regeneration is all about character creation and customization, we’re going to mainly focus on groups that benefit your avatar directly.

Read more

Using The Second Life Marketplace

by

While some of these photos quite old, they are still relevant! The photos are from 2017, but the content has been checked for accuracy and relevancy for 2020.

The Marketplace has millions of items to choose from. Shopping there can seem overwhelming at first, but it doesn’t have to be. This guide will teach you everything you need to know about mastering shopping Second Life’s Marketplace.

Why The Marketplace?

There are various ways to shop in Second Life. In world has malls and stores (which I’ve discussed in another post), but on the web we have the Marketplace. I generally prefer Marketplace shopping as you can find very specific items and read reviews with ease. Whenever I want to shop for something specific, the Marketplace is my go to. When you have a vague idea of what you’re looking for it can still be beneficial by showing you multiple items from various sellers all at once. This can be awesome when looking for a certain color shirt or even an entirely new outfit!

Shopping Second Life’s Marketplace: The Basics

Shopping the Marketplace is similar to other types of online shopping. If you’ve used sites like Amazon you already have an idea of what to do. Shopping Second Life’s Marketplace is a little different though, so here is a guide on how to use it the most efficiently for your needs.

Read more

Toggle Dark Mode (Site Designed for Light)