Tag: Second Life Mesh Bodies

UPDATED! Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: Pick up 72 Free Clothing Fatpacks at the Scandalize Outlet Store Until August 15th!

Please note that I am taking the rest of the summer off as a self-imposed vacation from the blog so I can focus on my other work, except for sponsored blogposts, and the occasional exception such as this post. See you in September!

UPDATE Aug. 14th, 2020: I have received word that these fatpacks of clothing are only going to be available for free until August 15th, 2020, so hurry down today!

Scandalize has always been one of the most generous stores on the Second Life grid in terms of free group gifts, with a group gift wall in-store just heaving with free clothing and footwear. It costs L$100 to join the Scandalize store group, but you get so much in return it really is a no-brainer (or watch and wait for times when they have a free group join, too; they usually do it two or three times per year).

Well, Scandalize recently set up an outlet store on their sim, and to kick it off with a bang, you can join a new, free group called Scandals SL Frees & News and scoop up no less than seventy-two full fatpacks of older Scandalize outfits, all for FREE! This is such an outstanding deal that I decided to break my self-imposed vacation from the blog to tell you about it.

Here’s the SLURL to the Scandalize Outlet store; when you arrive you will be prompted to join the new, free Scandals SL Free & News group (or you can just click on the panel as shown below. Once you have joined the group, just click on the Scandals tag in the corner of each clothing panel to pick up a complete fatpack (i.e. all colours and patterns, including ombre tones in some cases) of that particular outfit!

Most of the clothing comes in sizes to fit Maitreya Lara, Slink Physique and Hourglass, and Belleza Venus, Isis and Freya mesh bodies. Because many of these outfits show a fair bit of bare skin, they might not work well with other kinds of mesh bodes (such as the freebie or paid-for Altamura mesh bodies, particularly around the pelvic area).

However, there are now several free and inexpensive mesh bodies that are Maitreya Lara compatible. One of them is the Atenea mesh body from LucyBody, which is a free Lucky Board prize (more information is available here). Maitreya Lara clothing and Slink footwear fit this body very well, and for only L$197 you can pick up a Bakes on Mesh applier HUD to allow you to wear any Bakes on Mesh skin with it.

I have also written about a few other mesh bodies that claim to be Maitreya Lara compatible, in my constantly-updated list of free and inexpensive heads and bodies for female avatars. Check it out! You don’t need to spend a fortune to be able to wear Maitreya Lara-compatible clothing and have it look good!

Another option for a Maitreya Lara-compatible mesh body is the new Anya full-body (i.e. head and body) mesh avatar by Kalhene, which has recently opened up a small store opposite the N-Core Design footwear store (here’s the SLURL).

For only L$1,695 you get a beautiful, completely-adjustable Bento mesh head and body, with a detailed HUD, complete with a starter wardrobe of clothing and shoes, plus a set of lovely, realistic-looking Bakes on Mesh skins in a variety of skin tones! The Anya package even includes hair, plus an AO for the face, hands, and eyes! All you need to do is add your own animation override (for the body) and you’re all set.

Compare everything that you get in the Kalhene package with paying L$2,750 for the Maitreya Lara body, alone, after which you will also have to shell out for a pricey Bento head (Catwa heads are L$5,000 each), plus pay for skin appliers, etc. etc. You can easily see what a deal the Kalhene mesh body package is (even if you decide to just use the body, pairing it with a different Bakes on Mesh-compatible mesh head).

The Kalhene Anya mesh body

(Note that Kalhene is also selling Alexa, a flat-chested/transgender mesh avatar, which is compatible with Maitreya Lara with the V-tech flat chest add-on, for the same price, L$1,695.)

Now that we’ve discussed Maitreya Lara-compatible mesh bodies, let’s take a look at some of the clothes I picked up for free at the Scandalize outlet store! Here is the Axcid dress, which comes in two separate parts, the dress and the sleeves, in a complete fatpack of colours:

The Clae outfit consists of a cropped leather jacket with a belted miniskirt, which comes in a variety of colours and patterns (the jacket comes in a wide range of colours, including black):

The stunning Scarlett full-length ballgown comes in a complete fatpack of solid and ombre tones:

Finally, we have the sexy Kya romper, where the top, belt, and shorts can be configured via HUD to a wide variety of different colours and camouflage patterns!

I have heard that these 72 Scandalize clothing fatpacks are only going to be made available for a two-week period, so don’t delay! Hurry down and snap up these fabulous freebies before they’re gone!! Happy freebie shopping!

UPDATED! Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: A L$10 Bento, Bakes on Mesh Male Avatar from Altamura

Please note that I am taking the entire month of July off as a self-imposed vacation from the blog so I can focus on my other work, except for sponsored blogposts, and the occasional exception such as this post. See you in August!

There’s yet another inexpensive Bento, Bakes on Mesh full-body (i.e. head and body) male mesh avatar, this time from Altamura. If you join the TeleportHub.com group for only L$10, you can pick up the Stay With Me body. The gift panel is located close to the entrance of the Altamura store:

You can also pick up a free male and female Bakes-on-Mesh skins as part of a free Bakes on Mesh package available from a panel near the rear of the rather cavernous Altamura store (here’s the exact SLURL; use the Show on Map feature and follow the red arrow):

Here’s what the Stay With Me body looks like, right out of the box, without any adjustments to any of the head and body sliders. No skin comes with this body, so I used the Delphinus pale male skin which was part of the Altamura Bakes on Mesh package above.

Unfortunately, this body does NOT come with a HUD with alpha sections, so you are going to have to rely on clothing that does come with alpha sections (such as the blue swimsuit, which is part of the Alejandro starter avatar look already in your SL inventory). The Brad hair in rust brown shown here was a recent Father’s Day hunt gift from Alii & Ali Designs.

For some reason, the toenails on this body are a separate attachment, but not the fingernails! Also, the eyebrows on the male Delphinus skin, which comes in the Altamura Bakes on Mesh package above, are so pale that you might want to invest in a pair of system/Bakes on Mesh eyebrows to complete this particular look! (Or use a different BoM male skin.)

All told, it’s a good-looking, fully-adjustable male mesh body that easily takes Bakes on Mesh skins without having to purchase an Omega kit, so you might be quite happy with this bargain.

The lack of an alpha section HUD is the deal-breaker for me, personally; I’d much rather use a mesh body that has that feature, since it would allow me to wear clothing designed for other male mesh bodies. However, I have been pleased to discover that more and more Second Life stores are now creating and selling clothing specifically made to fit male and female Altamura mesh avatars!

The Stay With Me body is only available for a month, so hurry on down to snap this bargain up! I will also be adding this new body to my list of free and inexpensive mesh heads and bodies for male avatars.

UPDATE July 21st, 2020: I wanted to update this blogpost to show you the Stay With Me mesh avatar with one of the skins available from a dollarbie set from Sweet’s on the SL Marketplace, which I think turned out quite well:

Note that if you are looking for a free set of alphas to use with this body (since it does not come with a HUD for alpha sections), you can pick up a free set from Little Black Dress at this SLURL (click on the bag on the floor). Cat Pink SL has also put together a helpful video with other places you can pick up free or L$1 alphas for this body:

Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: Sweet’s Bakes on Mesh Male Mesh Head and Body

Please note that I am taking the entire month of July off as a self-imposed vacation from the blog so I can focus on my other work, except for sponsored blogposts and the occasional review, such as this one. See you in August!

In writing about free and inexpensive male mesh heads and bodies for Second Life avatars, I discovered that I had overlooked two products that can be used together, or you can mix and match them with other Bakes on Mesh-compatible heads and bodies:

(I had written previously about the Sweet’s female mesh head and body here.)

Here is what the Sweet’s head and body look like, right out of the box, with the included Bakes on Mesh/system underwear (in this picture, he is wearing a male BoM skin I picked up as a free introductory gift from a store called DNA/Digital Nude Art, which has unfortunately since left the grid):

The Sweet’s head (but not the body) is based on the open-source Roth 2.0 mesh avatar project (which I believe was started in OpenSim and moved over to Second Life). According to the product description of the Sweet’s head:

Based on the Roth Project Mesh head – based on Classic SL head.

This is a basic mesh head, a bit jagged – but OK to start with and it works nice if you want to go mesh and still keep the look of your old system avatar. It actually works best with skins for classic avatars.

And I can attest that the head does look a bit jagged up-close. There are other options for free and inexpensive male mesh heads that could probably give you a better look, but if you are wedded to a particular facial look from a classic, system avatar, you will probably be able to easily reproduce that look on the Sweet’s head.

As for the Sweet’s body: the biggest single problem that I have with this male mesh body are the hands, which are among the ugliest, most misshapen hands I have ever seen on a mesh body, with short and stubby fingers:

The fingernails and toenails are separate system/Bakes on Mesh gloves/socks, or tattoos if you prefer. The feet do look better than the hands:

The Sweet’s male mesh body comes with a HUD with some rudimentary alpha sections, which means you should be able to get most clothing designed for other brands of male mesh bodies to fit fairly well:

Here is my Sweet’s male avatar all dressed up with some hair (the Tom hairstyle is actually included in the package, and it comes in a wide variety of colours):

I picked up the top and pants as free prizes from a recent hunt at Etham, and the sneakers are the unrigged Karmenov hightops, a free group gift from VERSOV (here’s the exact SLURL; the VERSOV group is free to join, and you can pick up three other high-quality sneakers as group gifts).

In summary, this is a perfectly serviceable male mesh body for only L$2, but I do think that there are more attractive-looking male mesh heads and bodies out there on the market. (Sorry, but those hands are a deal-breaker for me, personally!)

In addition to the mesh head and body, Sweet’s also sells men’s classic/Bakes on Mesh skins, in a set of lighter skin tones and a set of darker skin tones, for only L$1 each. Second Life vlogger Cat Pink SL recently published a YouTube video of several inexpensive (L$1 to L$10) male Bakes on Mesh skins available both in-world and on the SL Marketplace:

If you are looking for eyes, you can start here for a good selection of free system and mesh eyes (Sweet’s also has a nice free set of eyes available).

I have added Sweet’s to my comprehensive list and inexpensive mesh heads and bodies for male avatars.

Second Life Steals, Deals, and Freebies: I Test Drive the Free Onupup Male Mesh Full-Body Avatar

I have spent quite a bit of time writing about free and inexpensive female mesh avatar heads and bodies, so today I decided I would blog about a male mesh body for a change. And that is a free, full-body (i.e. head and body) male mesh avatar with the unusual name of Onupup, which has been available from the SL Marketplace for at least the last couple of years.

Here is what the Onupup male body looks like, right out of the box, with no adjustments to the default shape at all (as well as a look at the alpha sections on the HUD). The black underwear is separate and included in the package.

Now, this body comes with the skin you see here, but you can turn on the ability to use Bakes on Mesh skins with this body by selecting each of the three sections (upper body, lower body, and head, and going through this four-step process for each section:

  1. Right click on the body part in your Inventory, and select Edit from the menu.
  2. In the edit window, click on the Texture tab, then click on the actual Texture itself.
  3. Underneath the texture display, click on the Bake button.
  4. Select the correct baked texture from the drop-down menu (e.g. BAKED_UPPER for the upper body).

After this, you will be able to use Bakes on Mesh skins on the Onupup body. Here I used a set of BoM male skins I picked up from a new store called DNA, which very quickly disappeared from the grid (but not before I blogged about them). Fortunately, I made sure that all my male alts picked up this set of skins for future use! I’m quite sure you can find male Bakes on Mesh skins fairly easily nowadays, anyway.

Now, I have to admit that this is a very quirky mesh body. For example, when you set him up, his mouth hangs open, and you have to find the Mouth Close Pose gesture in your package and play it, to close his mouth (?!??). Likewise, you will probably also have to type /10 menu in local chat to pull up a blue menu and click on a button to relax this avatar’s hands so that they will work with Bento hand AOs. (Like I said, quirky.)

I found I had to fiddle with the head and body sliders a lot to get a somewhat acceptable shape for the Onupup avatar; in particular the upper arm musculature looks “wrong” to me, no matter what I do to the sliders:

Another quirk is that you need to remember to add the fingernails and toenails as separate attachments! (And to remove said toenails when alphaing out the feet, as you will have to rely on unrigged shoes and boots for this avatar.)

Another problem area is the head, in particular the eye sockets, which appear to be set a little too high for classic, system eyes. You will find that many of the newer system eyes will look absolutely terrible on this head, so I used an old set of eyes from Exodi (another store that has left the grid), which did not have an eyelash “shadow” on the top part of the eyeball, a little trick that eye designers often use to make the eyes look more realistic, and which completely fails on this particular mesh head.

From some angles the mesh head looks wrong to me, even after multiple adjustments (again, the upper eyelid area is a problem). Here you can clearly see that the holes for the system eyes are set too high on this head (you might be able to get around this by using adjustable mesh eyes, but I did not test that out).

Here is the Onupup avatar, all dressed! This entire outfit is from the Freebie Megastore in London City, and it is called the Casual Male Starter pack:

I found I had to pretty much alpha out the entire body underneath these clothes and shoes to get it to work properly, however. You can do a keyword search on the SL Marketplace for “Onupup” to find a growing collection clothing designed specifically for this body over the past two years.

If I had found this free male mesh body two years ago, when it was first released, I might have been happy enough with it. But today, right now, I do think that there are better-looking options for male mesh avatars out there that are inexpensive (for example, the wonderful, fully-featured dollarbie Classic male mesh body from Meshbody, paired with the various male Bento heads offered as limited-time group gifts by Akeruka over the past couple of years). Both the Akeruka heads and Classic bodies support Bakes on Mesh, and they work well together.

The complete lineup of freebie male full-body mesh avatars from the Gift Room at the Altamura store (which you can get if you join the Altamura group for L$100) are also a higher-quality, better-looking male body than Onupup, although they have limitations, too (you can’t change the skin on them or use Bakes on Mesh skins).

In summary, I think that the Onupup body is not bad, particularly if you are flat broke, but it has a few problem areas that need to be ironed out. The creator, Onupup Resident, says in a notecard included in the package:

This comes completely free, use it, if you like it, be my crowd-founder, patreon, donator, funder so I can continue making more things, even 10L would encourage me to do more. Any thing I will make will always be free. If you don’t have money or simply you don’t want to give money, you don’t have to, you can still happily use it.

You might want to get it from the SL Marketplace and put it through its paces yourself and, if you like it, throw a few Linden dollars Onupup’s way. I’m sure he’d appreciate it!