TO MESH OR NOT TO MESH Part 2 -MESH HEADS - Dean Lawson Reporting

If, in your journey through Second Life, you encounter a severed head floating through the air it may be poor Yorick, or at least his ghost, but more likely, it is a mesh head whose body has yet to rez. In a previous article I asked Second Life Residents to discuss the pros and cons of using a mesh body, this time we discussed the heads.

In an interview with Ilsa Hesse-Heron (ilsa.hesse), Ilsa replied : “for some reason, and I can’t really tell you why, I love mesh bodies, feet, hands, etc, but mesh heads kind of creep me out O.O. … maybe its that to begin with they all kind of looked the same … that, and they were all kind of emotionless...

Barry Smithson replied : LOL it’s funny you came up with this because me and my better half was at a venue and all we saw were mesh heads and no bodies.

When asked why she purchased a mesh head ღƧραиƘʏღ (bigcupofstfu) responded : my friends pressured me into it lol … I was not use to using a whole alpha system so that was confusing. Also the mesh takes longer to rez but it looks much better quality wise … the only downside I notice is the rezzing. It takes a while for me to see my own head and sometimes I have to relog so other people can see it. Other than that I have no problems.

Blogger and Second Life photographer Barbara Mali had this to say on the subject : “pros, i think avies look much better and realistic, more proportioned, some of the animations are nice, also the blinking ... it is good to take pics … cons: you have to use another hud, some are complicated, i think we are losing our “identity” we all look in the same way now … i think they are working in new projects so you can modify them so they can be personalized, now there are many options and models, trying demos is a nightmare, there are appliers and so many add ons, it is insane … another con, they are expensive

https://freebieaddiction.wordpress.com/

Mesh Builder Lakota Valkai had many insightful comments on the subject :  I am a fan of mesh, but i will also say it can be a pain in the ass for the new and inexperienced to work and deal with … inexperienced users have trouble with mesh sometimes due to whats known as “rigging” ... rigging either will, or will not permit you to modify an objects size and proportions ... With clothing, modification is almost always necessary … and if its "Rigged" then you cant alter its size … the realism with mesh is more easily attained … But mesh is expensive because of the time involved in creating it

SL Artist and Machinima producer Ozymandius King replied : Mesh is great for photography and machinima but I think the next step is to start creating mesh heads that the user can customize, not just the color of the skin and the hair, but the cheek bones, the nose, the brow the lips etc. As of the moment I prefer to use older system human heads over mesh because I can change the expression and manipulate the facial features to create a unique avatar which is important for visually telling a story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XwNM1DppSMQ&list=PLThpLfGotClLbUtMa2Os3Ddo2_KpdiDDL

Read More

Fashion Highlight: Mesh Head clothing - Becca Drascol Reporting

Great Mesh & a Good Deal:

Mesh, along with Slink, Lola and other enhancements within SL are the big thing. Normally what’s in, means that you have a variety of choices but also a variety of price ranges and different fashion options. And rather you shop for mesh online via SL Marketplace, or inworld via the store, you can find many designers with great fashion. But if it’s great biker/rocker mesh and a good deal you’re looking for, I completely recommend Mesh Head. The main store is not only large with tons to select from, but has affordable prices which is always a thumbs up to me. One feature I like of this store is, a non-demo item will receive a refund if you are unhappy with the fit. This is a bonus when dealing with mesh clothing. Unlike some people I rarely ever will change my shape to work with an outfit. You can find the main store here: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Elara/13/159/24

And for shopping via marketplace you can find Mesh Head here: https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/103109

It was while at the main store inworld that I chose to inspect the sales floor conveniently reached by teleporter. Plenty of designs can be found on the sales floor for 60 L. This makes a girl so very tempted to spoil herself or loved ones with some awesome mesh. I also took note of at least two free mesh clothing in the sale area. For sure not only tempting but well worth it.

Interview with creator FrancescoCarrera Resident:

Becca Drascol: First tell me a little about Mesh Head and the inspiration behind it

FrancescoCarrera Resident: Have been doing it for over 2 years now, when the mesh clothing was introduced into SL I thought I'd give it a go, I'm a designer RL so was easy enough to do nice textures in Photoshop. I'm a bit of a rocker RL so thought I'd supply stuff that I like myself to the rockers and bikers of SL. It's quite a large target audience in here so as long as I make nice stuff I figured people would buy it. I keep my prices affordable to everybody which helps me sell a lot and people get good clothes at a reasonable cost without having to break the bank.

Becca Drascol: What trends do you see coming up for Fall?

FrancescoCarrera Resident: I don't really do seasonal stuff, I just make whatever comes into my head at that moment in time. I guess Autumnal colours would be the standard earth tones and stuff like that, maybe warmer outfits.

FrancescoCarrera Resident: You’re always safe with black and skulls for bikers and rockers.

Becca Drascol: Right.

Becca Drascol: Do you think there's something that makes your designs stand out from other designers that do biker/rocker looks?

FrancescoCarrera Resident: I try to be different in my range of clothes but I don’t really look at other designers stuff, I like to make sure my textures are sharp and add little extras like detailed stitching and quality logos. I think that's more of a question for my customers, I just do my best and make sure they get a quality product at an affordable price.

Becca Drascol: Right. I actually took a moment to check out the sale floor while at the store, and was pleased to see such great clothes at affordable prices but also felt the normal prices were comfy.

FrancescoCarrera Resident: I'm glad you think so. I add to the sale room now and again, that's older stuff from when I first started. I like to think all the newer stuff is a little better as things develop.

Becca Drascol: Lola enhancement has become a big thing in SL, do your see yourself adding the applier to you female line?

FrancescoCarrera Resident: Not sure, it's something I've thought about but not got around to it yet. Maybe the new mesh avis have made the Lola add-on redundant so I'm kind of one the fence on that one.

Becca Drascol: Understandable and perhaps something that is a little unique to you.

Becca Drascol: I want to thank you so much for taking the time to talk with me and ask if you have anything special you would like to add?

FrancescoCarrera Resident: Not really, I can answer more questions of you wish but I'm good so far :)

Becca Drascol: Oh yes, I did want to ask if the main store is the only location right now?

FrancescoCarrera Resident: I have satellite stores around SL, maybe 5 or 6.

Becca Drascol: Very nice.

FrancescoCarrera Resident: Not too many though, it's a lot of work keeping them up to date.

Becca Drascol: Do you ever or have you sponsored clubs or other venues?

FrancescoCarrera Resident: Yeah I do quite a few, send gift card and stuff. I sponsor Autism Awareness and Relay for Life also.

Becca Drascol: That's wonderful.

Becca Drascol: And if one were looking to get gift cards how would they go about that?

FrancescoCarrera Resident: I need to update to electronic gift cards but again haven't got around to it so I basically hand out textures that are Trans, when the winner of the event gives the card back to me with a notecard of what they want then I hand over the items. Old way of doing it but that’s all I have at the moment.

Becca Drascol: I think it's about what works for the creator, I'm sure a lot of time effort and hard work goes into the creation of the fashion itself.

FrancescoCarrera Resident: Yep, that’s the way I think also.

Becca Drascol: Again thank you so much for taking this time to talk with me.

The Overall Experience:

Not only did I have a pleasant time window shopping and looking around the inworld store, it was pleasant to talk with Mesh Head’s creator. He was easy to talk with, down to Earth and genuinely loves creating mesh. Next time you guys and gals of SL want to shop for a biker/rocker look with style and budget friendly, get on over to Mesh Head.

Read More