Part five - more about mesh bodies

So I now had my lovely Lara mesh body, which matched up quite well with my system head. Leading up to this point I had begun to buy clothing which fitted both system bodies and mesh bodies, and so my next job was to rummage through my Inventory and sift all the items into those which would fit my new body and those which would not. I also went shopping with fresh eyes, both in the Marketplace and in store. This was a new experience, and the choice of shoes is much larger for Mesh/Bento feet!!!  The Lara HUD has three heel settings, but my default setting is high!!!  In SL I can wear heels all the time without discomfort!

I took this photo the day after I bought my mesh body. The bikini is Maitreya.

My next job was to learn about the body HUD. There are three tabs. The first tab is the Alpha tab, which allows sections of the body to be hidden. This is especially useful with tight clothes, where occasionally bits of body poke through the fabric. There is a quick reset button which allows a full reveal. The second tab has the default skin tones, which match the Lelutka heads (more about this later), and the nail varnish options, heel height, ankle set, and a few other accessories. The body comes with several default sizes and will adjust slightly using the sliders, although I stuck with a default setting for my size. The third tab controls the layers, and this is probably the hardest part of mesh bodies to understand. There are three layers, best thought of as skins around an onion. The innermost layer is the tattoo layer, which can be used for tattoos (obviously), make up, and sometimes underwear, where all three layers are needed. The second layer is underwear, and the third is clothing. 

Items can be added to, or removed from the body using the system appliers, but some items need an Omega applier. Now I'm no expert, and all this is right at the edge of my understanding!!!! However, if you need advice, then ask on the SL Forums. I tend to play safe and avoid the appliers where I can, so I favour clothes which are designed for my body and fit straight on using wear, or add from the menu. My disappointment was that I had a large selection of lingerie for my system Avi, which doesn't fit mesh. The only way to wear lingerie under outfits is to apply the to the tattoo or underwear layers. Maybe as I get more proficient I will do this, but for now, it's mostly a step too far!!

Other mesh bodies are available, and they all have their own HUD layout, so expect some variation. Always try the Demo first, because the body is a big investment and you want to make the right choice!!!