noobie guide
WARNING: This article is a DRAFT. It is very uncomplete and will be revised on a regular basis. Please post comments and suggestions on this post. Most of the named places will have to be Searched in SecondLife itself, but I’ll try as quick as possible to include SLURLS properly. Theres many sections missing of course, please feel free to suggest.
Since I’m relatively newcommer to Second Life, I’d like to give a few tips that could help you get a quick start into the metaverse. I’ll skip most of the technical parts because most of it you’ll have to figure out yourself. I’ll try to give a few tech tips anyways that could be really useful. It is still a work in progress, it will become eventually a really good starter guide.
General Tips
The inventory
The SecondLife Inventory can be dreadful to manage expecially if you pollute it while doing your first metaverse explorations. But if you manage it intelligently the invent is your best friend for managing your place, clothing changes and sex sessions.
- Damn the freebies: first thing you should be to create a FREEBIES directory into your root directory. Carefully put in there all items you got for free after a shopping binge in freebie stores. You should keep them separated for sole purpose of knowing the value of your invent. But also because theres lots of them and they contaminate your very useful everyday stuff, causing lots of confusion over whats good to wear.
- Add a COMMERCIAL folder on the main tree. Put all the new stuff you buy in there, apart good clothing you want to wear fast.
- Create a WARDROBE subfolder in your Clothing directory. Put all your good complete outfits in there.
- Create a ATTACHMENTS subfolder in your Clothing directory. Put all the useful attachments you wear almost all the time.
- Create SKINS, SHAPES, SHOES, HAIRS, LINGERIE, TATTOS directories in your Clothing subfolders.
- Put all eyes in the Body parts folder.
- (to be continued…)
This section when completed will resume of one method I use simply to keep inventory tidy and for quick access to commonly used items. It is not per se a real classification method. I strongly suggest you visit the following page detailing a very nice method of classifying Inventory for very quick retrieval of your items:
http://www.styledisorder.com/blog/2007/01/inventory_a_mes.html
Tips for Girls
If youre going to play a girl avatar youll have lots of details to figure out by yourself on how to look good. Here’s a few unordered ones, en vrac.
The Skin
The most important piece of gear in SL are skins. They dictate the level of photorealism your avatar will get. Since good ones are pretty expensive you better choose carefully. They will determine your character traits pretty intensively so choose wisely. Personnally I did’nt find that many good photorealistic skins. There 3 or 4 places I visited but in the final I was tired of shopping for them (took 2 days), and bought what I tought was the best looking no matter what the price was. So I settelled for a skin model from RaC costing 4000L$. It was a wise investment because it gave me a high level of photorealism, minimally realistic genitals, and a very natural skin tone.
Conributed suggestions of places to look for cheaper skins, apparently as good or better than RaC:
- Naughty Designs
- Tete a Pied
- Celestial Studios
- Lovey’s Boutique
- Gala
Shapes
Suggested by Dakota: “I’d like to recommend Lemon shapes in Imogen. All the shapes are copy/mod so you can just use it as a starting point for creating your own look but they make it easier to look realistic and proportionate (ie: Boobs not larger than head, not 7 feet tall, womanly waist instead of insanely pinched in at the waist and of course stunningly pretty faces).
They have shapes for men and women and even have shape demos so you can try the face and most of the torso on. (The demos are no mod and have stumpy arms and legs, the idea is that you can see the face in 3D rather than just the photo).”
Personnaly I custom modded to my own taste, and did’nt care that much to look proportionate. And well the results are there after some efforts, I did’nt get too much bad comments. But if you are a beginner, and if you can afford custom shapes, I strongly suggest to follow Dakota’s suggestion to buy a premade shape. But DO custom modify it in the Appearance tab, or else you will just look like everybody else, too perfect to be true.
One problem I ran through is that SL designers, especially hair designers (trough many started ajusting), did not consider the possibility of wanting a strong or plus size woman avatar. If you have large breasts and want to keep proportionate, as Dakota pointed out, you will need to ajust your head not to look to small. The problem is many hair models do not fit on a bigger head, the prims will gets through the skull and give an awful look.
The same goes for feet too. No woman in SL can have proportionate looking feet, unless modding 2 separate avatars, 1 for wearing bare feet and one for wearing high heels and most prim shoes models. It’s why my usual avatar has such tiny feet for such a large woman, and there’s not much someone can do to correct that, apart starting to make decent plus size shoes, hair, and also many prim clothing and items that sunks under your skin directly.
(more to come)
The Wet Look
If you observe my photoshoots you will remark that on some pictures I’m rather matte, and on some other I’m nicely shiny. This is my best newbie trick for SL. If you want to look good, hot and sexy on the right occasions, this 200L$ item is worth every Linden. It is called Nyoko’s Bodyoil. You would think it is the skin that shines. But it’s not. The Bodyoil is in fact a complete set of transparent invisible shiny coating. You can assemble the different parts to fit what you’re wearing.
While it is probably a question of personnal taste, this type of shiny wear should be worn on the right occasions. I use it for photoshoots, beach, or sometimes everyday casual wear. But you should probably not wear this type of wet look with formalwear. This will be left to the personnal good taste of the avatar owner of course, personnally I use it on much occasions where I should not, and sometimes get stunning results.
The Pinup Nylon Shine
Consider the next picture. This is another very nice trick using Bodyoil. You can give that shiny pinup style stockings look to any regular pantyhose or stocking simply by wearing a layer of bodyoil over or under the nylons, as you wish, it gives different effects. But it’s definitely delicious, I did not see a guy or girl yet to tell me it did’nt look nice.
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OK, a few suggestions.
Rather than writing your own guide to inventory sorting just link to this one: http://www.styledisorder.com/blog/2007/01/inventory_a_mes.html
It’s detailed and even has visuals.
More attractive and cheaper skins can be found at Naughty Designs, Tete a Pied, Celestial Studios, Lovey’s Boutique and Gala.
You’ve just spent a while telling people to buy photorealistic skins, and each to their own, BUT photorealistic skins and hand-painted body oil are a definate wardrobe no-no. (Yes I know to most of the fashion community the body oil itself is a major style sin and people who wear it are laughed at, but I am aware that some people like it).
If you’re going to still use the pinup thing maybe use a more pinupy picture and outfit.
I’m guessing you’ll go onto shapes next so I’d like to recommend Lemon shapes in Imogen. All the shapes are copy/mod so you can just use it as a starting point for creating your own look but they make it easier to look realistic and proportionate (ie: Boobs not larger than head, not 7 feet tall, womanly waist instead of insanely pinched in at the waist and of course stunningly pretty faces).
They have shapes for men and women and even have shape demos so you can try the face and most of the torso on. (The demos are no mod and have stumpy arms and legs, the idea is that you can see the face in 3D rather than just the photo).
Greetings again Dakota, and thanks so much to have taken time to post (twice
,
I just read the inventory sorting guide and there’s pretty good tricks indeed. In fact it closes down to my method with a few minor details, apart it doesnt do an actual separation of the worth of your invent (freebie decontamination). But be sure that when I continue the work at next time, I’ll try to resume the basics of this FAQ to the guide and add my few twists, but also boldly provide that URL as a very good complement. Thank you for that pointer.
I will of course add the Skin shop suggestions, since it will give more choice. I bought RaC by frustration of not fnding after doing 6 or 7 places. But I must admit I never regretted my choice. Since you have tried them and approve them good places, I’ll more than gladly add it up.
As for the comment about bodyoil well of course it depends of the actual occasion. I actually dont wear bodyoil all the time. It does looks well on photoshoots, with bathing suits, and other casual gear. Its not to wear at the Ball wearing a gown
. As for being laughing at well it never happend to me yet. Peoples generally seems to like it. The reason why I think it’s the case is that the shines adds to skin realism in some case. From all the skins I’ve seen to date in SL, no one had an actually natural reflection coming oily natural human skin. It’s true that Bodyoil itself is a bit too much for the purpose I mentionned, but I surely await for a toned down bodyoil that would just gives skins a natural healthy slightly moist aspect.
Note taken for the pinup outfit comment, really I did’nt already took pinup shoots, but it’s something I’m dying to do for some time! Of course my idea with that tip was rather to show pinup style shiny nylons, but I do agree it would look pretty shweet. The title is misleading for that matter. Thanks for the idea I’ll schedule that as my next shoot
Yes indeed we need a section for shapes. It’s funny you mention that because actualy my shape is custom and fits your description. I’m 6,9 with heels, boobs larger than my head, tight waist but large boobs and ass, and pretty face
But I think it’s up to the choice of the player to proportionnate it’s avatar. SL is a place for dreaming too. But one thing sure, I did not find any other avatar yet close to look like I do. Unfortunately my criticism of prefab shapes is that people usually dont mod them, so they end up looking as a bunch of clones. Of course modding them is a must do I think, to give your avatar unique characterstics. Another criticism that can be made of most prefab shapes is that they almost always represent picture perfect representation of reality, showing small, skinny, thins avatars. Personnally I wanted to be seen as a strong woman, hence my size and stature, and musculation. Im kinda flat so why not having boobs and a rump for once. The head/boob ratio is much more of a problem, because as you know, having a proportionate head with that kind of body relegates my hair collection to the Trash folder. But you know I’m rather creative and adventurous. For newcomers I totaly agree it’s less risky and lots less trouble to start with a premade shape and mod it. So if you have more shape places you can share bring them on and I’ll add them for sure =)
Thank you again for all the insights, it already adds much to this little thing I wrote in 30 minutes
♥♥♥
-Codie
Here you go Dakota, I integrated mostly all of your points into the guide, also incorporating my point of view. What’s important to me with this guide is to give good tricks and pointers, and not to judge personnal tastes too much. I will leave that to the good taste of the avatar owner to consider what’s fahsionnable or not.
Thanks so much for the pointers especially about Skins, I needed more feedback from regular skin shoppers, since my own experience with shopping them has been dreadful. Luckily I was at least satisfied with it, many skin shoppers almost regret their buy immediately.
Thanks Dakota!
♥♥♥, Codie
Thanks for adding my suggestions.
The height thing is actually something I feel strongly about, Dakota is 6′2″ - my RL height. But I can’t look as striking as I do in RL because everyone pulls their height sliders to 100.
In RL Dakota’s breasts would be considered large but comparatively in SL they are small.
In RL Dakota would be considered slender, in SL she looks plump.
I went for a classic pinup shape when I created my avatar, I get a lot of compliments from people who don’t necessarily want to sleep with me which I think is a good guage.
The Lemon shapes are RL proportioned, not too skinny, definately not barbie-ish. And so easily customisable. Say, for example, I noticed you’ve had a bit of trouble with your nose - so many people do - the Lemon shapes can fix that up.
Lemon also offer custome avatar creation - give them a photo and they can make it. The woman who does the female shapes is my favourite model so I give my personal stamp of approval.
Hope all this helped. Good luck with the newbie guide.
Yeah indeed Dakota on the picture I took for example, I had that weird nose glitch. The lesson is alyways use the camera controls to work the area using different angles or you will miss some mistakes. If had took a straight face cam angle I would have noticed immediately. But it looked nice from the profile angle
It’s sad because this set was quite good, until I just noticed the nosejob
Happily once I saw the set I immediately corrected the mistake and did’nt waste more photoshoots. 