Mesh Bodies

So you are new to Second life or just want a mesh body but there are so many options to choose from. Narrowing the options down to find the perfect one can feel overwhelming. While I can’t choose what you buy, I can at least try to help make the process easier, faster, and less stressful.


What is a Mesh Body?

Mesh is the capability to bring 3D models, known as meshes, created in third-party tools into Second Life. Mesh bodies are made using mesh builds. Some examples of mesh bodies in Second Life are Maitreya, Belleza, Slink, Signature, and Legacy. 

What is Omega?

When I was young.....Back in the “old days”, we used Omega appliers with our mesh bodies. A lot of makeup and skins are used on a mesh body by installing or using an Omega applier. Some Omega appliers, skins, makeup, and tattoos are still available to buy, or as freebies around the grid, but many creators have stopped making Omega compatible products. Omega appliers must be purchased for your mesh body. For example, you can buy an Omega Applier for the Maitreya mesh body. Omega must be installed into your body before you can begin using appliers. 

What is Bakes on Mesh (BOM)?

Bakes on Mesh (BOM) was introduced Second Life in 2019. BOM is the use of system layers (skins, makeups, tattoos, eyes) on a mesh body.

What is Bento?

A Bento mesh body or head moves. Non-bento bodies and heads are static (they do not move)

How to choose

There are so many mesh bodies out there that it is a nightmujust to pick one. Here is a few of my tips how to decide what body to pick but also a little information about the ones most used in Second Life.
First start with setting a budget. How much are you willing to pay for a mesh body and if you want to add a mesh head to it or not. That should narrow it down to a few bodies to pick from. Go try the demos before you buy it. When you have narrowed it down to the one or two that you like the most go check out different store if they have anything for that body or not.
Bellow I have narrowed down the list to the most bodies used at the moment but if anyone is wearing any other body and want to add their two cents about them feel free to drop me a note card in Second life telling about the pros and cons of your body.




Belleza Freya, Isis and Venus mesh body for Second Life avatars.


Pros
The 3 breast options in the HUD actually change the shape and positioning of the breasts. This includes a pushup option without any third party breast addon required.
Wonderful for thicker, curvier avatars as well as more slender styles.

Cons
Freya, Isis and Venus are old bodies and Freya is an older body that didn’t have updates for a while. It has been brought up to date with BOM and the universal neck sizing, 

My thoughts on it all
Freya, Isis and Venus was very popular feminine bodies for a long time, so it has a large catalogue of clothing that was made at that point in time. You will have no issues finding things for this bodies the issue might be that there are fewer things made for it today.


Belleza Gen.X Curvy and Classic mesh body for Second Life avatars




Pros
Belleza’s Gen.X bodies come with optional HD animated vaginas. This offers a slightly more realistic look for those who are interested in using it.
Auto-Hide is a feature in Gen.X bodies. If a designer chooses to do so they can have parts of the body hide automatically when you put their item on. This is a really convenient option so you don’t have to manually click alpha sections or add alpha layers.
Your purchase comes with two versions of the body: One with Custom Feet UVs and one with SL UVs. The Custom Feet UV option is a version that uses a different UV mapping so creators can make higher quality feet skins if they so choose. If your feet look a little funky with your skin make sure you’re using the right body for your skin type.

Cons
The Gen.X bodies don’t come with shapes. You can make your own or purchase some from third party creators, however this is an extra step and/or extra money on top of your purchase.

My thoughts on it all
In order to use BOM alphas you must first configure your body to use alpha blending. You do this by going to your Style Tab, clicking the blue cogwheel next to the skin tones, then changing Alpha Mode to Blend. it’s not difficult to do, however it’s an extra step many users won’t know to do right off the bat.



Maitreya Lara mesh body for Second Life avatars. 



Pros
Very popular body with tons of products made specifically to work with it
Easy to find items to use with it in all sorts of styles
The clothing/underwear/tattoo layers are separate objects that can be removed to keep your complexity low.

Cons
Only lends itself to slender or athletic shapes

My thoughts on it all
Lara has been a super popular body for a long time. As such many products have been made for it. That said, newer bodies have come out and more and more creators are dropping Lara support in favor of the newer bodies.


Reborn mesh body for Second Life avatars



Pros
Reborn has a lot of third party support. It’s very easy to find products made for both it and for mods that have been made for it.
A mod version of the body is included which makes it super customizable for those who are interested in the extra level of control.
An auto-alpha system is included, allowing creators to autohide parts of the body when you put their products on. Users of Legacy will be familiar with this convenient system.
The feet can be controlled individually, making for more natural looking poses if you so choose

Cons
The butt doesn’t really have a “small” option. If you don’t want to have a booty this is likely not the body for you.
The ankles, wrists, fingers, and toes are a bit on the thinner side and can seem out of proportion, especially on larger shapes.

My thoughts on it all
Previously I would’ve listed that there’s no applier system or Omega support as a con, but over the last few years both have become more obsolete. This is still something that may be a con for some folks, but overall most people making new avatars will not require omega or applier support.





Inithium Kupra, kups and bimbo mesh body for Second Life avatars


Pros
The body actually comes with three different feet options. The original is the regular Kupra foot option. T02 fits Slink shoes and T03 fits Maitreya shoes. Note that any non-Kupra shoes you have that go beyond the ankle may not quite work since at that point you are getting into the body shape.
The lack of alpha cuts in the HUD encourages designers to make their own alphas for each product. This means they can make clothing that fits in any way and isn’t limited to preset cuts.

Cons
The breasts do not scale down very well. Once you get into smaller sizes they go flat. If you prefer a petite chest check out their version for smaller breasts and flat chests called Kupra Kups!
The breasts on the kupra kups take on a bit of a torpedo look as you go higher up on the slider. If you prefer a larger breast you’ll want to look into the original INITHIUM Kupra instead.
Kups did not get as much support as the original Kupra did. While you CAN wear bottoms (pants, skirts, etc) made for Kupra, you need to get Kups specific tops which can be a bit trickier to find sometimes. The Flat option does not have as much support as other flat chest options.


My thoughts on it all
Kupra has the benefits of defined curves while also lending itself to slimmer shapes if desired.
While the body can be worn all as one piece, using separate hands or feet is easy if needed. Simply use the Full Body to wear it all at once and the Body to wear it with no hands or feet. Separate hands and feet are included too.
There are two options for small breasts and a nice flat chest option too. The small breasts have a pleasing shape to them for more realistic smaller cup styles.
While the body can be worn all as one piece, using separate hands or feet is easy if needed. Simply use the Full Body to wear it all at once and the Body to wear it with no hands or feet. Separate hands and feet are included too.
The lack of alpha cuts in the HUD encourages designers to make their own alphas for each product. This means they can make clothing that fits in any way and isn’t limited to preset cuts.

In world location

Meshbody Legacy (Feminine Edition) for Second Life avatars

Pros
The body is visually stunning and looks good for slender and curvy avatars.
There is an incognito mode that hides your body from others. This can be helpful when trying to be less intrusive (such as at popular shopping events)
This is the only feminine body by Legacy to come with fit deformers. The deformers change the body shape so it can be used with most Maitreya clothing and shoes. (Note: This does not alter the hands.)

Cons
Meshbody uses their own system for some parts of their HUD. This requires in game media to be enabled to use it. If Meshbody for whatever reason no longer supports their body, this functionality could be lost entirely.
While the body has applier layers, it’s not Omega compatible so you’re limited to Legacy specific products.
The alpha system isn’t as obvious as other bodies. The sections of the HUD make it look like the alpha are huge, but they run together. Each section has multiple cutouts included, you just can’t visualize it easily until you click them.
The neck resizer buttons aren’t labelled which means adjusting (if needed) takes a little trial and error.
Meshbody is very particular with who they give Dev kits to. At the time of posting it was considered a pro since it meant mostly high quality items were being released. Over time we’ve seen it tended to result in some creators using unofficial kits, resulting in a flood of lower quality items. Not to mention reputable seller had their highly anticipated projects delayed months or longer and some creators couldn’t create for the body at all. There is still a lot of wonderful (and not so wonderful) items available for Legacy, though, so unless you’re creating for the body this likely isn’t going to be something you personally notice.


My thoughts on it all
The body has 5 applier layers (skin + 4 more). The top 4 applier layers can be used with BOM skins.
The included skins are gorgeous, however you have to use neck blenders or chokers to match head skins to the body skins. 36 “Neckfade” objects are included with your body to make it easier.

In world location


MESH BODIES UNDER 100 LINDENS



Pros
Free is a good price.
If you fall in love with the body but want something with more functionality you can purchase the full version knowing what you’ll look like.

Cons
Not technically BOM, however BOM textures can be applied to the mesh via a separate applier (costs L$1).
The HUD is really barebones. This is more of a demo for the full version of the bodies than a full fledged free body.
You’re limited to BOM skins or eBody specific appliers with this version. The full version is Omega compatible.
Nails are not included.
The alphas available for this version are pretty thick. The full version has thinner alphas.
While it’s fairly supported, it’s not nearly as popular as the other bodies, so finding products you want for it may take more time.
Parts of it look may unnatural, depending on your pose.

Meshbody Legacy Classic also known as TMP mesh body for Second Life avatars



Pros
It’s free!
If you had their older product The Mesh Body (TMP) it will still have your outfits saved in the HUD. 95% of your old mesh TMP clothing will fit with it as well. This is basically just a redesign of that original body.
There is an incognito mode that hides your body from others. This can be helpful when trying to be less intrusive (such as at popular shopping events)

Cons
Meshbody uses their own system for some parts of their HUD. This requires in game media to be enabled to use it. If Meshbody for whatever reason no longer supports their body, this functionality could be lost entirely (which happened with the original TMP body)
While the body has applier layers, it’s not Omega compatible so you’re limited to Classic specific products. As it’s a remake of a discontinued body, it’s not getting many new products made for it. Your best bet is to look for “Classic Meshbody” or “TMP” products. Always be sure to demo before making purchases to ensure they fit properly.
The alpha system isn’t as obvious as other bodies. The sections of the HUD make it look like the alpha are huge, but they run together. Each section has multiple cutouts included, you just can’t visualize it easily until you click them.

My thoughts on it all
The body has 5 applier layers (skin + 4 more). The top 4 applier layers can be used with BOM skins.
The included skins are gorgeous, however you have to use neck blenders or chokers to match head skins to the body skins. 36 “Neckfade” objects are included with your body to make it easier.

In world location


Pros
Almost free! 1 Linden
With this body it is possible to go outside the box of what to buy when it comes to clothing and shoes. With this mesh body many of the established brands of mesh bodies also fits this one. BELLEZA, Maitreya And standard Size, others might also fit.
BOM Ready, just wear and use.
It's a Benton body with hands and feet.

Cons
As it is for beginners there is no explanation or note card how BOM works with this mesh body. There's an issue with the browshaper once it's on it is ON. You have no option to remove or hide it.
As soon as you change the size of your butt to anything lower then 20 it deforms and looks really bad.

My thoughts on it all
The body is easy to use and so is the hud. It is a great way for new people in Second life to learn how to operate with a mesh body, find items to wear and how BOM works. It is a great for us old timers too to use as our inventories do have standard size S - L mesh items. When buying things to wear try demos first. 

For you that are wearing SLink I didn't forget about that one just didn't mentioned it here as it is no longer available to buy.

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