New Maitreya Body Announced

 

 Maitreya made news several years ago for being a breakthrough mesh body known it called "Lara." It is now getting a major update. On it's Facebook group, it posted "Coming Soon: an entirely new version, a next generation of Lara!" This one is named the Lara X.

When we created the Lara Mesh Body over 8 years ago, she was ground breaking and soon became the most popular body on the second life grid. Originally it had been our goal to stay close to the default Second Life avatar (Ruth), so that everyone could still enjoy their sl wardrobe with their Lara body. In recent years that restriction has been lifted more and more. Due to the effort of thousands of content creators in second life, who make their mesh in various mesh body sizes, a mesh body can now look any way we want it to.

Recently we’ve received a lot of requests for a Lara mesh body update. When we asked people what it was they were hoping to see in an update, most people replied they were hoping to see a more curvy or more detailed Lara with better weights. The request for smoother weights originates from creators who have expressed the difficulty they experience when creating content for the Lara mesh body (some of them therefore even decided to drop Lara sizes). As much as we wanted to improve the weights issues, doing so would always result in the breaking of content made for Lara previously.

The solution we eventually came up with is to improve Lara, with smoother weights and more detailed mesh. And to give this next generation Lara X as an extra in our next update. An extra, not a replacement. So that no-one will lose anything and everyone will only gain! This means that every Lara mesh body owner or buyer will receive Lara X for free and also still the original Lara body, to wear with existing Lara wardrobes. You can switch between them effortlessly if you wish so.

As announced, Maitreya stated those who already had the original will be getting the new one for free in their next update. So they won't need to spend extra money.

 

But not long afterwards, there was a followup post by Maitreya that was apparently in response to "some misunderstandings." They stated "we didn't make the body more curvy," saying that what was going on was that "the body does respond a little stronger to the appearance sliders," meaning if the sliders were maxed the breasts and behind would be "a little bigger. ... So if you don't want to be more curvy, you don't have to. But you do have the option to get a bit more curvy." The post would go on to say the behind had the option of physics movement and "Lara X isn't an add-on. It is a full body avatar," saying that while they expected clothes to be made for the new body, the original could be kept for existing ones as the new body may or may not work well with current outfits, "that way you will always have a Lara version that (fits) your clothing."

 

No doubt this news will be of interest to those wanting the latest and new looks, as well as fashion designers.

Hat Tip Matoazma Kazyanenko

 

image source: Maitreya

Bixyl Shuftan

 

Reader Submitted: Review of the Legacy Mesh Body

 By Valkyrie Ice ( Valkyrie McGill)

Hello everyone, it’s time for the fashion demoness to make her debut.

Bix has been after me to become the Newsers fashion reporter for awhile, so I finally caved. To start, I plan to do a review and comparison of various mesh bodies, their ease of use, things I like and don’t like, and so forth. This is going to be from my perspective, so don’t take it too seriously.

For those who don’t know me, I am Valkyrie, the resident succubus of Club Cutlass and a member of the Sunbeamers team in RFL. I’ve been modding avatars since I first came to Second Life, and Bix has been snapping pics of me most of that time, so I suppose that’s why he wants me to be the fashion reporter.

So, to start, my first review is going to be on the Legacy Mesh Body, the classic version.

I have chosen the Legacy for my main mesh body for three main reasons, first because of all the various bodies I have tried, it comes the closest to my Lena Lush in ease of modding, overall form, and ability to match my excessively curvy body shape without being ridiculously exaggerated.

 

As you can see, I am petite but voluptuous, with an emphasis on being cute and huggable. The Lena allowed me to be about a cup size larger breast-wise, but the limit on the Legacy is about a large DD. The actual shape of the breasts looks quite natural without being oddly deformed, with nipples that point forward and not upwards at a 45 degree angle, like the Slink Hourglass of the older Lolas add ons. The skin being used is default #3 which is closest to the anime skintone I generally use to match my M4 head. The legs are properly proportioned, with neither gigantic thighs, or ridiculously skinny calves. The skin includes it’s own HUD driven speculars to provide a natural, oiled, and wet sheen. The skin texture itself is very natural looking, and goes from a very pale to a nice dark in natural gradations. It can also be tinted as desired.

From the back, you can see that the derriere has a very nice pear shape, without being ridiculously projected outwards, which was a major quibble I had with the Lena Lush and Kupra, both of which allowed up to EE sized breasts, but given the overall improvements in body shape I am willing to deal with slightly smaller breasts for the more realistic body proportions in the hips, legs, arms and rear.

The sole “problem” I have is the way the skin is stretched on the side of the breasts, as you can see that the arc of my tattoo which should be a symmetrical curve down to a point is a little distorted, but that is something I can fix by tailoring the tattoo itself. The body itself has no problems with the side profile, with the breasts falling naturally without excessive “jutting” which makes it appear they are laying on an invisible platform. The hips are naturally tilted without an excessive back arch to make the “booty” stick out so far you could use it for a serving tray, or thighs so massive they need their own zip code.

And now we come to the Legacy Control Hud, which is what makes the body so good for modding. There are actually two parts to the HUD, the main, which is to the side, and the customization HUD which is the bar up top. The customization hud is what allows you to set textures to the various layers, which are the Tattoo, Inner, Middle and Top layers. With the HUD you can not only create custom clothing layers from your own textures, but you can also set bump and shine, with control over gloss, environment, and tint for the speculars. You can also individually control Glow and Transparency per layer.

The main HUD controls the inbuilt body gloss and bump, neck size adjustment for matching you preferred head, Nail shape and length or nail removal for add-on nails like mine. The Bento hands can be controlled separately or run random animations, while there are five foot settings for shoes. So far, most of the “The Mesh Project” sized shoes I have tried fit just fine. Additionally you can turn off/on any individual layer of clothing as well as add sock and glove “covers” when needed. The other two buttons on the hud allow you to pick a skin tone, or switch the body to BOM mode, and control alphas. The alpha system is one of the best I have seen to date, which allows you to subdivide actual sections of the alpha map into smaller pieces to customize exactly what needs to be hidden.

And now to show a full outfit with glows and speculars. With the Customization hud, I modified my B@R Cygmalio outfit to full bright with a ten percent glow to make this version, which is perfect for staying visible in the darkest Club. With some modding knowledge, you can create all sorts of special effects for your old texture only clothes.

But let’s be honest, most of you will probably want to know more about mesh outfits, which to be honest is probably the weakest point of the legacy at this moment, since it’s a new mesh and is still being more widely supported. It does, however, appear to me to be a strong contender with Maitreya, with many clothes makers already supporting legacy versions, and even Gatcha clothes becoming more available. While it is not yet as universal as Maitreya, I do think that is going to change over the next year.

Additionally I haven’t yet found a Omega Applier setup for Legacy, though since the older Mesh Project had them, they will be out eventually if not already and I just haven’t found them. This makes it possible to wear your own skins only in BOM mode, which reduces some of your modding possibilities, and the only way I have figured out to change the body out of BOM mode is to select the skin in HUD again, which will erase the clothing layer settings. This is easy to work around by simply putting a copy of the body into any BOM outfit folder and leaving it exclusively for that outfit.

So in conclusion, The Legacy is wonderful in many ways, but also has it’s drawbacks. It depends on what exactly you want from a mesh body. For mod-ability, I would rate it about an 8, For complexity it’s about a 5, as the low triangle count of 12.3k is offset by the fact that hands and feet require separate attachments and add an additional 5K to the overall rendering weight. The BOM is great, but the lack of a means to mix BOM and custom clothing layers (so far as I have been able to figure out so far) and the lack of applier skin support yet reduces the score to a five as well. For adaptability to an array of body shapes, I would give it another 8, but that’s only because I would prefer slightly larger breasts than DD, as I am normally a E-Cup. The funny thing is it comes with a clothing deformer that can make a mesh outfit the right size, but which does not affect the body in any way.

Anyway, that’s Val’s review of the Legacy Mesh, and next we will look at the Maitreya.  And feel free to comment, and if you notice any features I am missing, or know any tips or tricks I don’t, feel free to let me know. I’ve only owned it for a week, and still learning, so if you know something I don’t, let me know!

Bai Bai!

Valkyrie 
 

Dress For Success

by Syndra

   Hello my beautiful bunnies!

As many of you know, a little while back I wrote a piece about finding a job. Well, I decided to touch back on the topic but of course from a fashion standpoint. Actors and actresses have it right, when they go in for a casting call. Look the part that you are wanting to play! Simple and effective advice, don't you think?

But Syndra...what does that mean for me when I am trying to get a job? Well what that translates to is, dress for the job you are going after. In secondlife more often than not, the adult industry is the job of choice for many females.

Recently, I sat down with a wonderful, talented and "...totally awesome." woman named Nyx(Sweetness Resident) ​ who is the Club Manager at Plush. Plush is an adult club that has been open for about four months now and as a hiring manager, I thought she would be a great person to ask about dressing for success in this particular industry.

Plush and other clubs like it are as Nyx (Sweetness Resident) explains, "...in the business of sex, so looks are EVERYTHING." She further went on to tell me, "...We now require mesh hands, feet and hair. If you don't have those three things, we can't consider you."

In an industry that is all about the appearance of their girls that is a very fair requirement to have. Before you even consider applying for any job, I suggest that you understand and do a little research as to its industry standards. That will save you the disappointment of not being able to be considered before you even speak your first words.

Specifically referring to the strip club and adult entertainment industry, I asked her what would be appropriate for potential employees to show up to the interview in; and if in an extreme example, being naked might be an option.

Nyx (Sweetness Resident) with a very charming sense of humor and a great bit of advice said, "...Hahahah I know we are a strip club but never show up to anything naked (laughter)." She clarified by 'anything' she meant any interview. ..."but since it is a strip club, you have some leeway. If I were to suggest something I would say to steer clear of winter coats and full body cover ups, try wearing something that shows off what you are going to be showing off on stage. It can even be a low cut top with form fitting jeans. Stick to your style but show that you know what sexy is."

Honestly, I think this is great advice coming from an industry expert. Hopefully this will help all of you bunnies out there when you are shopping or putting together an outfit for an interview at clubs such as Plush.

Picking her brain, I asked her a question that we often ask ourselves. Classy vs. Trashy. As the Club Manager at an adult establishment, I am sure that she's seen her fair share of both. .."For me personally I think less is more. I know that's a cliche but i think its crucial. Some girls have too much going on. Their makeup is super heavy , and their outfits are all these different patterns. And don't get me started with low quality tattoos. Tattoos can be sexy but when too much is going on it adds to the mess. Simple makeup, a nice simple sexy outfit and a light/small tattoo looks way better. You don't want to look like a crazy bag lady and that's how I define trashy....tacky." Nyx(Sweetness Resident) further went on to say, "..It all depends how to put things together. Like someone could pull off some of the negative things I said, you just have to have an eye for the line between sexy and trashy. But I also think it plays into personal style. Men like different things. Someone might get an instant boner from the tacky description I gave. (laughter)"

I have to agree with her, personally I think that you have to define what you think is sexy and what you think is trashy. You have to look at the environment you are going to be in and either tone it down or rev it up. Ultimately though, you have to be you. Employers are not looking to hire carbon copies; they want unique women to fill their positions.

I asked our industry expert if there was anything else that she wished to add, she extended a lovely invitation to come by the Plush club and see the girls and of course say hello. Nyx(Sweetness Resident) also sends a shout out to Magika for hair; Blueberry, KITJA, and Bueno; because ..."having a mesh body, fitmesh is a godsend.." Overall style she likes AMITOMO, Third Eye, Sweet things; and for accesories Pink Acid and PUNCH. She admits that she is a shopaholic and could go on forever.

Keeping all of these things in mind, here are a few ideas to point you in the right direction.

Mesh hands that I live and die by.

​These are the Slink hands by Sidden Murno. They can be found on the Marketplace or Inworld.

Each single style will run you about 450$L for a pair (Left and Right hands). Or you can buy a Muti-pack of styles for about 1,250$L. There are a myriad of appliers for this mesh enhancement as Slink has been around for quite some time and is in my personal opinion a must have for anyone these days. Slink also makes mesh feet. Those are my go to feet as well. They also can be found on the marketplace and their inworld location.

As for mesh hair, nearly every designer out there makes at least a few designs in mesh. I too love Magicka hair and you won't be disappointed if you go looking for something to make your avatar interview ready.

This one is called Listen and costs 250$L. It comes in a multitude of colors and I am sure you'll find one to express you.

I think that a sleek little number like this from Blueberry might be something you'd want to consider making an impression it. While it shows your goods, it leaves some mystery and; it comes in black. We all know there is nothing like our 'little black dress'.

​This costs 199$L and is mesh. Don't worry bunnies, its listing says that it works for classic avatars as well as mesh.

Keep an eye out for more 'Dress for Success' articles in the future. Much love and goodluck

in your ventures!
-Syndra

Feeling a little Fantasy

By Syndra

Hello my little Bunnies,

   I've got something special for you, from the Fantasy Collective. From now until July 13th, you can go find fantastic treasure that are sure to stoke your fantasy dreams. But, I did say I had something special for you, didn't I?

Here at the event is a new mesh head from Genesis. Its called Chloe and debuted right here...right now at the Fantasy Collective.

Isn't it beautiful?

The debut price is 2,500$L, and yes there is a demo available. My advice? Try it..and if you love it. Get it! I don't know if the price will go up after the event, but if it does; you might be sorry if you wait.

Now, the awesome debut of the mesh head aside, there are lots of beautiful goodies at this event.

​For those of us that own the lovely LeLutka mesh head, Y&Y has offered up the Melian skin and makeup applier set. It is available from a lighter tone to a nice beach tan. The skins are 1490$L each and the makeup is only 500$L each. That isn't too bad for lovely appliers for a nice head. Which by the way, the LeLutka head works very well with the Maitreya body.

​These dresses cover just enough but leave a little to the imagination, don't you think? I'd say these were perfect for great fantasy role-play. Offered up by Le Fil Casse, these dresses are 185$L each and also come in a fatpack for 900$L. There are nine beautiful colors to choose from.

​This was one of my favorite pieces that I saw at this event. I adore the soft pastel colors and the bright patterns. It's called Licinia by Luas and costs 150$L with the fatpack at 450$L. There are four colors for this lovely dress.

Valentinae calls this the 'Cruel Summer Gown' The name alone makes me want to put it on and cause some trouble. Available in the standard mesh sizes and four colors to choose from at 285$Lea or pick them all up at 1,050$L. Honestly, I would love to see this dress offered at a slightly lower price, but what can you do. It is still a nice gown.

​What sort of fantasy themed anything would be...anything, without some beautiful shiny things? From Salt and Pepper, this is called Vicky and is a very nice necklace and earring set at 399$L. The best part is that all of the colors are available on the hud, so you buy the jewelry and have 6 sets for the price of one.

As always at any great event is one or two gachas. The Fantasy Collective does not disappoint. Sweet Lies has decided to feature their gacha which offers beautiful dresses and accessories like a purse and sandals. Shoes, a dress and a purse; sounds like a basic outfit to me. Why not give it a go at 50$L a play. As always, gacha items are trade-able. So, collect them all and trade with your friends.

A fair, some fashion and some fun. I can't think of a better way to spend a day in Second Life.

See you soon Bunnies
                      
-Love Syn

PS:http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Regulus/82/87/21 <------See you there!

The Indulgence Fair

:::Whats hotter than that weather?:::

Hello my beautiful bunny babes,

  The weather is hot and so are you. What we do behind closed doors is your business and the business of whomever you do it with. But if your looking for some fashion that will accentuate the sexual vixen that is you; then you are in luck.

Through the month of June, there is the Indulgence BDSM&Kink fair. Doesn't the name alone make you want to pour yourself into latex, lace up your stiletto boots and head on over?

Over 50 of the most amazing designers have come out to make sexy clothes, poses, furniture and props for all of us beauties to use in the exploration of our imagination. Whilst erotic fantasies and role-play might be running rampant in your mind, you have to be there to satiate them. But, let me share a few of my favorite designers that will be participation in the event with you. I love to share.

These are from Pervette. She makes everything from stockings to sexy little lace pieces, even a few tattoos. Some of her clothes even have appliers for our mesh bodies. Don't you just love when designers indulge our meshy desires?

And don't worry, there is plenty from her that satiates the Lolas lovers as well.

Glitzz is another one of my favorite designers that makes a statement at this event. You can find all sorts of sensual mesh offerings from the designer, both fit mesh (which adjusts with some of your body's sliders) and standard mesh sizes. Both of these options work well with our mesh bodies.

And look! From Lady X an Indulgence fair sale. Looking for a new bed for private time? Can't beat a sale! If designers that mix fashion and pleasure aren't enough to get you there, and a sale on...lets face it; a bedroom essential. Then you don't want to go! Don't miss it, make the hot weather envious.

~Love Syn

PS: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Lovers%20PlayGround%20SexBed/134/130/21 <----I've got extra rope if you need it ;)