Should you get a mesh body???
In today's SL, everything has gone mesh! Believe me, if you wern't around in the old days you have no idea what an improvement this is. For those that are new or just don't want to spend money on the game, it can be a problem. I moved slowly into changing my body. First got the slink high feet because it was becoming harder and harder to get system shoes. For fun I got the bento hands from Vista. LOVE THEM!!! Last night I went to the SL14 gift event. 60 great gifts from many of SL's talented designers. Every outfit was for mesh body only, one pair of shoes was Maitreya only and there were some slippers that were flat, so I would have had to remove my slink feet. While these were a great value to be getting for free, it made it so I couldn't use so many of the gifts. Since I want to be able to help newbies, I was torn on the whole mesh body issue.
My Solution
After a night of thought, I decided to go ahead and get my mesh body. I will keep my system body in tact under it so I can just remove it as needed. This was I can help both types of readers. Those with and without mesh bodies will benefit from my finds on the grid.
(System body on Left in white - Mesh body on Right in black)
Did it make a difference?
As a photographer, there is some big improvements. With a system body there are some weird things that happen to your body as you pose. I'll show you a close up of what I mean, though this was not an extreme case and the mesh body close up to show the difference.
I also like that I can change my feet from flat to mid to high in the click of a button. The Maitreya includes bento hands with animations so you can use your regular AO and still get the bento advantage. I hate to spend money where it's not needed.
The Cost...
Investment in a mesh body is costly. If you add a mesh head (a post for another day) it can be beyond some peoples budgets. My Maitreya Lara body set me back L$2750. If you are looking at slink feet and/or bento hands, it's not much more that the two combined. If you are like me and had already spent the money on those options, it's just a lot of money.
Based on what I saw in the SL14 gift event and on my hunts, I can tell that within a couple of years you will have very little options, at least in the free gifts stores offer. Marketplace will always have system clothing available, but I suggest making this upgrade sooner than later.
I hope you all found this helpful. Drop me, Calista Easterling, a notecard in world or message me on Facebook if you have any questions.
Body: Maitreya Lara
Skin: Glam Affair Roza
Eyes: Mayfly Liquid Light Mesh Eyes (gray shadow w3)
Hair: Tableau Vivant \\ SL14 Gift (free in the SL14 gift event)
White Lingerie was a freebie from 8 years ago
Black Lingerie comes with the Maitreya Lara body and has a hud to apply.
