In Second Life, you can alter your shape to look however you wish (with some limitations.) The controls for this are stored in several places. The main one is a shape file that you wear, and covers both head and body. Look for the purple image with a tiny head and shoulders in your inventory.
Unlike other items, you always have to wear a shape of some kind. Most mesh bodies and heads come with a shape designed to show off their features to the best advantage, but they don't always work with other bodies. Some are editable, some are not. If they are editable, wear them, right click on the file in your inventory, and select 'edit.' You can also right click on your avatar and select 'edit shape' from that menu.
You don't need to buy a new shape. All's you need is time, patience, and the instructions below to create your own.
The 'New Shape' Menu
In the Firestorm viewer:
Firstly, head into your inventory.
Click the plus sign towards the bottom of the window.
Select 'New Body Parts.'
Select 'New Shape.' This will create a new shape object in your inventory.
Name your new shape. I usually give it the name of the mesh head and body I'm wearing, and the date.
Now, right click on that freshly named new shape and select 'wear.'
You're probably going to look weird. It's OK, we're about to fix that.
Right click on that shape file again and select 'edit.'
The new window that pops up is full of tabs and sliders. Find the various body parts you want to change, and click and drag the slider indicators, moving them back and forth until it looks right. You can also input specific numbers to get a specific look.
Generally it's left to make things smaller, right to make them bigger. Try everything out to see what controls which part. Some descriptions are kind of vague!
There are limitations to how to change things, based both on the body skeleton and the design of the mesh head and body. Some things just aren't going to work out right, and you might need to try out a different head or body to get the look you want. Always test editing your shape when trying out a demo head or body!
**Note that there are two save buttons. The save button at the top saves the current file, the save as button allows you to rename it. However, if you're not paying attention, you'll end up with half a dozen files called new body shape (new)(new)(new).
The Eyebrow Menu
The shape menu does not cover all the body parts. Oddly enough, if you want to change the shape of your eyebrows and eyes even further, you have to head into the archaic 'Hair' section. This is a leftover from the system body, and most of it isn't relevant anymore, but the eyebrow section is still usable.
Go to Inventory, click the plus sign, New Body Parts, and this time, 'New Hair.' Name your new Hair, right click on it in your inventory, and select 'Wear.' Then right click on it again and select 'Edit.'
Click on the tab labeled 'Eyebrows,' play with the sliders, and click on Save at the top of the window when you're done. Make sure you wear this hair object along with your shape. This is another item that the system thinks you MUST always wear, but in this case, it's possible to go without.
This item is tricky to take off again. Usually you have to strip everything off. I have an 'invisible' body that I wear to events that overheat my laptop, usually just popping that on will clear off the hair.
Note: You may end up with a weird helmet looking thing. This is hair, very, very old hair. To get rid of it, click on the Style tab, and size everything down so it hides inside your head. Then click on the Texture image and select 'transparent' from the window that pops up, then 'OK.'
Exporting and Importing Shapes
Perhaps you have finally perfected your head's shape, but want to wear it on a different body (which requires different settings. Or maybe you want to share a shape with a friend or an alt? You could write down all the numbers and then input them in again, one at a time, in the new shape's editor, but this is time consuming and frustrating. There's an easier way!
This requires you to have the Developer Menu active. Here's how to do that first:
Go to Avatar, Preferences, and click on the Advanced tab. Check the box for 'Show Developer Menu (use at your own risk!).' Don't panic, trust me, just click OK.
Back on your main screen, you'll see a new Developer tab across the top of your screen.
Click on that, go to 'Avatar,' 'Character Tests,' and 'Appearance to XML.'
It will open a new window to save a .xml file to your hard drive. I recommend you put it somewhere easy to find, like your documents folder, otherwise it may bury it deep within your Second Life program folders. Give it a name and click save.
To import that file, create a new shape, using the same directions above. Wear it again and go into the Edit menu. At the bottom of that window is an Import button. Click on that and select the file you just saved. All of the settings in that file will be applied to your new shape. Be sure to click Save!
Sharing
Only you can access that xml file, since it's on your hard drive. Since you created the new shape and imported it, you have the ability to share it with others. Right click on the new shape and select 'Properties' to alter the rights for the next owner. You can give or take away the rights to modify it, copy, or transfer the item under the 'Next Owner' section. Then right click on the new shape again and select 'Share.' You'll have several options available for finding the person you want to share it with.
Camera Issues
When you initially go into the edit mode, your body assumes the classic T position, and the camera zooms around to give you a full view of your body. Sometimes it messes up, and you'll end up staring at the back of your head. It's easy enough to swivel it back around. Click on ctrl and alt on your keyboard, and hold them down while clicking and dragging your mouse until you have the view you want.
If you don't want your body frozen like that, or want a different position, you can turn the feature off.
Go into the Avatar menu, choose Preferences, and click on 'Move & View' tab. In there, uncheck 'Appearance' under 'Automatically Pose Avatar During (select one or more), and click OK. (I usually have all of these options unchecked. Other people don't need to see I'm editing something!)
For a different position, go to Avatar and Pose Stand. It'll give you a variety of poses to choose from. I like this mode when I'm trying to adjust my body shape, and want to keep my arms from being too long, etc. Which leads to the final topic . . . .
Body Proportions
Just what should your body shape BE? It's both an art and a science, but there are some free tools available to get a realistic look. The simplest is
Bumper Girl's Proportion Park. They offer a free posing tool area and some textures that are set up behind you, so you can adjust your body according to the classic proportion diagrams on them.
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Note: It's in an Adult sim. If you don't have access to it, you can buy your own copy for 1L on
Marketplace. A search for 'Proportions' will also turn up a number of helpful tools. Check them out and see what might work best for you.
