My Brief Adventure with a Lelutka Head

[Katheryne Helendale]

Some time ago, I'm guessing a little more than a year ago, the last time I was somewhat active in SL, I was gifted a Lelutka head (Lilly). Today, I decided to spend some time trying to figure it out. It's been, shall we say, an adventure that ultimately ended in failure.

So, the first challenge was figuring out how to mask my system head without screwing with my Maitreya mask. I finally got that figured out, using both Maitreya's alpha and the Lelutka Applier-Head/BOM-Eyes-Body. That made my system head go away, and I could see my Lelutka head.

It was grey. And I could find no way on earth to apply my skin to it. Do I need to buy a whole new skin for this thing? Will that skin work with a Maitreya body?

I forged ahead, trying out some of the other features. Teeth - check. Lips - bigger than I had expected, but I can get used to it. Eyes - I couldn't make my system eyes go away, no matter what I tried. And the Lelutka eyes stuck out of my face in a weird, unsettling way. And then there were the gazillion other files I couldn't figure out what to do with, especially in the add-on pack.

I think what I need is someone who knows their way around the Lelutka system to hold my hand and walk me through configuring this thing one of these times, perhaps this next weekend. This thing makes setting up my Maitreya body seem like a cakewalk - and I still ain't got some of THAT figured out!

 

[Casey Pelous]

Pretty much how this post looks to me:

天地玄黄 宇宙洪荒 日月盈昃 辰宿列张 寒来暑往 秋收冬藏
闰馀成岁 律吕调阳 云腾致雨 露结为霜 金生丽水 玉出昆冈
剑号巨阙 珠称夜光 果珍李柰 菜重芥姜 海咸河淡 鳞潜羽翔
龙师火帝 鸟官人皇 始制文字 乃服衣裳 推位让国 有虞陶唐

ETA: This is in no way a reflection on K's communication abilities. It is a reflection of my apparently relentless descent into "These kids and their MyFace!"

 

[Monica Dream]

Yeah, to be fair even though I use it sometimes, I mostly gave up Maitreya in favor of Tonic Fine body -because of the headache!

I have a Lelutka head -I think? I wasn't crazy about it so I may be a bad person to ask (I used Catway, then Genus -not sure where I'm going now that EvoX is becoming a thing)

 

[Fionalein]

Lily is an Evo head or even an Evox head - ... this will become important once you go shopping for it. But for now Maitreya will provide you with Glamaffair skins without a head (yay \o/) and Lelutka will provide you with Glamaffair tattoos containg the fitting head skins. Look for boxes they gave you labelled "BoM extras" or similar. Sadly GA stopped selling complete skin sets with combined head and body textures. I got one of the last they made, when I came back looking for my alts combined skins were gone so I dragged my moneys elsewhere.

AFAIK Lelutka does not have BoM eyes, there are 3rd party generic BOM eyes, but only the 1st gen heads Simone and Chloe are compatible with system eyes or 3rd party mesh eyes rigged for system eyes. This means you will have to wear the Lelutka mesh eyes and an eye alpha (I'll be sending you Fio's eye away™ next time I'll log in).

Sadly the botox lips were made popular by early Duckwa and LeTroutka and now they are everywhere. You can edit them a bit smaller but if you want to test them against every head animation you'll soon run into clipping.

As for EvoX - yeah they seem everyhere... still sticking to SLUV Lelutka Chloe though.

 

[Sid]

I stick with my system head.
Purely because of lack of knowledge about how to handle mesh heads and the lack of the desire to seriously study on how it can be solved.

 

[Noodles]

I beleive there is a button in the Head that activates BOM.

I Thinknthat free Lilly head is one I use but Inhave not really been keeping track of which head I use.

 

[WolfEyes]

I forged ahead, trying out some of the other features. Teeth - check. Lips - bigger than I had expected, but I can get used to it. Eyes - I couldn't make my system eyes go away, no matter what I tried. And the Lelutka eyes stuck out of my face in a weird, unsettling way. And then there were the gazillion other files I couldn't figure out what to do with, especially in the add-on pack.

For my Vista Zoe head, it was just a matter of using the alpha provided by the mesh eyeballs maker and then wearing the eyes, adjusting them for depth, etc. The mesh eyes I use were made years ago and I think the creator has long since left SL. They were made before mesh bodies were a thing.

Yes, there is a specific alpha for the eyes only.

 

[Fionalein]

I beleive there is a button in the Head that activates BOM.

I Thinknthat free Lilly head is one I use but Inhave not really been keeping track of which head I use.

That head was Evo - AFAIK if you go for a redelivery you'll recieve an Evo-X UV-mapped version too.

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

That head was Evo - AFAIK if you go for a redelivery you'll recieve an Evo-X UV-mapped version too.

You are a genius!

So I had an epiphany, and went back to the Lelutka store, and got a redelivery - the intent being to get the most updated version of my head available - you know, because it's been over a year since I got the head in the first place. I went back home, tried it on, and - BOOM! Everything actually worked right! It accepted the skin I was already wearing (that is God-knows how many years old), and most everything else just pretty much snapped into place. Except the eyes. Even though the eyes were working, they weren't working with my head shape. Putting on the body shape that came with the head fixed that problem, but I became a really busty dwarf. So I put my own shape back on, and did something I hadn't done in over 13 years: I edited my shape. I was able to both fix my eye problem AND made my lips a lot less - well, full. I'm actually pretty happy with what I've got now!

A weird thing about the Evo vs. Evo-X. I haven't a clue what the difference is, or even what they mean. But switching the head to Evo-X mode was really freaky. It looked like my head had been through the transmogrifier a few times too many. Nothing was mapped right. At all! So back to Evo mode I went. Maybe I need an Evo-X compatible skin, who knows. But I got everything working, and I'm happy!

 

[Kathryn Elisabeth]

Evo v/s Evo X.
It is a different UV map. The head is on the head channel, and is generally packaged on a Tattoo layer (sometimes a skin layer). The ear on the AUX 1 channel and packaged on a Universal layer.

It only seems 'What the Hell?' at first, but the why it is done. There is more area now to do face detail stuff.

But more important. It fixes the bug in the SL UV head map. In the SLUV map. The space between the jawline and the crest of the top of the head is nearly non-existant. That is the why when wearing a hairbase tattoo (head channel) on a SLUV map. (Not the system hair) There is a crack in the top. If you try to draw one that closes the crack, then you get hair smudges on the sides of the bottom of the neck.

So EvoX rearranged the map and put the ears separate. Now you can wear a hairbase only hair and not have a crack in the top. Crewcut hair and balding guys. And is just more room to work with when texturing face stuff.

 

[Luisa Land]

I stick with my system head.
Purely because of lack of knowledge about how to handle mesh heads and the lack of the desire to seriously study on how it can be solved.

Yes, that's how it happened to me too. When I tried to add a mesh head to the avatar, I lost the desire to do so because my existing spontaneous skills were not sufficient and I would have had to invest time and energy to accomplish it.
But I think this also shows a problem of sl. When I joined sl many years ago, it looked as if I could create a lot myself, from terraforming to parts of the avatar to house and garden. In the meantime, the corresponding parts/products have become better, sometimes much better looking, but require more knowledge and more skills from the average sl-resident if (s)he really wants to use the possibilities of these products. These possibilities could be an incentive to actively use them. But they can also be a reason why some users give up their sl-life in frustration because they do not have the energy, the time and the skill to acquire the necessary skills.
The question is whether those who have fewer problems using these more complex production conditions for themselves, whether their number is sufficient to keep sl economically attractive for LindenLab.

 

[Argent Stonecutter]

At least it's not like VRChat and NeosVR and other "modern" headset-based VR systems where you have to use Blender to do anything more than retexture your avatar, and custom avatars have to be modified from Unity models and uploaded.

 

[Maitimo]

Hmm, I really need to give Lelutka another try. I've always been disappointed in the past, I've never been able to get a mouth shape I like with any of their heads - but I see they have a bunch of new ones now that I'v not tried before, so maybe one of those will work for me.

EVo-X scares me a little; I've made my own skin, and it took me 2 years. The thought of converting my face to the EVO-X template and spending another 2 years on it before I'm happy with it is... not a happy thought. But I guess I can keep it on EVO setting until I completely run out of makeup options altogether.

Time to go demo shopping.

 

[Aribeth Zelin]

Honestly, the best looking heads, imo, lack most of the features, but the biggest issue is while you can turn off the ears, if you use them with bento ears, like say, fox ones, bits of the head poke out. They look like normal people heads though, not overly youthful fashion models.

 

[Kalel]

Time to go demo shopping.

Demo demo demo...

Use thier shape..if you like how the head looks... copy the head numbers onto a copy of your personal shape. Using head numbers from catwa or another brand will look different. the default Body Shape can make a big difference.

it's annoying having to copy numbers but you need to put in the work to get what you want... most of the people that don't like the heads didn't really put in the effort. when i first switched to lelutka it took me days of testing heads and shapes before settling on the one i want...

 

[Kathryn Elisabeth]

When I finally updated us to mesh heads. 'It was a process' Sure was a little screaming, maybe a few arson breaks? But .. It did get done.
The short list of the 'things' I learn-ed-ed-ed and a coupla important points.

I ) Some of the shape slider controls DON'T change a rigged head.

The following avatar appearance slider controls are not supported due to technical constraints as described in this Wiki page...

Project Bento Skeleton Guide

wiki.secondlife.com

* Head Shape
* Eyelash Length
* Eye Pop
* Ear Angle
* Attached Earlobe
* Jowls
* Chin Cleft
* Upper Chin Cleft

=======================

II) Keep banging the (in Firestorm) right click avatar & Reset Skeleton and Reset Mesh LODS after a shape save. Toss in a coupla relogs too. It does Get visually 'stuck' so screen can be inaccurate. You will note this happens more with some sliders than with others. Happens when some sliders are at the extreme ends of their range. Is neither a good or a bad thing. Is 'Just a thing'

=============================

How I went about picking out the heads the me's use.

I did land on using LeLutka EvoX heads.
Went with LeLutka because after a week or so fighting the Genus mesh head HUD, I was becoming 'a smdgen violent'. Visually the Genus head is not that bad, and is Really Close Close to a default SL UV map skin. So a system you skin will work work, not just kinda sorta wrinkley eh? work.
But it may still be too contrasty, but that is the skin texture / EEP doing that.
But ... LeLutka b/c HUD, b/c punch buttons, not walls.

And.. Was gonna need new skins anyway. The change from old windlight to EEP made the darks darker and the lights lighter, so what I had was just 'Nuhuh'. Too much contrast. Looked like i had the bad sinuses dark eyebag thing, among other stuff. So I went with EvoX


==============================

Doing the actual deciding on a head model and crafting the shape.

The part to note that appears to be the 'Real Difference' in the heads.
Some have eye sockets a little lower than others. Is like 2 versions of that, but is not that big of a deal.
The other part is that the jawline and ridge of the nose differ. Look at it from straight ahead, a little of an angle, the profile, and.... from the bottom up.

So..
1) Look at all the models with their demo shapes.
2) Figure out the model and demo shape you like the best.
3) Keep that demo shape on, and go back and look at all the models again.
4) Check list of the words to use when irritated --- are gonna need them

5) Start editing sliders:
** Remember that the system hairbase eyebrows are included in the 'sliders to look at and edit'
** Include in the editing the sliders a Very Important Trick. Test with some of the head HUD animations.
Include the Lips parted and tongue sticking out anims. They change 'more things'
Some of the sliders at extreme ends of the range bork those,
BUT.... Other slider combinations get the same look. SO is not impossible and works 'more betterer' anyway
6) Repeat ad nausium

Yes it took me about 100 hours of work until I was decently happy, but since then.. faster on shapes for other head models.

============================

When I finally gave up on trying to make it look like the old me, but a better version of how the old me 'should look'. Then I got somewhere.

Some Me's Left to Right, Top Row to Bottom. LeL Fleur, LeL Fleur, LeL Lilly, LeL Zora, LeL Zora, LeL Kaya

 

[Amelia Freund]

^ The head shape slider (for Lelutka anyway) isn't entirely useless. You can still use it in tandem with the jaw shape slider to get the jawline shape you want. it just doesn't work to make the top of the head square like it used to with the default head.

 

[Sid]

When I finally updated us to mesh heads. 'It was a process' Sure was a little screaming, maybe a few arson breaks? But .. It did get done.
The short list of the 'things' I learn-ed-ed-ed and a coupla important points.

I ) Some of the shape slider controls DON'T change a rigged head.

The following avatar appearance slider controls are not supported due to technical constraints as described in this Wiki page...

Project Bento Skeleton Guide

wiki.secondlife.com

* Head Shape
* Eyelash Length
* Eye Pop
* Ear Angle
* Attached Earlobe
* Jowls
* Chin Cleft
* Upper Chin Cleft

=======================

II) Keep banging the (in Firestorm) right click avatar & Reset Skeleton and Reset Mesh LODS after a shape save. Toss in a coupla relogs too. It does Get visually 'stuck' so screen can be inaccurate. You will note this happens more with some sliders than with others. Happens when some sliders are at the extreme ends of their range. Is neither a good or a bad thing. Is 'Just a thing'

=============================

How I went about picking out the heads the me's use.

I did land on using LeLutka EvoX heads.
Went with LeLutka because after a week or so fighting the Genus mesh head HUD, I was becoming 'a smdgen violent'. Visually the Genus head is not that bad, and is Really Close Close to a default SL UV map skin. So a system you skin will work work, not just kinda sorta wrinkley eh? work.
But it may still be too contrasty, but that is the skin texture / EEP doing that.
But ... LeLutka b/c HUD, b/c punch buttons, not walls.

And.. Was gonna need new skins anyway. The change from old windlight to EEP made the darks darker and the lights lighter, so what I had was just 'Nuhuh'. Too much contrast. Looked like i had the bad sinuses dark eyebag thing, among other stuff. So I went with EvoX


==============================

Doing the actual deciding on a head model and crafting the shape.

The part to note that appears to be the 'Real Difference' in the heads.
Some have eye sockets a little lower than others. Is like 2 versions of that, but is not that big of a deal.
The other part is that the jawline and ridge of the nose differ. Look at it from straight ahead, a little of an angle, the profile, and.... from the bottom up.

So..
1) Look at all the models with their demo shapes.
2) Figure out the model and demo shape you like the best.
3) Keep that demo shape on, and go back and look at all the models again.
4) Check list of the words to use when irritated --- are gonna need them

5) Start editing sliders:
** Remember that the system hairbase eyebrows are included in the 'sliders to look at and edit'
** Include in the editing the sliders a Very Important Trick. Test with some of the head HUD animations.
Include the Lips parted and tongue sticking out anims. They change 'more things'
Some of the sliders at extreme ends of the range bork those,
BUT.... Other slider combinations get the same look. SO is not impossible and works 'more betterer' anyway
6) Repeat ad nausium

Yes it took me about 100 hours of work until I was decently happy, but since then.. faster on shapes for other head models.

============================

When I finally gave up on trying to make it look like the old me, but a better version of how the old me 'should look'. Then I got somewhere.

Some Me's Left to Right, Top Row to Bottom. LeL Fleur, LeL Fleur, LeL Lilly, LeL Zora, LeL Zora, LeL Kaya

Nice of you trying to explain, but when I see this kind of lengthy "manuals" I'm only more convinced to just stick with my system head.
2022 in an Internet 'game' changing the look of your head.
Yeah, and than we wonder why SL isn't relevant anymore.

 

[Kathryn Elisabeth]

Some may find the explanation helpful. Period.

Do I think that it is Harder than it needs to be? Yes.
Do I think it can be made simpler? Yes.
Do I think LL could make it simpler? Yes.
Do I think LL will make it simpler? Hell No.

When the decisions regarding 'How to play Avatar Dress Up' are made by people that last changed Saved Appearance in 2017, Well.... Duh.

Thing is there is not much that can be done 'specifically' in regards to the Actual Mesh Body or Head Objects. Creators, who are also End Users & LL Customers are gonna do it how they do it. Either their product is unwieldy or it is not. They are gonna make it 'their way' and set their permissions how they are just gonna be.

Should LL Revise How System Shapes work? Rationally Modularize the Process of Defining the 3-D underpinning?
Should LL Expand the BoM Layer Mechanism? Add Means for a final end user to enhancing & expanding relative positions of layers for addition and removal purposes? Increase the flexibility in Bake Channel Use? Maybe So Cocks can match the Body, even if they are the size of a fire extinguisher.

Both of those would make the underlying concepts and the end user implementation much easier to teach and do.

Should LL Revise the Mechanism by Which Feet Work? In Order to make shoes just work? Simplifying using shoes and sitting on furniture in the process? Yeah.

Could LL Revise How the end user differentiates Worn Objects into Body, Head & Adult parts v/s Clothing v/s Toys v/s HUDs & Meters?
Could LL add features to make playing dressup be more akin to almost a paper doll interface?
Add an Abstraction layer to the process?
Hell. I did that part using LSL the first coupla months I actually Started using Mesh Bodies and Heads.
To me, doing that actually made them now easier to use than the system body model.

Will they? Hell No.

Instead they changed the Interface on Finding the Damn Landmarks. Made it harder. So you hafta toggle asset type view in actual inventory to find all the LM's that come packaged with a purchase. LOL. *facepalms*

Oh eventually some platform will figure out that 'Playing Dressup including Playing Adult Dressup' is Key. Making a 'Play using Daz with your friends easier' to teach and do.

Anyway. That's the Rant.

 

[Katheryne Helendale]

I finally pretty much got my whole LeLutka head situation sorted out. I found, what I assume is a skin, that is evo-x compatible. I'm not too sure how it works - it seems to modify the system skin I'm wearing so that the colors match between head and body. Whatever magic it uses, it seems to work, and I like the effect.

And imagine my surprise when I enabled BOM on my Maitreya body with my system skin - and it worked! No more needing to wear an alpha! And adding the head skin didn't break anything.

Now to buy makeup and figure out how to use them, especially eyeshadow and such. How do those work, anyway? Do I just simply clear the HUD-applied one off, then "wear" the new makeup?

Lawdy, this can get expensive!