Berry’s 2016 Mesh Body Parts Survey

134 thoughts on “Berry’s 2016 Mesh Body Parts Survey”

• I wear Maitreya body and feet, and Slink hands. I don’t care for the way the Maitreya hands look. My head is Logo, and isn’t very well supported by skin and makeup people, and often I have to rely on Omega for most of that. I prefer this head because it looks most like ‘me’.
  I won a Bento head, but haven’t downloaded the viewer yet. It seems quite intimidating because it starts out as a ‘blob’.
  I’m not sure what to hope for. I can’t keep up with the latest, greatest things. So I just watch and eventually pick and choose what suits me.

• 1. It depends on my avatar! On my main I currently use the Slink Physique mesh body with the Lelutka Stella head. On my alt I currently use the Maitreya mesh body and the LOGO Alex head. I REALLY want a Bento head (the Catwa Catya one) for my alt SO BAD that I have bought a body & head applier for her, but the cost is making it so I can’t yet :/

  2. I have! I’m currently running the LL Official Viewer right now and I’ve played with the Catwa Catya demo & the Vista bento hands.

  3. More bento heads, Slink bento hands, Maitreya bento hands.

• Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason?

  I wear the Maitreya body and the Catwa heads, of which I have many. I would actually love to wear the Fiore heads because they better reflect the ethnicity of my avatar and there are far more properly dark skins available, but I don’t like the scripting, especially compared to Catwa. I wouldn’t change from the Maitreya body. The only wish I have for it is that they’d make a pregnancy add on for RP.

  Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands?

  I beta test the Firestorm viewer. I have the Catwa and Akeruka Bento heads and the Vista Bento hands. The hands are amazing, and I’ve heard that Maitreya will updating their hands to Bento soon. Akeruka was disappointing. The Catya head doesn’t QUITE work for me – again, I want features that match my character’s ethnicity and even with sliders the Catya head doesn’t quite work that well. I’m hopeful for future Bento Catwa heads.

  What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017?

  More ethnicities!

• 1. I currently wear Catwa Dyana (but I own Catwa Annie Vampire, Snow Rabbit Nea, the Akeruka bento promotional head, two Slink heads, LeLutka Stella & Simone, a mix of Genesis gacha heads, and LOGO Alex & Sadie) Dyana is by far my favourite and the most often featured on my blog but I would desperately like to try the new Catwa bento head – she looks so unbelievably cute!!

  2. I have not downloaded a Bento viewer yet so I have not had the pleasure of trying any Bento products. I’m very confident that Firtestorm will have their official Bento release ready soon and I’m very much looking forward to trying it out (and hopefully getting that Catwa “Katya” Bento head the very second that I can afford her).

  3. I’m hoping to see piercings options on the Catwa heads’ ears (if not piercings *on* the ears then perhaps some jewelers creating multiple piercings that would fit the ears with minimal adjustments and many style/colour options) – something similar to the piercings available now from Mandala otherwise – I can’t imagine any other parts that would really appeal much to my needs.

• I wear the Maitreya body because it’s the one people create for most of the time. Because I’m lazy as heck, I wear the Maitreya feet even though I prefer the look of Slink, and I switch between the Slink and Maitreya hands, depending on what I’m doing. But I prefer the look of Slink’s hands. I wear a LOGO head, but I wear Chloe, which is even less supported than Alex as far as skins go. LOL Which is okay really because I love the base skin and the expressions are better than ANY I have ever seen on any other mesh head. I have the new Catya bento head from Catwa and it’s nice to finally get to play with skins and stuff that have collected in my inventory. And, of course, to be able to make the head a little more “me” and little less “OMG I HAVE A HUGE FACE” which is how all the other Catwa heads have been on me.

  I’m hoping in 2017, LOGO does a bento update to the head because really, they do my favorite expressions, and of course I’m hoping for bento fingers for both Slink and Maitreya.

• “Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason?” – I wear Maitreya probably 90% of the time. I find the SLink body is better for me when I want to have a fuller/plump avatar from time to time. But I much prefer the Maitreya body. I wear the LOGO head and I wish….WISH WISH WISH ….. that more skin creators would cater to it.I know there are plenty of Catwa heads to choose from and everyone and their dog makes skins for them but I try them when they are released and none of them are ‘me’. Not even the bento one (I was gifted it and tested it but it’s just not me.

  “Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands?” – Yes I have. The hands I love, because I am not fond of the stiffness of the Maitreya hands and I get tired of having to swap around the different SLink hands all the time because I don’t like just one style constantly. The heads – well it is only early days so I am hoping some new ones will come out soon and I can try them and see how they go. I have tested Altamura and CATWA bento heads and neither of them sit right for me.

  “What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017?” – Some more bento heads would be nice so there is some variety. But I would also love more wings and tails – I like the demonic style, not neko, so am looking forward to see what comes of those.

  Thank you for letting me have a mini rant. This was a great survey 😀

• 1.Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason?:

  A: The mesh body I currently have is Maitreya. The reason why I have it is because I thought it looked really beautiful on other avatars and I always wanted it from when I came to know about it. I always wanted to try the Belleza one because it looked very cool as well, but it’s because of cost that I don’t use it at the moment.

  2. Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands?:

  A: I planned to but I’ve been lazy so no. So far Firestorm doesn’t seem to be compatible yet with Bento, but I hope it is soon!

  3. What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017?:

  In 2017 I’m hoping an update comes with Maitreya or mesh bodies in general if there hasn’t been already. If they have then I just can’t wait to see different objects, shapes, etc. getting into Bento!

• I don’t wear a mesh head on Vaki for two reasons. First, because noses are really important to me, and no one’s made a head with an interesting nose. I want a Cate Blanchett nose, a Claudia Black nose, a Sarah Michelle Gellar nose. Second, I like my androgynous skin. There’s no applier for it. I need to wait for a skin that looks like me again.

  I have the Bento viewer. I’ve looked at mesh heads, but none suit me yet.

  Sadly, Bento heads don’t allow me to adjust the nose in the way I want. It’d be nice if we could see people provide mesh options for body parts that don’t change via Bento.

• I have purchased an Akeruka Mike Bento Head recently. Up til now, I have been wearing my Niramyth bod with my old SL head, simply because I don’t want to be anybody’s twin. I will experiment with the Mike head, but the match is not good with Niramyth, so I have purchased a slink mesh bod and will see how that works out. I am on the Alpha/Beta team for the Firestorm Bento viewer and it works well! I would love to see more variety for men on the grid. Like you, I kinda miss the days when we could tweak our classic avatars and I’m hoping the Bento project will get us back there soon. I thank you for your research into Mike and Marco, Berry, very much appreciated! hugs

• 1. I use maitreya and have done that ever since I first looked for a mesh body. Lara is sleek, good looking and extremely user-friendly. I use catwa for mesh head, bought catya the second she was released and I am loving it!!

  2. Yes I have been using firestorm since one of the first public alpha versions of their bento viewer and I honestly don’t know why people hesitate to download it. And now when it’s in beta I don’t understand it at all. I use catya from catwa every day, sadly I’m not impressed by the Vista hands yet but I have tried thw demo and played around with them.

  3. I hope slink, maitreya, belleza update to bento hands. Maybe a maitreya 2017 body :p
  Rigged facial piercings!! That would be cool.

  – Aviaya.

• Ps. i use slink for hands 😀 forgot to mention 😀

• I wear the Maitreya body as much as I can because I love it. I do own a Slink but never wear it. I haven’t used the Bento viewer as yet, but I bought the Vista bento hands for when I do.

  I’ve not found a mesh head I like as yet, but I’m hoping that when Bento is in the FS viewer I’ll probably get a Catwa mesh head and alter it greatly to look more like me.

  However, a mesh head is not only an initial very large expense but it continues to require a large outlay of lindens with all the appliers needed.

• Man here.
  Body: Slink Male
  Why? It was bought for me because I couldn’t make up my mind.

  Head: Logo Male
  Why?: It didn’t look like all the others, didn’t have Trout lips, and looked good with the skin I wanted to get. Also various expressions.

  Hands and feet: Slink male – Because they are all thats available? And most supported.

  Bento viewer: I have it, the FireStorm beta one, just so everyone with a bento head doesnt look like a freaky slug person with their eyes poked up and their hands in their butts. I do not own any bento parts yet.

  Wishes & forgive me I’m medicated bitching:

  There needs to be more variations in male bodies. So far there’s buff, ripped, juiced and OMFG how DO you move through doors? Chests need more variation too. Most bodies I’ve seen have body builder mantits. Big round bouncy man boobies. Not all men have super large round pecks, in fact most dont. Our chests are more flat and square, unless we are indeed body builders.

  I’d really like to see some more softer looking shapes. Not femm, not fat (though a lil softy bear body would be nice) but not hella athletic. You can’t get a ‘normal’ looking male body on SL and it’s a real shame.

  Also, facial expressions – I have a Logo Male head. And it has WAY less expressions than the female version and the expressions it does have in the add on all pretty much look the same as the basic ones it came with.

  I’ve noticed this with a lot of male, well.. everything if I’m honest.
  I get it, women shop more, buy more etc.. But I also hear women bitching there are no men on SL and if they are, they look like clones or noobs.
  It’s not that there’s not a market for male heads/bodies/products etc, It’s that the market is empty so why would we want to be on a grid where we A. have to look like every other joe blow out there, or B. Have to settle for less?
  Also, to those of you that only make for X brand head/body/etc Your exclusiveness LOOSES you sales. Time and time again there’s a skin, or tattoo, or whatever I want and it’s ONLY for one certain brand of mesh part. Look, I GET it.. I’m a designer as well and with some parts things don’t transfer over universally where things lay out in the templates. But if you put in a little more effort to get things lined up for various other brand mesh parts I’m sure you’d see a boost in sales. The more options people have, the more chance in sales you’ll have.
  I hear this a lot with women as well, appliers being only for one brand head or body.

  Berry, as always, thank you for creating an open forum and dialogue for all where hopefully all our voices can be heard for good and bad 😀

• I also really love the Maitreya mesh body. I find the hud so easy to use and if it gets abut quiky thanks to SL ,most of the time if I just remove the body and reapply it , its fine. As for the heads I started with Letluka which I still really like, later I became won over to Catwa with their many different choices and the animations. I like that she was one of the first t offer Bento head and she continues to update it. I have tried the America heads as I have always love their skins, but I have not figured out the Bento versions yet, they end up looking squat andI know doing something wrong and I need to take more time experimenting with them. Lastly I was pleasantly surprised how nice the LAQ heads are and make your avi look great. You don’t even have to change your eyes, skins and appliers are very easy to use as well. I have tried the Vista Pro hands in the Firestorm version Bento and I love them. I am looking forward to the Firestorm Bento update and to having more wonderful animations and other Bento items. One thing I don’t like about most mesh heads is the “duck lips”, I am not sure how to fix that even with sliders on the Bento heads.

• (1) I use Maitreya Lara – I love the HUD and the multiple alpha cuts; more creators make clothing and appliers for this mesh body than any other. I have a lot of mesh heads, but I love Catwa the most for her versatility & attractiveness, continuous production of new mesh heads (incl Bento Catya), her real-time animations and talking, and again, more appliers for this head than any other.

  I love Catwa. I do like LeLutka very much, but she’s really done nothing new in a long time, which is too bad. Very pretty faces, but I want more from them. More variety, more animation.

  (2) Yes, I downloaded the SL Bento viewer and then the Firestorm Alpha Bento viewer…as soon as each became available… Of course once FS made their Bento viewer available I used it immediately and uninstalled the SL viewer (which I’ve really never liked)…Now that the FS Beta Bento is out, we’re getting very close to the final public viewer…I think someone said Dec. 13th it should be available. I’ve loved it, very smooth, seamless transition. I’m the type who always loves and is enthused about new and more advanced virtual reality capabilities, so just as when mesh came out, Bento is also very exciting to me. I can’t wait to see what all the creators and animators do with this advancement!

  I bought Catwa’s Catya Bento head (plus the new animations HUD), the Vista Bento hands, and one Kawaii Bento ao, which is the only ao available at this time to my knowledge. I’m very much looking forward to more sophisticated aos once Bento FS is public.

  (3) Wow, where to begin, huh? AOs first and foremost, more realistic wings, body movement, oh yes, and DANCES – now THAT should be both interesting AND challenging for the animators! I’m sure that many of our 4-legged animal avis will also look fantastic with all those extra bones, such as TWI (Timber Wilds) and Zooby… The sky’s pretty much the limit!

• For my Female model, I prefer Slink Female, but the lack of good alphas is a problem. Same with the male Slink. There should be an update soon for both, so I am looking forward to that. I got Lara for my girl model only because its the most popular mesh body for girls. Its the body shape I like the least of all the girl bodies. *sigh* For Guys, I use TheMeshProject male most of the time. But I also use Slink male and Niramyth. .. For the Female heads, my favorite is Genesis Labs Julia. Its is fun with expressions, easy to use, and affordable being gacha. Other girl faces are far too cartoony for me with crazy exaggerations. The Catwa Catya for Bento however is really impressing me because it can be reshaped for the users personal tastes. For Male heads there is none more perfect for me than TheMeshProject Anime male. I hope for a bento update for it so I can get some expression, and also play around with reshaping it.

• My Akeruka autocorrected to America. Sry.

• First of all I’d like to congratulate u with AVI Choice Award, keep going to be such a great blogger 🙂

  Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason?
  This is a difficult question, I own almost all possible mesh bodies and heads and change them depending on look I want to give to my ava. I love all meshes I have they all have their own pros and cons and I glad to see designers often update meshes to make them more comfortable for us to use. I really use all of them, some more some less, so I can’t say I have a favorite one 🙂

  Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands?
  Yes I downloaded Bento compatible viewer when it was still on beta, I like to test new stuff 😛 I have Bento heads (Catwa, Akeruka, Altamura)and Vista hands. Idea of Bento is great, it opens to designers new level of creations accordingly new amazing creations for us.

  What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017?
  I already see how most of my favorite brands and designers update their creations to Bento. I can’t wait to see Lelutka’s Simone, Genesis Eve Bento heads. Also NO!project is going to make Alpha Bento head, Catwa promised she will make male bento head too and I hope to see LAQ Bento head too. I’m super excited and honestly I like this Bento heads race through designers (evil laugh) because it makes their brains burn and born more and more amazing ideas 😉

• Mesh Body: Maitreya Lara. I also own the Belleza but I use the Maitreya almost exclusively due to its user friendly hud and alpha and the larger selection of items made for this body type.

  Mesh Head: Catwa Destiny. I just got my first mesh head a few months ago and honestly I am just now feeling comfortable and have started playing around with it. Tried I think every mesh head on the market before I bought and ended up going catwa both for the overall look, the ease of getting help thru the user group, and the versatility when it comes to appliers
  Bento: no I haven’t downloaded the viewer yet because I know that will make me lust after a head and hands and I am not ready to invest yet. Can’t afford it and think I want to wait for a bigger selection to be available.

  2017: I am really looking forward to the Bento revolution this coming year. We have only seen the tip of the iceberg so far I think of what bento brings to the table and can’t wait to see whats up next and having more options as far as heads and things go. woohooo!

• I have been using the Catwa Annie head and the Belleza Isis body. I enjoy the Catwa head although I sometimes have issues with makeup appliers and the head getting stuck with the makeup not on properly forcing me to reset it. I do wish the ears on it weren’t so awkward, I have issues with hair fitting properly due to the ear placement/size on the Catwa head.

  I love the Belleza body! The join movement and placement is perfect and the skins that come with it are gorgeous. Although I use the Isis body I do alter my shape to be nice and curvy which looks so natural and similar to my own body shape, which makes me feel more comfortable with the body. I also like the matching skins for the Catwa head.

  I tried the Matrieya body but I found it too plastic feeling, the joint movements were slightly awkward and the breasts just don’t look as nice as the Belleza.

• I use Maitreya Lara mesh body. When I was buying a mesh body I demo’d almost all mesh bodies possible and I liked Maitreya the most. And all the designers have the most clothes for Maitreya body. For my head I use Catwa Kori static head, just because the heads with the animations are so expensive, but i found a great skin to put on it so I don’t care about emotions just love my look as it is.

  For now i dont want a Bento head (the Catwa Catya one) couse I tried to play with the sliders and I just can get a pretty look for the skin I love so much I just want to look like I do now and this Catya had is not working for me at all. Maybe if Catwa relised more bento heads. But the price is just wow and I saw that emotions for Catya are selling also for 5K L i mean 10K L for the head and emotions thats just crazy. Till bento doesnt come to Firestorm officaly im not buying anything from bento. Im thinking of buying the bento heands .. the animations look so cute.

  Hoping for more stuff from bento and to see what people will create. Maybe more stuff for fantasy use (tails, wings, etc). Hope for Catwa to breing out more bento heads.

• I love my Belleza Venus body, I think it looks the best and I’m not going to buy something just because clothing makers don’t make clothing for it. Rebel Hope makes gorgeous clothing and KC Couture makes fantastic shoes. Blueberry also…there is a lot of options out there to make me NOT give up my Belleza Body. I don’t want to be like everyone else and using a Belleza over Maitreya makes me a bit different. There is something about the Maitreya I don’t like. I also use a Catwa head. I love how skins look on them.

• 1. Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason? I use Maitreya body but I’ve always been envious of the Belleza hand gestures on their hud. I just didn’t want to change my body because of the clothes that I’ve accumulated for Maitreya. I have the Catwa Annie head and I’m happy with it, just wish it would update to Bento.

  2. Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands? I have not downloaded the viewer nor tried any Bento items, however I have seen them on my current viewer and they are frightful! lol

  3. What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017? I’m really hoping all of the viewers will get on board with the Bento update and would love to see Bento updates for all mesh bodies and heads. Especially Maitreya and Catwa. 🙂

• I use the Slink mesh body. I tried a demo for Maitreya Lara but didn’t like it. I personally think it’s curvy in a way that not realistic. With that I use the Catwa Helena head. Before that I had Lelutka Karin but that doesn’t have omega support, so after a while I decided to switch.

  I haven’t tried any bento stuff yet. That I haven’t been online much might have something to do with that. But I’m also giving designers some time to update their products and get more familiar with the technology, before I start switching to other body parts.

  As for the future, I’d like some bento neko ears. I would buy those in a heartbeat.

• Hi Strawberry, I currently own the SLink and Maitreya bodies but wear the Maitreya as I much prefer the alpha cuts on it and it seems the most popular with designers. I wear the SLink hands and alternate between SLink and Maitreya feet depending on the shoes I want to wear as some of my favourites are SLink only. I own Catwa Jessica and Logo Alex (I think it is) but wear Jessica all the time. I bought the Logo head as an introduction to mesh heads and was converted. I haven’t tried Bento yet as the price is prohibitive for my RL wallet and I have a feeling if I tried it I’d want it. If the add ons and the head came as one pack I might consider it. I would love to see the price of bento come down in 2017.

• I wear Maitreya Body (can’t wait for a thinner body, but I don’t like Slink’s Physique), hands by Slink, and feet either depending on whether or not the shoe fits, not only, the foot, but the leg. By default, I wear Slink’s feet.
  I have tried on bento, but given the price and the profile of the head, I am going to wait. I haven’t tried the hands and can’t wait for FS to get Bento on the viewer. I would like to see more bento heads and hands. I also can’t wait for a skinner body from Maitreya.

• I’m wearing the maitreya mesh body and the catwa annie head. I would love to have the catwa catya head but its not possible to me right now, so i have to wait.

  I’m using the offical LL viewer in the moment to play with the catya Demo and try the vista bento hands.

  Maitreya and Slink bento hands would be great

• I wear Slink Physique Original as I feel it is the most natural body, without any exaggerated parts. I sometimes wear Slink Physique Hourglass, for example to blog clothing that has an Hourglass fit but no Original fit.

  I am using a Bento viewer and have been for a while but so far I haven’t switched to any Bento body parts. I have tried various heads (Catwa, Akeruka, LightStar) but none have been right.

  For hands, I am waiting for the Slink hands to be updated. For heads, I am waiting for heads that I can change into something close to my preferred shapes. I would love to see someone do a head that is an improved version of “ruth” to see how well the sliders will work with that.

• Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? These days I use Maitreya most often, BUT my preferred body is Belleza. I only use Maitreya because more vendors create for it than Belleza using the auto-hide feature. For me, Belleza has a softer, curvier look and pretty much looks good with any skin. I don’t get the softness from Lara, more angles.

  Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason? haha see above reason

  Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands? I have a few Bento heads already provided via upgrades, but not used the Bento viewer because … well, it’s the SL viewer and I hate that viewer with a passion! When Firestorm releases, then I’ll play with it.

  What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017? I’m excited to go with what we have. I love the mesh heads, but they aren’t me. Most of my friends prefer my classic avi face and, truth be told, so do I. I’m hoping to be able to use the sliders to achieve a look closer to me.

• 1 I wear Maitreya body/Fiore head. I actually prefer TMP body but Maitreya has more made for it
  2 Yes to Bento (I am on FS team) and tried the hands but they don’t currently work with my skin, so waiting for Maitreya hands to be updated. I also tried the demo of the Catwa head but don’t like it.
  3 I am hoping that either the current Fiore head or my Lelutka head (Simone) are updated for Bento

• 1 – Belleza Isis catwa helena, always.
  2 – Bento latest LL release, but i did yet to see any bento made stuff, seems that most in world that are on events like live music or sailing, don’t care to much about looks.
  3 – For the future, full compatible bento avatar to use on daz studio

• 1. Maitreya and Catwa because it gives most options as a consumer.

  2. Yes and Catwa bento head.

  3. Maitreya bento body.

• Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why?

  My very first mesh body and head was SLink Physique & Visage (emma) when first released in 2014. Months later I purchased The Mesh Project Deluxe Mesh body and Deluxe Head (Fierce) because I spotted some clothes that I couldn’t resist. About a year later I checked out the Maitreya Lara body because of available clothing and chose the Catwa Annie head to go with it. I also purchased Catwa Gwen when it was first released and just recently grabbed the awesome Catwa Catya Bento head as well.

  Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands?

  I have been using the Linden Labs Bento Project Beta Viewer logging onto the Second Life Aditi Best Test Grid since December 2015. I am a Blender user and have the Avastar 2.0 plugin from Gaia Clary’s Machinimatrix. The Bento Angel is a full mesh avatar complete with head, wings and tail
  http://blog.machinimatrix.org/2015/12/17/avastar-2/

  I have been using the Linden Labs Beta Bento Viewer since the Main Grid went live in May 2016 and currently using the Official viewer to enjoy my Catwa Catya Head, Vista Bento Hands as well as my other Bento experiments.

  What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017?

  I expect Bento Heads and Hands will soon be released by Slink, The Mesh Project and Maitreya Lara now that the Bento Project is now Official. These content creators where involved in the Linden Labs Bento Project.

  The Bento skeleton wing bones can be utilised to create flying pets which are part of your Bento avatar.
  Full Bento avatars eg: Vampires, succubus, horses, dragons & centaurs. This is going to reinvent roleplay in Second Life 🙂
  Furnature and other attachments that interact with Bento mesh head facial expressions and animations the same way it does with the system avatar!!!

  Those who where babbling on and falsely speculating that Second Life was going to replaced with “Second Life 2.0” should be ashamed of themselves right now.

• 1. Im wearing Maiyreya body and Catwa Tumble head. Why? Because of great fitmesh clothes to body, and a lot of options for the head and animations of course. I do own TMP Deluxe body and head, which is gorgeous itself but impossible to dress how i like still. There was a hope for that body after releasing mesh models for creators, and they started do TMP female fit, then stopped for some reason. and Body badly needs an update, especially alpha hud and its just not ‘deluxe’ nowadays compating to other bodies/heads which is a shame, but after umm 2 years of promises… i lost hope for that body to be updated.

  2. Yes i downloaded, i have Vista hands, and testing Catwa Catya demo intensively.

  3.Bento wings and tails, maybe bento animal avatars such as wolves, cats etc.

• Nielaan

  Keep your eye on Medhue for the wolf

  youtube.com/watch?v=kHLs665ZPBc

• I use Maitreya as a body and as someone said I envy the hands of Belleza. Of heads I have several, Lelutka, Catwa, Akeruka, TMP, but I prefer LOGO. And I hope she does an update to Bento she was the pioneer with the mesh heads!

  I have tried Bento and played with the Bento heads of Akeruka I love the idea of ​​going back to the past and edit the shape of the head, as someone said before what I noticed was the nose that there are not as many options as before.

  In this new era of Bento I think that new leaders will emerge in the market, Akeruka has already made several heads. Catwa is making fantastic animations but has just got a head. Vista has surprised with his hands. I am waiting to see the novelties of the creators of bodies with relation to the hands And the creators of heads that are still missing even Slink. Is at the door Lelutka. And why not? Some creator that does the complete avatar. And let’s not forget that now you can use external Hud’s to animate hands and I do not know if you can also do with the gestures of the face.

  I’m a Bento enthusiast and see what’s new to come! A greeting and congratulations for the Award 😉

• 1. I currently use the Slink female body along with a Lelutka Karin head. The reason for that is that the wonderful YS&YS Grace skin is only available for that combination. I would prefer the Alex head by Logo, as I like the animations there a lot more. Sadly YS&YS has yet to deliver a mature skin for Logo (at least last time I checked) and so far I have my doubts one will come out anyway, since the last follow up on that one is more then half a year ago sadly. So I will stay with that for now, as its defining for me to look my real age, as after all this time on the grid I am fed up with being stuck in my early twens 😉

  2. No not yet. I wanted to wait until Bento is final, and since I am heavily relying on Firestorm it means some more wait, but after gulping down the Catwa price tag I fear that it will be even more waiting.

  3. I hope to see a lot more variety on Bento related stuff. My hope is that the general competution will pull back the prices to a reasonable level. Don’t get me wrong … the designers had the work, it is only fair that they are paid. But asking 39USD for a Mesh head is simply insane.
  I fear if other designers jump on the same hypetrain like catwa does at the moment will end Bento in the gutters as the stuff will not really spread … and LL could use a success story right now.

• Tania

  “And the creators of heads that are still missing even Slink”

  Siddean Munroe (SLink) was one of the mesh creators involved in the Bento Project. Also Cathy Foil, Matrice Laville and a few other creators and animators. While in Beta, rather than releasing products which would require weekly updates because of continual skeleton structure changes, they needed to focus on developing complex Bento related plugins for Autodesk Maya and Blender 3D for mesh creation & rigging. They choose to wait until a stable Official release.

  My current version of Avastar for Blender is 2.0-23, which means there where 23 updates since start of the project. With each update I had to make several changes to 3D meshes and rig everything all over again and re-import the entire mesh into Second Life again.

• Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason?
  I am wearing a Lelutka head with a Maitreya body for one reason only: they are the mesh parts I can get my skin for, and I am not willing to change skins. I wish more creators were creating for Lelutka, I am hopeful the Simone Bento release will rejuvenate the makeup and fantasy options Lelutka users have
  Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands?
  I did try Catwa’s demo head with a demo from my skin creator just today.
  What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017?
  I am looking forward to see what professional dancers can do with the extra bones, especially in the hands and – no small thing – hoping we might get something better in mesh skirts which might be very pretty for blogging but not much fun for dancers

• 1.Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason?

  I am currently using the Belleza Freya body and Catwa Catya head. I was at one point a die hard Maitreya fan but I find the body shape of Freya much more appealing. I just really REALLY wish some of my favorite Maitreya/SLink designers would consider adding Belleza to their lists as well.

  2.Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands?

  Yes, as mentioned before I am using the Catwa Catya bento head as well as a bento tail by Aii and i am extremely impressed by the animation possibilities on bento items.

  3.What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017?

  I am hoping to see bento hand updates for existing mesh bodies as well as just what comes out of creators imaginations. I’ve already seen a pair of wings (also by Aii) that are just just lovely and are beautifully animated.

• I wear nothing but the LeLutka Stella head because I think it looks amazing with my League skin, but I get frustrated at the lack of new skins and makeups and no omega compatibility. The up side is all my friends wear Catwa so I tend to look somewhat unique in my crowd. I wear my Maitreya when I want to be slender and petite, and my HG Hourglass when the outfit calls for more curves.

• 1. I wear what I wear because it comes closest to the look that I want for myself. Unfortunately, Mesh body and head makers do not provide exactly what I want, not even close to it. (see also 3)

  2. No

  3. I really hope that someone will start making NORMAL bodies. With a little beer belly instead of a six pack. With imperfections. A REAL body. Same goes for heads and skins. Finding something that is not pornstar-perfection beauty is extremely hard.

• I currently use Maitreya Lara, because it seems to me the most feminine and elegant body. Sometimes I wear Slink Hourglass, it seems a very versatile body with a more athletic shape if you choose to edit it slim.
  My favorite heads are LOGO and Catwa, but I take Catwa for the amount of skins and makeup that are made for her. Also because their expressions and HUD are very interesting.
  As for Bento, I expect many things. Of course updates and innovations in heads. I expect news as to the hands of Maitreya Lara. I’m also waiting for news on Slink about his hands.
  We must wait a while to see what is being done about Bento. I also hope to see the creators of furniture and their animations updated for Bento. Bento is a very broad project that will change many things in Second Life.
  Thanks for this post Strawberry. Kisses for everyone.

• Well, i missed the ADAM Meshbody for men. It is i think the best Body you can get for men and not the Slink! And it´s a pity, that you can´t buy so many clothes for ADAM, but at least the feet are slink compatible. I think LOGO Mesh heads and Catwa are the best, but LOGO should do something with animations. And the new Bento Head? Well, i think it´s in the early stages of development and there will come much more, so i´ll wait until i think they can call it “human” 😉

• I use the Maitreya Lara body. I originally got the TMP body which was nice, however the alpha options on the hud were really terrible, so I got frustrated with it and changed over to Maitreya. Been using Maitreya ever since. The only thing I would say about the Maitreya hands are that the fingers are really “fat”. I am a jewellery designer, and the rings I create for female hands using the Maitreya shape have to be pretty gynormous and misshapen to fit the fingers! Wish they would make them a bit slimmer and feminine!

  I currently use 2 heads mainly – the Fiore Angelic and Catwa Tumble. I love them both, though Catwa has many more options available for skins and makeup – which makes it a bit more convenient to use.

  Having said that – neither of the heads have a good open mouth animation. (I previously used the logo head which had a great open mouth! LOL) And as for Catwa’s teeth – ughhhh – they really need to improve the quality. I think the best teeth are on the Lelutka – but I prefer the Catwa and Fiore looks for my avatar.

  As for Bento – am waiting for the Firestorm Viewer before I delve into the Bento market. I absolutely refuse to get the LL viewer on principle!

  I imagine I will be getting the Catwa Head – though it does seem to be really expensive!!

  For some reason I am not bowled over by the hands – maybe because it’s more huds on the screen – I really like to have an uncluttered screen!

  Well that’s my penny’s worth! Wow this experience has been cathartic – all the little gripes I’ve had for years are now documented here! LOLZ

  I think the conclusion we can come to is perfection in just one shape/head is impossible to achieve right now – so let’s see where bento takes us!!

• I use the belleza mesh body and catwa head alice. I like them but tge new catwa head catya is awsome! And it cost so much x.x i tested this head and liked it. Also o tried the vista bento hands but everytime i used them it seems like im flying xD

• I only use the Maitreya body. It looks best, the HUD is easy to use and there’s a lot of appliers available. I have Belleza but haven’t used it in ages.

  I mostly use Catwa mesh heads with Lelutka running a close second. Mostly because there’s way more applier options available. I’m excited the Lelutka Simone head will be Bento shortly. I’ve been using the Catwa Catya Bento head for weeks and like it a lot but it’s not quite as mature looking as I prefer. Plus, the HUD is incredibly complicated to master ( I can’t see what a lot of it says even with glasses!). The Lelutka HUD is more intuitive. Third is Genesis. I wear those now and then, when I want a slightly less usual looking face.

  I downloaded both the SL Bento viewer and thr Firestorm version. Purchased the Vista Pro Hands for Bento, wow, just wow! Love the Fate Hand Poser for them also.

  Would love to see Bento feet, have the toes be able to wiggle!

  Last, my male alt wears Signature body, currently with a Catwa head. I am extremely disappointed in the lack of available appliers for male avatars!

  FYI cost isn’t an issue for me, do I tend to jump on new products quickly.

• I have not really tried bento as of yet, truth is u have spent so much money on skin and catwa mesh heads that i wont jump on the bandwagon to fast. In my perfect world i thought that all heads would be switched over.. Or else i wouldnt have continued to shop for regular non bento this year.. As for the body.. I think really its all about the applier and the current skin i wear.

• 1) I use mainly the Maitreya Lara and when I need it more curvy the Belleza Freya body (for example for my Bellydancers outfits).
  I own 5 Catwa heads (Alice, Amy, Annie, Candy and Jessica) but my preferred one is the Annie head. I love this face most of the five.
  I would love to use a Bento Head but at the moment the price is too muich for what I get. I tried the demo of the Catya head and played around with the head without success. I didnt like thw face with my favortie skin from DS’ELLES. MAybe when I come to a good shape I will get the head finally. I dont want to buy a shape because I made my own shapes for more than 9 years.

  2) I’m using the Firestorm Bento Beta (I’m a Betatester) and got the Catwa Catya Demo.

  3) I want an update of the Maytreya Lara body and maybe a Bento head if I can create a shape that looks like my currently Catwa Annie head.

• I wear the LeLuka head on the Maitreya body and use the Slink hands and feet (only using the Maitreya feet when wearing socks/stockings or boots which require there be feet). I have not tried the Bento viewers since I am waiting for LeLuka to come out with a Bento head. I’ve tried the other bodies and a few of the other heads. My wish for the future would be for all skins and body parts to be Omega so that we have the full range of choices like we do with a system avatar.

• 1. I use Belleza Freya 100% of the item even though I have Maitreya. I bought it for one dress that I really had to have, used that dress only once and never again. I love Belleza’s Freya body because of the shape. I’m able to achieve a curvy, meaty, but firm and toned body on it. The breasts and butt are nicely shaped and I find that they work well with my physics layer, which looks so natural and realistic. I have used the same physics layer on the Maitreya body but it’s like watching a yoyo go up and down and the butt isn’t affected by physics either. I have tried hard to replicate the shape that I have for my Belleza body with Maitreya but just can’t get the right proportions on it. I have tried liking Maitreya because of all the clothes that are available for it but I just really prefer the way my avatar looks in Belleza’s Freya body than in it. Good thing more clothing creators are making for Belleza bodies now 🙂

  2. I don’t have a mesh head even though nearly all my friends use them as I’m still attached to the way my avatar looks. I’m interested in them though for their animations and benefits when it comes to taking portraits, but until I can find one that looks exactly like my avatar right now then I’d have to hold off on buying them. I’m interested in this Bento thing though and hoping that as time passes it would get easier to achieve the look that I’m after with a mesh head.

• I wear a catwa head and sking mesh body. I wear the catwa head because facial features are more to my liking and the skin options help me transition well since my mesh body doesn’t have skin matching and I have to depend on applies to match everything up. I know my sking body is larger body but that’s why I love it. It’s the body I’m most comfortable with since it’s only plus size one made that have more support in it than other brands. Of course it is limited since I can only wear appliers with it and very limited alpha options I am hoping that will change in the future. I don’t mind changing bodies but the ones currently available with mesh clothing options are nicely done but they are smaller in build but I always keep my eye out. I tried bentos heads from AK but I could make them look right my chin was like missing lol and I tried the vista hands I love them so it’s my first bento purchase. I look forward to seeing what’s next. ❤️

• 1. I use my TMP male mesh body almost exclusively although I own a few others. My preferred skin only comes in TMP and SLink appliers so far, and I far prefer the TMP body. At the moment I’m focusing on my TMP Classic head too. Ideally I’d love a bento vesion of this because I need to futz with the lips SO much before it looks like my most me.

  2. I have the bento viewer so I can see my partner without her face sliding off. My alt wears Akeruka Keith which is now all bento’d up but I haven’t played with it yet.

  3. I’d really like a bento male body. I’m also looking forward to bone bones. Yes, that means exactly what you think it means.

• Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason?
  Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands?
  What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017?
  1. I have almost all heads and bodies that are out there. On my female avatar I prefer to use Maitreya, Slink and Belleza bodies and Lelutka and Catwa heads. I do prefer Lelutka heads though, I use Catwa now their bento head, and waiting for the Lelutka bento one.
  On my male avatar I use mostly the niramyth body and head, as I find them to be the ones with the best design. Regarding male bodies and heads, the design is of much lower quality than the female ones.
  2. I have the bento viewer and I have demo all the bento parts that have come out, and even bought two bento heads, Catya from Catwa and Lola from Akeruka.
  3. I hope to see all the bodies and heads that are out there improving their design. We ve seen bodies with the upper part of the arms to long, armpits like arches, displaced clavicle, upper part of the legs to long, displaced abs, and so on. I hope now with the bento it will be an opportunity for the designers to fix their meshes, include bento hands, penises for the male bodies, and wings. Also, I hope to see heads that will be much more flexible and responsive to the sliders.

• I have the four major bodies (SLink, Matreiya, TMP and Belleza) and my go-to is Belleza Venus and sometimes Isis, since Venus isn’t always supported. I’m happy to see more and more designers supporting Belleza, which to my mind has a terrific HUD and is the only major brand to offer mesh nipples.

  I liked the Amelie Catwa head and got it when there was also an Exclusive version because I liked the mouth open–I don’t have the full expression HUD so it was a nice option … yet. I find the Catwa HUD a bit challenging after a couple of months but again, I spent way too much on bodies to make the same error on heads but I do love having eyelashes that work. I wish there was more being done with eyebrows. I really do need to check out Bento, because I’d prefer a face closer to my beloved system face.

  BTW, another popular mesh body not on your list is the Kemono body, which provides a nice base for anime/furry explorations. There are some posts on my Tumblr, which is in semi-retirement atm.

• 1) Currently I am using Maitreya body and the Altamura Bento head. It was cheap on promo, and kinda like the shape I got, but I would LOVE to use the Catwa bento head either Catya or a future hypothetical release, for the support group and Skins for it, but the Bento head is pricey and the animation hud is even pricier :'(

  2)YES, both official betas. Tried and purchased vista hands, tried all akeruka heads, Catya, and the altamura I’m using.

  3) Kinda hoping On a Slink mega update or maybe Maitreya bento update, maybe it’s own bento head… also some kind of standardized rigging or animation sets for bento heads, like the “omega” of bento head AOs, to prevent deformation when using animations of different heads. Well, one can dream…

• Seconding pretty much everything that Vincent Vile said, way upthread. (In fact, I wrote something of a rantypants post about appliers and male mesh heads on my blog a few days ago.)

  As to the questions:

  1. Slink Physique Male mesh body, although not all of the time, for reasons that I’ll give in answer to question 3. No mesh head yet, since I’ve all but given up on them (as per my rantypants post). I’ve tried a lot of them, and they’re all either too butch, too permanently-furious, or The One That I Refuse To Wear (aka: TMP).

  As to mesh heads, the infuriating issues that I encountered (again, see my post) with regard to applier/skin combinations (or lack thereof) are a HUGE ‘[in]convenience’ issue. If I like a skin and it comes with Slink/Omega applier for my Slink body, then it’ll only have a TMP head applier, or it won’t even have a matching standard skin so I can use my system head. And so on and so forth.

  As Vincent said: male avatars have nowhere near the number of options that female avatars do, and so far most of the male mesh heads (outside of the TMP one) have butch and/or stern features, which leaves those of us who are more androgynous (and who don’t want to wear TMP) out in the cold.

  2. Nope, I’ve not downloaded a Bento-compatible viewer, although once it’s live in the main Firestorm release I’ll update it anyway. I’ve not tried any Bento-rigged body parts, although the only one I’ll likely be interested in would be Slink male Bento hands.

  3. Updates I’d like to see include:

  – More sectioning of alphas on the Slink Physique Male HUD. The main reason why I don’t wear my Slink body all the time is that there are several points – mainly on the top of the shoulders, close to the neck – that I can’t hide via the HUD without hiding a part of my body that needs to show. I can’t remove those ‘poke-through’ bits by editing my shape in any way, either. I’d like the shoulder section to be divided up a little more, so we can hide those points and not the entire clavicle or upper scapula.

  – The only other Bento thing I would wish for is a simple one: for someone to release a ‘default’ male and female head for Bento (that is: like the noob heads on the default avatar, and Omega-compatible), so we could use the sliders to customise the head as closely as we can get it to our system avatar head, rather than starting from a creator’s pre-conceived design and fiddling around with that. I have all of my facial sliders written down anyway, so if I could use those to re-create Skell’s face in a mesh head, then I might finally be converted…IF creators are a little more open to making appliers for anything other than TMP heads, that is.

• I wear the Maitreya body. It is more my style. I wore the Simone by LeLutka till a Catwa head came out that I liked, which took a while. It had the animation that LeLutka didn’t have.
  I am excited to see what LeLutka does with the Bento Simone…a few of my friends are. Hoping for animation!
  I have not tried Bento or downloaded viewer. Waiting it out.
  Congrats on your blog winning best of 2016!

• I forgot to mention in a previous post that I also have Utilizator’s Avatar 2.0, Kemono and Rikugou avatars which come with their own heads, plus the M3 Venus Head which can be used with the 3 avatars. It is not hard to use this head on the Maitreya body as well.

  Utilizator also provides Blender rigging dummies, templates, textures & UV maps for most of his items so you can easily learn how to design your own stuff and make your own mods.

  There are many designers in the market who offer clothing, skins and many other items for anime avatars and I was anime for several months while exploring this niche market.

  Check them all out at Annie May Haven – Anime Mall

• 1)Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason?

  My body is the Maitreya Lara and my head is Catwa Alice. (before Catwa I used Lelutka for a while). All chosen because my skintone – GA Polar was available for it. (it is why I later switched to Catwa, I waited till GA made the Polar skintone applier)

  2)Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands?
  No.

  3)What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017?
  I would love it if it were possible to get skin/tattoo appliers for my Mandala Elf ears!

• I only have one body and one mesh head because they fit perfectly the avatar that I used for long time, I don’t want to change my head but I know Catwa is not going to upgrade the old heads 🙁

  So I use Catwa Helena, Maitreya for the body, Slink hands and feet (well less when I need to use Maitreya boots then I use the Maitreya feet)

  No I still didn’t tested any bento viewer, I prefer to wait a bit.

  I supose like all of us, My wish is for an update for my body, hands and feet and my head. If not I think I’m going to continue with what do I use, don’t need to expend extra lindens for the moment.

• 1. I’m using the Maitreya Lara mesh body and a Fiore Mesh head; now that my fav skin creator is making appliers for Fiore, I doubt I change this combination any time soon. I have all of the Fiore heads and change them when I feel like doing something different.
  2. I have yet to download the new Bento viewer. I feel there are going to be a lot of glitches early on from what I’ve read so I will most likely wait until they’re iron out a little further.
  3. I’m hoping that my current products will be updated for Bento within the next few months I.E. Maitreya will update hands for Bento and fix some rigging around the shoulders, Fiore comes out with a Bento head. I don’t know how much improving Secondlife *can* do but it’s interesting to see what they’ll roll out in the future!

• I will have admit, I’m addicted to the Fiore brand. As a dark skin avi, it is quite difficult to find ebony toned skins on the market that are realistic. I wear appliers from Milan since she focuses on appliers for Fiore. I do love Catwa heads( owned 3 heads) but Milan doesn’t make appliers for Catwa, at least not yet.

  As for bento, I am still waiting for more creations to be release before I purchase the heads or hands. I can’t wait for Fiore to release the bento creations.

• I own several mesh bodies and heads, but I fell in love with Maitreya Lara and Lelutka’s Karin head. Lara is so easy to use and there are a ton of clothes for her. And the Lelutka Karin head just looks more human to me, especially since I found an expression randomizer for her so that she smiles and does other subtle expression automatically instead of my having to open the hud and click an expression. She also photographs beautifully and it’s easy to give the Lelutka heads a different look just by changing the eye shadow/liner. I used a LAQ head for a bit, but they tend to all look the same no matter which face applier you use. I feel truly unique in my Lelutka Karin after finding just the right appliers and skin tones.

• 1. Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason?

  Body Maitreya Lara. Easy to use, and respect my system body (it’s essential to me). No mesh head. Took me 8 years to get the look I wanted, manipulating and varying with different skins the facial features that are almost a copy of my RL look. And I firmly refuse to lose that. I expect the mesh head that, like the Lara body, only fits over my own head without altering my appearance.

  2. Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands?

  Nop. Waiting for Firestorm Viewer.

  3. What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017?

  What I have already answered. I look forward to the mesh head that simply suits our head system.

• i wear Maitreya Lara, bcs of the best alphas and a lot of creators only support it and no other body. While i have many mesh heads, i am addicted to CATWA (Destiny and Catya)

  I am on the FS Bento viewer with CATWA Bento head and Vista Bento Hands. It is amazing how far SL has come and i don’t want to live without Bento anymore.

  I hope for more Bento heads and better hands (SLink) also bento ears (human elf etc.) would be cool

• I forgot to add that I received a notice from The Maitreya Group stating that the Lara hands will be updated for Bento. And from the sound of it, it won’t be a long wait. I’m very excited about that!

• Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Maitreya Body and Catwa Candy head. I like the body because it looks good and is compatible with so much clothing and other mesh parts. I like the Candy head because I found a skin that works with it that doesn’t look like everyone else I see. It’s the head, skin combo that I like. I also own Tumble, Gwen, and the Bento head but they don’t feel like me.

  Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason? No, not at this time. I keep trying new ones out, though.

  Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands?
  Yes and yes. I bought the Catwa Bento head. I used to be pretty good at making shapes and faces, but I haven’t been able to make a face I like with the Bento head. That makes me sad. It was expensive! I’m regretting buying it for now.

  What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017? I’m looking forward to other Bento head options. I assume they will not all be alike and that it will take a combination of shape, head, and skin to create something that is both unique and “me.” When more people are on the Bento viewer and I won’t be looking like brown string instead of a head to others, I will look into Bento heads and hands more. For now, I’m happy with what I have.

• hello… well i owned all body’s in Second life, but i decide to wear something diferent, because i love to be special… i wear Sking Katana body with Catwa head and slink feet, but i love to wear new Vista’s bento hands… it is really cool feature and i use firestorm alpha version. I love to be Curvy girl, it os really cool that Sking give this great body for all… i know i know, slink have a Hourglass and maitreya can be more curvy, but let me tell you sonething really quick. Maitreya it is the best body but also, i prefer other deigners…i am designer in SL with original mesh clothes and i need to have all body’s, for men and women, an i love to give chance to all designers… as you can se, more people wear maitreya, but you need to try another body’s… i visit omega store some times and i can se that every day new body or head come out, and they look amazing… so i will be happy if you in future, can you made some post about Sking, some tits add ons, or other curvy mesh body’s… love ya ❤

• I use the Maitreya mesh body paired with slink hands. The slink hands have a great selection of different hand poses. As far as heads go, I’ve been pretty happy with CaTwA’s Destiny head. The make-up you can play with, with the CaTwA heads is fantastic and I’m looking forward to even more options when I switch over to a Bento viewer. I’m just waiting for the Firestorm viewer to launch with Bento.

  I guess that last bit answers the 2nd question. I haven’t tried any bento features yet.

  I’m definitely looking forward to the Lelutka Simone Bento head in 2017. I was a big fan of Simone and used it pretty much all the time till I was introduced to the Destiny CaTwA head. I’m also interested to see how Bento will affect Second Life. Mesh made such a huge impact on the feel of Second Life when it came around. I’m sure Bento will just further improve Second Life

• 1. Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason?

  Right now I’m mostly using the Maitreya Body because it gives me exactly what I need. It has 3 types of feet and it works so easily and you have more choices when it comes of clothes and stuff. I’d love in the future to be able and get the Bellezza body because It looks amazing, but right now I can’t get it because of the cost of the body and the lack of clothes, you do not really find so many outfits for Bellezza so I am going to hold on that for the future maybe. The heads I usually use are Catwa Static (2 heads from her), and Genesis Lab the most and from time to time the LeLutka ones.

  2. Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands?
  I tried the LAQ head the demo, I got the altamura Bento head and I’m planning on getting an Akeruka Bento Head this days. I also got the free hands from Kuso and I’m going to have some fun with them this days.

  3. What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017?

  I hope we’ll find more animations for heads and hands, and tails and wings. They all look so amazing and it’s so cool to see them how they work. They’re like a shiny toy and I can’t wait to try a little bit from everything 😀 .

• 1- I have catwa head Jessica and maitreya body and slink hand and feet. If I plan to have another body its only slink body that I might consider, but I do not really see any reason of that, as all my clothes work fine with maitreya lara body. I was considering Lelutka but the issue is now all my make-up and skin are for catwa, and I still didn’t find any head really that work for me so far. Also I choose Catwa/Maitreya/slink cause they also are omega compatible. Then I feel they are the most convenience one.

  2- for now I do not use Benton as my computer isn’t really good and I think they still have to improve a lot of things, I preferred to wait for that.

  3- However, if I bought some part for bento it will be the vista hand and the catwa Bento, but catwa need to release more bento head, as the one she released isn’t really my type.

• I wouldn’t change my mesh choices, I went to each shop and we’re I got the most help is were I bought from .the support system really shows what a company is like. I feel catwa and her customers really help and support eachother same with maitreyas csr very supportive and helpful.
  Bento is still new and I can hardly wait for the new things coming out impatient really… lol the animations with bento hands are out of this world, Vista animations ftw! Agian I wouldn’t change my choices and for the people that have yet to get a mesh body. Lol… well your missing out! Thank you always strawberry Singh.

  -nicole

• 1. Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason?

  I use Maitreya Lara and Logo Sadie at present (along with the SLink hands and feet, occasionally the Maitreya feet and hands when I have something that isn’t made for SLink). I’ve tried other mesh body demos and a lot of head demos, and so far Sadie best fits me right now. I also own Logo Alex and Lelutka Stella, but after a while (despite liking Stella) the mouth on Stella began to feel ‘off’ to me as a personal look, so I stopped wearing it. It may look better to me later on if I find a skin that works well on it, appearance wise.

  I had considered a SLink body and one of the Belleza ones at one time, but the cost of buying more than one body (or head for that matter) is out of the question for the time being.

  2. Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands?

  I have the Firestorm beta for Bento, but I don’t own anything Bento just yet, so I haven’t spent more than enough time to set the viewer up to my liking yet. I saw the Vista hands when someone else used them, but it seemed like the fingers would stretch out to alien-like proportions (or make you look like Salad Fingers) when certain poses were used, and that made me hesitant to buy anything Bento for now. I’ll probably wait for a couple of updates on things first, since everything is so new.

  3. What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017?

  I am hoping to see a Bento bones update to all of my body parts from SLink, Maitreya, Logo, and Lelutka…and if they can’t make updates to these things, then at least similar styles to what I have now, but made Bento ready.

  I wouldn’t mind seeing more dances for the Bento bone movements, and the various wing styles that will come out as time passes. For people that roleplay in SL, being able to have tails and wings and the like move freely for everything from fairies to angels to demons and dragons would be a vast improvement to the feel of a created character.

• 1) I have the Maitreya body and use the hands & feet that come with it (I’m lazy). I prefer its ease of use and the alpha cuts work so much better than some of the other bodies. I have a couple Catwa heads, Jessica and Alice. I use Alice exclusively these days. I also have several Genesis heads, but once I went Catwa, I didn’t go back because there are so many different appliers for Catwa. I absolutely cannot do Lelutka heads. Someone up the page mentioned “trout lips,” and that’s exactly what I feel like every time I demo a Lelutka head. All of them have extremely pouty lips and really pointy chins. Hopefully the bento head will be different and not so “Imma mean beyutch model type.” lol

  I don’t need a lot of fancy animation changes in my heads, as I am not going to sit there and clickity click click on a HUD constantly. I don’t blog or post pics so I find animations rather pointless for a casual user like me. As long as I don’t have resting bitch face, I’m good.

  2) I use Firestorm so I’m waiting for the final release before I bite on the bento viewer.

  3) Bento bodies, but I shudder to imagine the complications with clothing. I’m NOT going to dump my entire wardrobe and replace it, just to wear a new body.

• Hi, Berry ..

  1. I have several avatars, but only one (my main/not this name) uses a mesh body: the fitmesh eBody (comes with Slink compatible hands/feet). No mesh head … I have unique features and so far none of the ones I tried came close to matching my look.

  2. Haven’t tried Bento, but when FS comes out with their version, I’ll give it a try and see if the available heads allow me enough flexibility to replicate my face.

  3. Overall, in 2017, I’d love to see more creators provide true fitmesh clothing and accessories. It’s one of the reasons I don’t invest in ANY of the boxed deals – none of them fit me.

• I use the Maitreya body because I absolutely love the way the body looks and plus there are many designers out there who make a lot of content for Maitreya. I use the Catwa Jessica head since I love the way it looks on me and I like how the lips are not too large compared to some other from Catwa. I would love to have the LOGO Sadie head but because not a lot of creators make skins for LOGO (Chloe and Sadie) I prefer to continue using my Catwa head. Also, I am waiting for LOGO to release a bento compatible head. As for whether I have downloaded a Bento compatible viewer? Yes, I have. I downloaded the Bento candidate viewer and tried on the Catwa Catya demo head for which I fell in love with. For 2017, I am hoping LOGO releases a bento head and for Maitreya to eventually update their hands to bento. That is all I can think of at this moment.

• Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why?
  I use the Maitreya Lara body and Catwa Head. and for my male I use the slink and catwa. I am not a big fan of slink and plan to switch over to the Signature for both. I wish they would make more male heads though.

  Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason? no, just havent taken time to make the switch.

  Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands?
  What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017?
  I have not but am anticipating doing this.

  question, with the Bento do you know if in high lag sims if portions of the heads (Catwa specifically since that is what I use); will disappear like they do now?

• What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017?

  1. I use the Adam Mesh body, it fits my avatar shape well and is an acceptable modelling body. It also has OMEGA capacity which greatly increases the skins I can use – for instance all the 7 Deadly Skins have OMEGA. It increased the amount of items I could blog. I did try the other types… TMP and SLINK were just too thin for me, and I didn’t want to go to the really beefy bodies – although they are spectacular – as they are impractical for what I do in Second Life ® I’ve just got into CATWA heads and their mesh eyes/tears – I use mainly Paul and Jason. I do like them and they fit the Adam mesh body perfectly at the neck – there’s a unique setting for CATWA heads. These are perfect for blogging purposes.

  2. I haven’t tried Bento stuff as yet.

  3. I am waiting for the CATWA Bento male head. Then I will actually look like me!

• 1. I’m wearing Slink Physique body and Lelutka Karin head with Skinnery appliers. Love the look of Slink body and not going to switch to Maitreya. Sure, it’s always frustrating to see “Maitreya exclusive” tag on a nice clothing item that I’d like to wear, but it helps to save my lindens in the other hand:) As for the head, I tried a few others from different creators and wasn’t satisfied with their look as I do with my current head, so I gonna stick to it until something comes out that I’ll like more.
  2. I tried Catwa bento head demo with beta viewer, it actually looked pretty cool, although I didn’t spend too much time playing with the face shape on it.
  3. Looking forward to seeing more mesh heads including the ones from Lelutka. They haven’t released new heads for a while, I’m hoping they didn’t quit doing that and just took a break. Bento really makes a big difference to mesh heads by adding more customization options and making them look more alive when facial animations are applied.

• 1.I mainly use the catwa bento head and the slink hourglass body, I do have the maitreya body as well but I highly prefer the slink hourglass over it. Because I feel the slink body looks and feels more toned and got more details to it, the shoulders aren’t weird looking in certain poses like the shoulders on the maitreya, on the maitreya the shoulders get so rounded and unnatural that it bugs me highly, the shoulder area on the maitreya overall feels unnatural to me. The fact that many items are becomig maitreya exclusive is a bad thing as well, it feels almost forced to buy the maitreya body to get to wear all the pretty clothing out there, such as erratic, they got the best lingerie out there and yet its exclusive to maitreya, and I’ve noticed that lately everyone has started to quit making clothes for other bodies except for maitreya, its honestly getting sad and forced. Anyhow as for head, I do wear the catwa bento head, and I do imagine it will be the head with most options later on and probably the go to head overall.
  2. Yes I have the catwa bento head and the vista bento hands, I love them both and cant wait for future bento products.
  3.All things and everything, I honestly don’t know what to expect in the future.

• 1) I use the TMP mesh body. When I bought it there were only about 3 other brands, if that, available, and I liked the TMP best because it came with everything, great feet and great hands. I dislike Slink hands for a few reasons, most people seem like their hands are too small for their bodies, and they all seem to use the one hand style, which looks very false and unnatural, for my tastes. With my TMP body I have 10 hand options, so I can have a different pose in each hand. The feet are super cute too. I would like to see a better nail selection on the TMP hands, with short, medium and long styles. I tried a demo Maitreya body a while ago, but didn’t like the hands on it, so I would not want to swap over. I do prefer Maitreya’s body HUD, the TMP one is very tedious to use. It was ok when I only had a few appliers in the HUD, but now it takes me forever to cycle through all the various tabs to find the exact item I was looking for, and then find it was in another tab after all! There is nothing instant about wearing anything from the TMP HUD. They need an Omega system, so you find your items in your inventory, then apply them (like using the Omega or Catwa make up appliers).

  I eventually settled for a Catwa head, because I read that they were the best supported make, and after testing them, I really liked the animations on them. They were far more comprehensive than other makes. Also, there was more choice, so I felt I could be more individual. I did not opt for a TMP head, for a couple of reasons. Firstly, the demo head only works in the store, you can’t use it at home, and change it up. Secondly, most of the TMP heads looked angry to me. They seemed to look too similar.
  I don’t buy a selection of other mesh bodies or heads, and if I do get another head, it will most likely be a Bento one, probably from Catwa.

  2) I do not have a Bento viewer as yet, I am waiting for the Firestorm one to become available. I do not have any Bento products or demos, and really, I think I am waiting for the dust to settle before I dive in and buy anything. I am sure there will be a few teething problems and I am extremely happy with my current head (Catwa Alice) and I am not sure what the new Bento arrivals will add to my experience. Yes, I can see a body and hands would be great, and I am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the TMP Bento body. If they include the hands, that would be great too. The Vista hands look a bit strange right now, maybe some of the poses are a little off? But I will certainly be looking forward to more hand animations and may get the FATE hand poser, that looked great fun! (Thank you for the video)

  3) As far as updates for 2017 go, I really would like to see TMP giving a major overhaul to their HUDs and general usability. Their exclusiveness has, I am sure, driven a lot of people away from them. Most people now know the ease of Omega HUDs, and the sheer volume of fashion available to every other make BUT TMP. I have stayed true to them, but I find it so very disheartening when a lot of designers just don’t bother to design for TMP. The Dev Kits are now freely available, but some great designers are still reluctant to offer the TMP size in their selections. Footwear is a great example of this. Gos and N-Core were two leaders in footwear designs, but Gos refused to make TMP after a customer vote, so they lost my trade. Even N-Core have started being selective on the choice of some of their designs. If there is a very detailed and elaborate boot or shoe, you can probably bet that it is not available in a TMP version.

  I would also like to see more choice for males in regard to Mesh Heads, Mesh Bodies, and compatible skins. I can spot a male Catwa head because there are so few of them, and they all look the same. I don’t imagine that is because women are better at styling then men, I prefer to believe it is because there is less choice for them to experiment with. Most of the skins and heads look like young adolescents, there are very few normal, real looking skins, bodies, heads, out there.

  Thank you for this chance to air our views, you have a great blog Berry, keep up the good work!

• I use the Physique body. I love it. I absolutely can not stand Maitreya. Partially because I tried it for myself, and wasn’t as blown away as the hype made me think I would be and didn’t think it was better than the SLink body I already had, epsicially after the overhaul Physique had. And the biggest reason I don’t like it is the exclusivity. It makes me want it even less tbh. I’ll spend my L where it’s wanted, rather than designers basically selling Maitreya for them.

  I use a lelutka head. I keep talking myself out of the catwa because just as I think I’m sold I realize I can’t stand the lips. Maybe when Bento is more common and I can fix them.

  I haven’t tried Bento yet, but I’m looking forward to it. I’m just waiting for firestorm to work the bugs out if their viewer.

  I’d like slink to do bento hands. And also more animations from lelutka. That seems to be where she’s really lacking.

• Congratulations on your winning Avichoice awards!
  Q. Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason?
  A. I use Maitreya for two reasons 1) It seems to have the most available clothes choices 2) The body is very nice and flexible- it can go from skinny to fat [if you wish] and always looks great. 3) I also love Belleza and Slink HG but the Belleza – the shape that I prefer is between Venus & Freya and its kinda difficult to get what I want. Slink HG is also delicious BUT the calves are FAR too slender for my taste.And I have never found a way to change the Slink calves to more muscular without giant thighs.

  Q. Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands?
  A.I have not downloaded the FS preview viewer as of yet, although because of this blog, I may do so soon, to check out new [if any] body sliders and try out the Catwa Catya head with some appliers. I am excited about Bento but wondering- with a lot of people soooooo conservative or unwilling to update- how many will not see my head LOL. I mean I know lots who won’t even try mesh bodies still.

  Q.What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017?

  A.PLEASE GOD give us some more leg control cry cry. We have nearly total control over everything else but legs – basically you can make them more or less muscular, change knee angle, etc. but it would just be great to as much more control over leg appearance than we currently have. Give us control over our calves, knees, everything. MANY parameters besides leg muscle have to be changed to get the legs that you wish for , and it is not easy [for me]. I was also VERY happy that Berry said the new heads have rigged eyes Yay! no more eye editing which – honestly makes me want to scream sometimes. I guess I am just not very good at it. But I am excited to have [most] of the head sliders back again for our mesh heads, Yay!
  I am also hoping – like others probably – that there will finally be a fix for our faces coming off [and having to be told that your face is not rezzed is really an annoyance]. Ism yface rezzed, guys, is it is it?!
  P.S. I wish Catwa would update my Bibi head for Christmas, to Bento hahahahaha – I had to wait a long time for a cute heart shaped head/ face instead of a long oval. I am hoping I won’t have a long wait for that. I love this blog , TY Berry for keeping us all up to date. And now I am hooked on Luxe box, thanks so much haha.

• 1. I recently switched from SLink to Maitreya. I own both the Physique and Hourglass, but Physique doesn’t have the curves in the lower body that I want and Hourglass got to much up top for my taste. I fell in love with the shape and details on the Maitreya as well as the body shape. I do miss the two sheen options on SLink though.
  I own TMP, SLink and Catwa head(s). Neither TMP or SLink was really me, but with Catwa Annie, Sarah and Catya I felt like I found my matches. Even more so with Catya as I can customize it. Overall I feel Catwa offers the widest range of options for creators and customers.

  2. I have tried both the Linden Lab viewer and the Fire Storm Alpha viewer. I own the Catwa Catya head and the Vista Pro hands. Both of which I have used daily since their release.

  3. I am hoping for more bento heads, hands and loads of options for both. I am also hoping for an update to my old love, the SLink bodies

• I wear Maitreyas Lara but also change back to system body and SLink hands and feet either bis iWork on a slow sim or big project but also BSC I love some ölt system outfits. But what I really want to state out is:: I refuse to wear a mesh head. why? For me it is the difference between character and cliche. I do want to look normal not like a kind of Botox queen. And I want to be able to influence how I look. Yes HD skins look great. And I will change as soon as I can define and use my shape. But being forced to childlike headshape with blown up lips is against my imagination of beauty. Maybe it is BSC I am European……

• I wear Catwa head because the offered diversity and because I can easily apply the makeups I design myself, for my personal use. Plus, you’re no more a clone in wearing a mesh head than you were in wearing some skins from some popular designers which made you look like a sibling of the woman who had bought the same. The “clone” effect about which people argue, in SL, is just psychologic. The cut edges of the system head and bodies, the ugly shadows had always been a big pet-peeve of mine. I’m glad it’s gone with mesh heads and bodies.

  1 – I wear Maitreya because it’s easy to find stuff for it, most creators release a Maitreya option for the outfits they sell.
  But esthetically, I do prefer TMP… The curves are better done, especially breasts and legs. And since the TMP feet are fitted mesh, I can change their size (and solve the issue of their bony ankles). But TMP doesn’t follow the system skeletor, didn’t release an update since 2 years, so…

  2 – I will certainly update to Bento, when it will no longer be the firestorm beta. I have no interest at wearing this head now, since the majority of SL residents didn’t update yet. And then, I will buy a bento head, probably hands if Maitreya doesn’t release a hand update.

  3 – More male heads…. Once again, women are privileged…

• 1. I prefer the Belleza Freya Mesh Body most of all. I like the fact it’s a more curvy and thicker body. Catwa heads are great, i just wish they weren’t so expensive for the animations and such.

  2. No and i’m not planning on downloading the Bento viewer.

  3. More mesh heads that don’t cost an arm and a leg.

• Man
  1. Slink. i would like a maitreya body though, if they made a male one …
  2. yes, I have both viwers, a catwa catya head and slink hands. For a female alt then, just to test it, since there is not yet anything bento for men.
  3, First and most: Benot catwa head and Slink hands for men. Then I would like a bento body, and bent feet. And of course lots of animations that uses bento.

• A. Maitreya body and Catwa Cami head. Body because I like the body shape/hud and I like that it’s a “standard” size when buying clothes. Head because she looks perpetually cranky and I have animation options to play with.

  I actually prefer the Genesis Madlen head insofar as it’s feels like “Me”, but the lack of animation options, the detached ears and badly fitted eyelashes, and the dearth of options for it amongst my preferred skin peddlers has moved it out of rotation. It’s like, I like the look of Genesis heads a lot, but the execution and available options (or the lack thereof) leaves a lot to be desired.

  B. Not as of yet

  C. HANDS FOR MAITREYA GOSH FREAKING DARN IT. And maybe some new cuts for the body alphas. I’m really looking forward to the Bento heads in general because I’m kinda finicky about noses and it’ll potentially let me tweak the heck out of them on heads that would otherwise be perfect.

• Slink all the way — mesh body (all), mesh hands and mesh feet (all). Catwa for mesh head. I did like my Lena Lush body. However, with no updates and poor alpha cuts, I stopped wearing it.

  No plans on diving into Bento just yet, that includes the viewer. I am usually a late adopter in SL. I like for the waters to be “tested” before I commit.

  The only thing I would want to see in 2017 is a lower price point on mesh heads. Personally, I am not all that interested in Bento-related stuff, but the hands do seem interesting.

• Hi everyone. I currently wear the signature gianni mesh body for a few reasons, the HUD is great and easy to use. the body is not skinny and not overly muscular. it strikes a good balance and is what i call an upgrade from a system ‘athletic shape’ to an ‘athletic mesh body’ the body is compatible with a few other heads on the market already and both the head and body are omega compatible. so i can wear FittedMesh, standard mesh and mesh designed for the body.

• I wear primarily Maitreya body, mainly because most mesh is maitreya compatible, with slink hands (Love the longer nails, and different styles). I alternate with the Belleza Freya-i totally love the roundness and the LONG nails, and the fact you can change hand poses without changing hands, all through a the same hud. I also have several mesh heads but catwa amelie seems to be the one that feels most like me. i have slink feet but rarely use.

  Once bento has been on the grids long enough, and the standard viewers for most Sl’ers are bento compatible, i will probably try those body parts out. Not on SL alot so may not.

  I’d love to see Maitreya use different hand poses/nail lengths. I’d love to see Belleza update the ‘Elle’ skin into an applier for one of the heads too.. sighs..

• I have Maitreya and Lelutka’s Karin head. Haven’t download the Bento viewer as don’t “do” Linden viewers and honestly I don’t care all that much — at least at this point.

  IF I were still making a lot of videos, that could make a difference but but but —- I am not :D. I am thrilled with how great we look with our new mesh bodies no matter which one is “ours”. I seldom use the emotion changes or even close my eyes. Busy with other stuff for the most part.

  I think the Bento viewer would be especially good for fantasy avatars and role play. I am not seeing it — at this point anyway — as mainstream.

• Late to the party as always, but here goes:

  1) I own Slink Physique and Maitreya Lara, because I started with Slink I am more comfortable with their HUD so prefer Slink, plus I was shocked/confused/irritated at having to wear the Omega relay every time I want to use something Omega on the Maitreya body. When changing outfits a dozen times for a blog post and having a billion huds all over my screen, that actually does make a difference. I wear Slink hands and feet as well. I do enjoy the look of Maitreya’s bum, and will probably eventually play with a separate shape just to wear with it that enhances said bum and makes other parts more ‘me’. I do prefer the alpha cuts of Maitreya but understand that Siddean will be updating the Slink body HUDs really soon, can’t wait!!! As for heads, I have not made the plunge yet because everything I’ve ever demo’d has been night and day away from my current intended face. Bento might help me with that, but I have tried so many brands and varieties that it’s startling. I want so badly to like one!!! I like eyes that don’t look like I’m squinting or stoned, lips that actually have a cupid’s bow on the top lip, and not pouty, relatively generous cheeks and chin because all the ones I’ve tried look like a shrunken head on me and my hair is suddenly way too big…I’m asking too much, huh? 😉

  2) Not yet, I simply don’t have that kind of money these days so trying the Bento viewer would be like teasing myself. I do think that if I hit the lottery or something, LOL, I would enjoy a Bento head but right now several RL bills are priority. I feel like all these mesh parts, as beautiful as they are, have made SL hard to afford for many. I’ve been priced out of my favorite hobby of the past 9 years, because I feel quite awkward being left out.

  3) I guess my previous answer alluded to this, I have nothing that I am looking forward to with Bento because I won’t be able to afford any of it anyway, I just want the people who can actually benefit from it to have what they want and need 🙂

  I sound really miserable and crotchety here, LOL, I promise I’m not mean or intentionally stingy…I’ve contributed to various charities inworld and will always do so, and I don’t expect everything/anything handed to me for free. I just can’t justify paying over $20 USD for something inworld when that money can go to christmas presents, medical bills, other bills…I’m just a peon living on disability and wish I had a bit of disposable income. I am impressed with the way mesh looks, and I am so pleased that things are better for the majority of people to look the way they desire. I am okay with not being part of the majority and hope that people truly benefit from the upcoming improvements to SL.

• Full disclosure: I have far, far too many avatars, and therefore all of these answers are going to be mini-marathons.

  Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why?
  – On the current main: Psyche is pretty much flat out genderqueer, and uses a slink body for male shots, and maitreya for female. No mesh heads – he hates them.
  – Photo alt 1: Seraph also shuns mesh heads generally, and uses Belleza (Freya) for her body. On the rare occasion she has taken pictures with a mesh head, she wears Genesis Labs (Angie, I think?) She was using maitreya, but didn’t feel that the curves were quite ample enough. Additionally, it seems that the Belleza fitmesh clothing is less bulky, more fitted.
  – Male 1: Quinn is attached to his face. Once again, heads are not used. Signature body. TMP was worn for quite some time, but the lack of customer support/updates/the horrid proprietary systems were a huge turn off.
  – Male 2: Avarice wears the Adam body. He’s not photo’d too much right now, just because he’s not feeling his oats.
  – Nobody(f): Mesh head girl. Fiore & Genesis. I greatly dislike Catwa’s heads – the proportions are very much off in my opinion. Body: Maitreya.
  – Nobody(m): Mesh head boy. Akeruka and Genesis. Again, I don’t like Catwa’s designs. I know they’re extremely popular, just… not to my tastes. Body: Signature.
  The rest of the stable generally wears Maitreya for the girls, and Slink or Signature for the guys, I have one who loves the mix/match Violet Studios female body choices and another who wears Niramyth (both a body and head).

  Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason?
  – Really, I’m extremely picky aesthetically. I simply don’t care for 90% of the mesh heads on the market. I’ve spent years tweaking & perfecting the avatar appearances on the default skeleton. I’ve tried pretty much every head on the market, the majority of them make me cringe. A few have even made me recoil in disgust as I put them on. Sorry designers, I know you work hard on your designs, and I appreciate your dedication & artistry. A lot of people make your work look fantastic. I’m just not one of them.

  Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet?
  – I have tried a couple of the bento heads. I’m waiting for the 2nd generation of Bento heads to become available. I’m not overly impressed by what I can do with them. What I really would like to do, is commission a head designer to make several heads for different avatars, but it seems that everyone who used to build customs has closed up shop. I’ve tried the mesh head studio (good, but not great), and I’m working on becoming adept with blender – but it is a long, hard road to travel.

  What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017?
  – I am hoping that with Bento, there will be a LOT more versatility in heads. Don’t get me wrong, I’m sick of fixing nose triangles, but damn.
  I’m also hoping that there will be a way to layer makeup on mesh heads. I often use 2-4 shadows, 2 highlights, a contour, and multiple lips layered to get the effects I want.

• 1- I mainly use the Slink Hourglass and Catwa head together. When I first started SL a few months ago, I noticed some shoes were Slink compatible. When I got curious enough, I went to the Slink store and I fell in love with the Hourglass shape. For Catwa, I actually learned about their mesh heads from you, lol. Your blog helped me learn about mesh bodies as well as mesh heads.

  I also own a Maitreya mesh body and AK mesh heads. I just recently got the AK mesh heads and they are really cute and I like them a lot. For Maitreya, I only bought that mesh body because a lot of the outfits I liked was only available for that. I only seldom wear it right now.

  2- Yes, I have tried the demo of Catya bento mesh head from Catwa and tried the AK bento mesh heads. They seem really cool and I am looking forward to see what other things that bento can bring! I am also waiting to see if Slink will release their own version of bento hands/feet 🙂

  3- I understand that a lot of work is put into each and every mesh body item. For example, if Slink releases new bento hands separately from their original ones, I will gladly buy the new ones. I do not expect the creators to re-do or give items freely when they put a lot of time and energy in the product.

  I’m actually hoping/excited to see other individuals releasing their version of mesh bodies or make mesh feet that can move and are resizable 🙂

• I wear the Belleza Isis body only, I love the curves and the breast shape best. Catwa head though I have the Lelutka anf the LOGO as well.

  I did buy the Catwa bento head, just waiting for Firestorm to release their viewer

• 1) I only wear the Maitreya Lara body.

  I actually prefer my system head, although the state of the art in mesh heads may change to the point I get one. Just now, I’ve got too much time and effort invested in my system head, and honestly, the mesh heads I’ve seen don’t make me want to go and get one, the way seeing a Maitreya Lara-equipped avatar nude (don’t ask… ) sold me instantly.

  2) I downloaded the SL Bento viewer and recoiled in horror at the performance penalty it exacted. I don’t care for the SLV’s interface to begin with, but will use it to do things like recover my inventory after LL runs off with it (twice in five and three-quarters years). But I’ll NEVER use SL Bento again (unless the Linden gods block any other SL viewer).

  My experiences with the alpha and beta-versions of Firestorm’s Bento viewer are much more positive (even more than usual when I’ve considered SLV versus Firestorm). It immediately started rendering avatars in general better (even before I went over to Maitreya, it made my system body look so nice I just oohed and aahed for an hour before leaving my Linden Home). And after some horrible lag misadventures in the first two early alpha versions, all I’ve had was unusually good performance.

  Actually, I don’t own Bento avatar components or know anyone who does – I actually do this to make Firestorm aware of how a comparatively low-end computer system like mine works and plays with their code. So far, this is the first beta-release, and the best-performing release of Firestorm Viewer ever. Firestorm just keeps getting successively better.

• oh, and

  3) I just bought my Maitreya Lara two weeks ago, and am hoping that what I heard about Maitreya updating the body for free to Bento is accurate. But with my luck….

• 1. I wear maitreya lara and catwas annagrey mostly.I also own Gen labs heads and simone by lelutka. I adore the maitreya body so when I choose my favourite head I make my choice on whether the head has lots of skin options and will have body appliers for maitreya.
  I would love to wear my other heads more but there just arent enough skin and make up options to make them look just a little bit different to everybody else.

  2. No. I have moved from sl viewer to firestorm and it took a long time to get comfortable with it. Im going to stay put. I use sl on a low tech laptop and I just cant keep up with technology advances. Im not buying a new laptop just for sl.

  3. Please can designers not forget to keep creating for gen lab and lelutka heads, I would love to wear mine more they cost me alot of Lindens. Im happy to invest in them but when i went shopping to buy skins and makeup it was all catwa catwa with the majority of skins make ups and addons.

• Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason?

  I only wear the Belleza Isis. I, too, tried the Maitreya just because of the variety in clothing options, but I just couldn’t make myself like the body. There is something very odd about the shape of the feet, and the hands look corpse-like to me. And the body itself seems… I dunno… too girlish? Too young? There’s just something about it that doesn’t work for me.

  I was really excited when Tricky finally released the Belleza update and developer kits to everyone… and now I’m extremely disappointed that many designers have chosen not to use it and are still “Maitreya exclusive”, especially those that got the kit, made one or two items, and then stopped – I’m looking at you, Dead Dollz. Yes, Maitreya has a bigger market share but I think that’s only because there are more clothing options because of these “exclusive” designers, not because it’s the superior body. You can see it in the comments left on this post – several people have said they wear Maitreya because there are more clothing options, NOT because they love the body more than other available bodies. I don’t know what the politics are behind these decisions by designers, nor do I care. I just want to spend money on clothes for my body. I really, really love and appreciate the designers like Blueberry, etc., who provide the options for several mesh bodies. “Exclusive” leaves a sour taste in my mouth and I despise that it has made Maitreya the go-to mesh body by default.

  I fought the mesh head revolution for a long time but finally made the switch. After buying several different Catwa heads, I finally settled on the Alice head and I love it. I love everything about it. It’s mature and I feel it’s very similar in looks to my system head. I love changing skins now and seeing the different looks and all the makeup and options. So much fun!

  Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands? Not yet. I will when FS releases their Bento-compatible viewer. I’m anxious to see if I can alter the Catwa Bento head to look more like my system head.

  What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017? Er… a functional vagina, to be honest. I’ve altered my VAW vagina to be workable, but it’s still not an ideal fit. I’d love to see the mesh bodies update to include differing, um, states of arousal and have much more definition!

• 1 – I use the Maitreya mesh body, it’s currently my fave (nice proportioned shape and reasonable price). I also own the Slink Hourglass because i like to be curvy, but i have to say i don’t really like the shape of the body, it’s really “exagerate” and it’s difficult make a good shape for it (at least for me).
  I don’t own a mesh head atm.

  2 – I’m using the Firestorm bento viewer and i bought the Vista bento hands. I tried a few bento heads demos, but i’m still looking for one that i will really like.

  3 – I hope to see more “creatures” parts (tails, mermaid tails, ears, claws, hooves, ecc), and i hope in an update of the Logo Alex Head to bento (i really, really like that head) and the maitreya body (so i can make it curvier to my tastes and fix the neck problem. And maybe updating its hand to bento?).

• Hello 🙂 Long time lurker (and i love your blog and youtube channel) but first time poster ^^ so :

  1)I use the Maitreya Body Lara, its the most common one and approx. 90% of the mesh outfits that i buy are fitter for it, this is really practical, nothing is worse than buy a mesh something that you cannot weat in the end because glitches or shape problems.

  For my head i wear the Lelutka Stella Head with the Deetalez Amanda applier ! ( take a peek here : https://www.flickr.com/photos/146761342@N07/31056217170/in/dateposted-public/ )
  I love this combination so intensly that i cannot replace it with anything else ! deetalez has amazing skins and this Stella + Amanda for me is something so original that i cannot buy something else. I tried a lot of Catwa heads and skins, hundreds of combinations but still “my” SL face like this is perfect to me 🙂

  2) i didnt dl a bento viewer or bought a bento related item for the moment, i actually wait for Firestorm to be updated (for all players not beta..) because i dont want that friends or people in general see me as ablob, so i patiently wait

  3) I cannot wait for Lelutka Simone Bento because i will be able to customise it as i want and i secretly hope it will make designer craft more Lelutka Head appliers because at the moment the market is really poor :/

  Thank you so much for reading and have a nice day :))))

  Lya Seerose on SL and FlickR

• I was using the Mesh Project body without the mesh head but just switched to the full male, mesh body and head by Jomo.
  I tried the official Bento ready Linden Viewer and saw no difference.
  I was waiting for TMP to update but after 2 years of inactivity I said screw it and switched to Jomo. It is not too muscled up and fake looking like some common male mesh body’s I won’t mention.

• 1. Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason?

  As of now I use the Niramyth Aesthetic mesh avatar. The reason that I use this specific avatar is because I love the texture work, the realism in the mesh, how handsome the face shape is, how easy to use it is, and because I find just about everything on this avatar to be perfect.

  2. Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands?

  I have not downloaded any Bento viewers as I’m waiting for the official Firestorm Bento viewer.

  3. What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017?

  I am looking forward to Niramyth updating the Aesthetic with the Bento skeleton. Also, I have heard that Eddesign is working on his own mesh body which is very exciting to me.

• I am very new to Second Life (less than 2 1/2 months), but I use a variety of mesh body parts. My body and feet are Maitreya Lara. I have the Vista ProHands, although until FS goes live with Bento, I’m using the non-Bento hands that came with the set. I have an Akeruka Lola head that I adore, but often hair doesn’t fit it well, so I’m waiting on Bento for it as well, and mostly wear my LeLutka Leda head. I also have IKON mesh eyes.

  I love my Maitreya body, because it is so easy to find beautiful clothes designed to fit it. I’m considering a couple of Catwa heads, because I like the expressions,but I’m hoping Bento will give me more customizability, because my face is the one thing I most wish I could customize right now.

  I have tried out my Akeruka head and my hands with Bento, and they look amazing. I am seriously geeking out over my hands, especially.

  I’m still really new, so I’m not sure what else I’d like to see in the way of Bento body parts, but I feel like it’s a very exciting time to be starting out in SL, and I can’t wait to see what’s next.

• I use the Maitreya Lara body after having used others in the past, I find it to be superior in texture, shapes, options, and I agree the HUD surpasses others I’ve used.

  I have not downloaded the SL Bento viewer. I decided to wait for Firestorm to release theirs since I greatly prefer Firestorm’s viewer to SL’s.

  I would love to see the Maitreya body updated with Bento hands, and I’m hoping VERY MUCH that Catwa updates her original animated mesh heads with Bento. I am very fond of my Catwa head and there are only a few tiny tweaks I would like to make to it. My interest is mainly to have the improved animations.

• 1. I use the Maitreya body. I think the TMP body is more attractive, but the massive content for Maitreya makes it the winner. I’ve stopped using SLink feet though the SLink feet/toes are prettier. But now that all the shoe designers are on the Maitreya train it’s just easier.

  I started wearing a Catwa mesh head full time this month. I’d been waiting patiently for a skin applier that felt like ‘me’ and League’s latest release was it. I’ve tried them all but for content and omega compatibility you can’t beat Catwa.

  2. No Bento activity yet. It’s not important to me for anything other than wings and maybe animal avatars. I may try it later out of curiosity but I don’t anticipate it being a major player in my SL any time soon.

  3. In 2017 I’d like to see the skin designers add more diverse, ethnic choices.

• I have several mesh bodies but Belleza Freya is my favorite. It just has a lushness that I love on my avatar. She has a more realistic shape. I don’t wear a mesh head. I think they are often too large and make my avatar look generic.
  I haven’t tried the Bento viewer.
  I hope that there will be mesh heads in the future that are customize-able. Until there are I’ll stick with the face I can make using the sliders in the viewer. I’m not a fan of what’s out there for mesh heads right now.

• 1-I use the Maitreya body and Catwa head, my other avi has Maitreya, TMP, and both Slinks but i still prefer my Maitreya body.

  2- have not tried the Bento viewer yet.

  3- I’m hoping to see more options on the alpha huds like being able to take smaller pieces away when not needed instead of a big chunk that leaves you showing part of the missing body.

• I’m ashamed to admit that I have no knowledge of Bento that you referred. However I will investigate. Currently I’m using a Lelutka hat with a Lara Maitreya shape. I find the HUDS really easy to use and the shape and head are lovely. I would be open to try other shapes and bodies and I’m curious about the Catwa head. However I must admit that I do appreciate compatible with Glam Affair skin, which makes matching head and body skin very easy. Whole new body and head seems daunting it might entail having too much skin as well which would involve a further substantial investment. The risk we could mean that I don’t like the final look regardless of the expense. So for now I stick with what I know.

• Do you have a spam problems about this site; I also
  have always been a blogger, and I also is wanting to khow your position; many folks allow us a few wonderful processes
  annd we’re trying to change options with others, wwhy perhaps not capture me personally a message when curious.

• Slink slink slink slink 🙂 I love Slink. The most realistic of them all. (All the mesh bodies are beautiful in their own ways, and I wish I could just buy them all and wear them but… I am only one person and I love the look of the Slink body the best, for realism.) I have not downloaded Bento-viewers nor do I particularly care which parts move; though I realize it is a wonderful bit of magic for many people. Mostly I am interested in still-life photography (not video or anything machinima-related), and so “the way things are” works for me quite well. Fun poll 🙂

• I currently own TMP, Slink Physique, and Maitreya. I use Maitreya 99% of the time. I like the Maitreya because there is the most stuff out there for it and I actually like the shape better than the other two. I use the Catwa Catya Head, before that was the Catwa Gwen head. I LOVE both of them. I have tried demos of other types of heads but the Catwa ones are always the shapes I end up liking.

  I have downloaded the Beta Versions of Firestorm for the Bento Viewers. So far so good. I LOVE using bento products. Especially the Vista Bento Hands. It’s so exciting to finally see moving fingers in Second Life! Also, I use the Bento Catwa Head. I haven’t really seen a difference in the Bento from the normal, but I can say the animations are smoother but I guess that’s the point isn’t it, lol.

  I’m not sure what I hope to see in the future honestly. I think mostly I want to see hair physics. Lelutka Is kinda setting that bar with Swish hair but I want hair to move when you move. I am big on that in other video games too. (I’m a graphics junkie ^^) That would be a dream come true!

• Currently I wear Maitreya body and Catwa head, though neither are my preference. I loved my Logo head, but there are not as many options and wearing makeup is more difficult. I also prefer Belleza body but it seems most creators are set on focusing on Maitreya, and if they do add a body it is usually Slink and not Belleza.

  Since firestorm Bento is live I have now gotten it and I have the Vista hands.

  I would love to see more Bento hands and facial animations. I like what Catwa has done but her products are priced for the elite, and those of us who cannot afford it are left out.

• Pingback: Firestorm with Bento Officially Released! - StrawberrySingh.com

• 1. I have some Catwa, Logo and Genesis heads that I only use in characters. For my main appearance I have not yet found a mesh head that really suits my taste, so I’m still using my system head.
  On my body, I use Maitreya. It’s the only body that really fits my shape and gave the form I ever wanted since my first days in SL. It has natural lines and curves.
  I also have Slink, Belleza and TMP mesh bodies with alts that I chose according to their biographies. For a athletic character I use Physique or Isis, for a very curve girl I prefer Hourglass, etc.

  2. Yes, I use SL and Black Dragon Bento viewer since they became available. I have tried all Bento mesh heads I have know and Vista mesh hands.

  3. For now I’m waiting for more Bento releases before buying anything. And I’m in hope for some releases like:
  – AOs, dances and animations;
  – TMP update for Bento;
  – Maitreya and Slink Bento hands;
  – I’m very excited about the release of Lelutka and Murray Bento mesh heads. The previews are gorgeous.
  – I’m in hope for another Catwa Bento head release with smaller eyes and a nose more like Helena or Tumble ones. I didn’t like Catya nose, I tried tons of sliders combinations and I didn’t like none.
  – I would also love to see a Logo Bento mesh head. The shape of Alex mesh head is the nearest of what I ever wanted on a head. If their Bento head was something like Alex, I would adjust it a little to finally have a perfect head.

• I use the Maitreya Body because it has the most support. I wear a Logo head because of the expressions. I like to have one face so I do not like changing my head if I can help it. If logo does a Bento head I would change for that but I will not wear any other head. I would love to wear Freya but there is little to no support for it so I cannot.

  I did download Bento so that I could see other peoples parts. I am going to wait until more things come out before I start shelling out money.

  A girl can always dream and hope for a better alpha solution.

• **1**The body I use is Maitreya. I love the natural look of this body, it’s user friendly HUD and the tremendous support it receives from other creators. The head I now use is Catwa’s Catya Bento and I LOVE IT! I’m not one to constantly change my body nor head. I was previously wearing Catwa’s Annie Human and before that was Catwa’s Jessica. Both were purchased when they were the only Catwa options, so I do love my Catwa and am used to the all inclusive pricing. The prices accurately reflect the hard work and creative talent. I love the Catwa Catya simply because I was finally able to get a combination of my original avi head and the Catwa Annie I’ve grown to love. I only spent 5 hours total to get my head and body back to what it was. This 5 hours included research through Strawberry’s tutorials and asking questions in the Catwa chat, going to Catwa to make the purchases, adjusting my head and body and helping others understand the process. Luckily, I had all of my slider values on a NC, as I cheer and sometimes need to adjust my body to fit into clothing. All I then needed to do was tweak the values here and there; not all being the same as before. My first thought was that there’s no reason ever for anyone to need to purchase another Bento head, but seeing others comments on not being able to get their eyes or noses just as they’d like, I now see the reasoning behind future Bento releases. ** My partner uses both the male Signature body and head, not sure which ones specifically, as it’s changed often. We’re going tomorrow to check out the AK male Bento heads. More detailed clothing creators for male avis are seriously needed!

  **2**As soon as Firestorm Bento became public I downloaded it. That is when I also went and purchased the Catwa Catya Head, full anim HUD, tongue animations and Eyes HUD. As I stated above, I’m not one to constantly change, so money well spent, in my honest opinion. I’m eagerly awaiting Maitreya to release a Bento for hands, so I’ve not hopped on the Vista train. I’ve not gotten the Vista demo to see if the lines are still present, as was the case with Slink hands and feet when used with Maitreya body, though.

  **3**In 2017 I’m hoping an update comes with Maitreya for Bento hands and toes, as well as a Maitreya pregnancy shape option. More Bento dances, AOs, and hair would be a dream come true! I would also like to see Bento eyelashes. When I blink my Catwa compatible eyelashes don’t move fluidly with the closure. Fast blink hides this better than the slow blinking, so I’d also like to see an option to change the blink speed other than slow or fast. Facial piercings as well as rings that are Bento friendly would make my wish list complete!! Oh, add to that more detailed clothing creators for male avis!

  Awesome poll and blog, Strawberry! Congrats on your AVI Choice win! : )

• 1. I use Maitreya Lara because it seemed to be the best overall when I decided to get a mesh body, it still is as satisfactory as any AFAIK, and it has a lot of support from designers.

  2. I have the viewer but have not tried the body parts. It seems to me that with innovations like this, there is a learning curve for creators, and it takes time for them to get things right. That was true of mesh and fitted mesh and likely will be true of Bento. If I wait a while, it will be a lot easier to have it work as intended, I think.

  I would really like to have a mesh head that I could make look like me. I want to keep the same face, no have plastic surgery that makes me unrecognizable, but I’d like to improve the quality. When I learn that there is a mesh head that I can make look like me, I be there in a second with a big wad of Lindens.

• Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason?

  i use the maitreya lara body and wouldnt use another. i love it. i wear the catwa helena for myself and catwa helena, tumble or destiny heads for rp. depends on the character i am creating. i also own lelutka karen, and logo alex. i am not a fan of the jaw and lips of lelutka, though i do like the head in general. logo lips are not my fav either, but the head looks good with the right skin. i have settled on catwa and love the work they do on heads as well as the amazing hud.

  Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands?

  i have. i own the akeruka lola bento and have the catwa catya demo. i tried them. i like the way they change but will need to try them further with different shapes or keep modding till i get the right look in my head.

  What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017?

  i hope the creators will update their current heads to bento so we can mod what we already have and like to what we would love. also, more layers of alpha on mesh body would be nice 🙂

• Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason? I use catwa mesh head a belleza freya. I like belleza because u can be thick but there not much creaters for it. I like catwa because I like the face shapes.
  I have bento firestorm viewer. I dislike the bento hands. I like the bento catwa head but I don’t own it yet.
  Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands? I hope they will make a skinny and thick bento mesh body for 2,000L each.
  What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017?

• Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason?

  Only Eve Slim with eStyle Diamond Shape. I doubt I shall ever move on from that. I had half a mind to try something bento, but after seeing some pretty bad hands – and never having liked Catwa heads – and reading different negative reviews, I decided to save some L$ and give the whole thing a miss.

  Plus, I’ve never understood the fascination with Catwa, since the heads and whatnot (to me) look like someone’s thrown a can of white house paint over them, combined with a sort of plastic, ‘robotic’ appearance – not my idea of attractive, but different strokes for different folks.

  Add to that the fact that you can always tell someone with a Catwa head in a public area (like a club)because they’re often seen on dance floors without their heads – or just their eyes floating in space, or with their head floating a distance away from them – not my kind of a fun night on the dance floor.

  I also suspect Catwa this and Bento that will add rather a burden to complexity too – something I’m always conscious of and try to keep as low as I possibly can (just my butt nekked avi is already around 40k complexity, so I have to be shrewd and creative to keep it lower than 70k with clothing and hair!).

• Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason?

  I have tried a lot of Mesh bodies and my partner, who does a lot of scripting for mesh bodies looked at even more. We eventually both settled on the Maitreya Lara, because of its attractive sculpting and the technology behind it. We used the system head, having tried many mesh heads and felt that most were not able to replicate our avatar’s looks or fell into the stony faced uncanny valley territory.

  Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands?

  Once Firestorm upgraded to Bento I revisited the Mesh head offerings, and after several days searching, several more days of demo-ing and reading somebody’s reviews (whose initials are ss) I eventually settled on the Lelutka Bento head and then spent a long day (with the invaluable help of my partner) to nudge the head shape to a very close replica of my original avatar face. She should be getting hers any day now 🙂 We really love the smooth expression animation.

  What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017?

  I tend to be very loyal to creators that have done well by me – thus I’d love to see Maitreya Bento hands. I’d also like to see, either by Lelutka or third party folks, more expressions and superior expression looping added to the bento heads.

• Thank you all so much for participating in the polls and sharing your thoughts about the questions in the survey. It was very interesting to see how everyone feels about their body parts in SL in 2016. Hopefully your answers may help some designers with their ideas and goals for 2017. Happy Holidays everyone! <3

• 1. Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason? On my previous account I had used catwa Aisha head and slink hourglass mesh body. I’d love to get the logo Alex head and a (excuse my probably mispronounciation) maitreya mesh body on my new account, but am not able to since I do not have the required money to get these things. Especially since there are so many amazing add ons to the logo heads that are super cute. I’d also like the bento hands. One day I’ll be able to get all of these things I just know it.
  2. Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands? I’ve tried all of catwas current bento heads and a few of other bento heads but that’s pretty much it for bento. I’d like a bento head. Most likely from catwa but I can take whatever I can have. I’m not THAT picky lol
  3. What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017? Honestly, I’d love to see probably bento feet and bento boobs. Not trying to be weird honestly. Like if there were bento feet I can imagine there being like an option where you can wiggle your toes? Or if there was a bento hands and feet together I can imagine an so where you have nail polish and your holding the brush with the bento hands and as you paint each toe, it rises so it looks more realistic you know? Sorry it seems weird. And for the bento boobs I can think of maybe a way so that you can have maybe lower nipples or higher ones. Sorry this seems a bit on the rated r but I see that skins have it like that where some are higher than others but it would be nicer if you didn’t have to get a certain skin or mess up your body shape in order to get the desired “placement” you want. Maybe same with belly buttons or other places that could be maneuvered based on differences in our bodies. Just another way to make second life more “lifelike”

• I am always wearing my slink hourglass body and now my eve head either normal mesh or bento depending. so using Bento yes. kind of like to see a muscular female fitmesh body and for Slink to update their hands to bento too, as a free update.
  The reason for using the hourglass is I just like the way I look with it as a major reason. And also I feel patrons tend to tip better when the host is attractive.

• I don’t wear a mesh head because I want to keep my individuality; I spent days several years ago, getting my head to look the best it could with my Tellaq skin and am still happy with the look, though that’s the only part of my body that still shows the Tellaq skin.
  I have Bento hands, but wish that if you choose a specific gesture, your arm would move to reflect that [think giving someone the bird….]
  I’d like Xcite to come out with X5, without the chatter and with some motion.

• I am sporting a Slink Physique Male body, hands and feet and GA.EG Damon bento mesh head. I went with Slink Physique body, purchased last year, because I had heard about the mesh hands in the past. I’ve tried some of the other male mesh bodies, but many of them were too muscular/bulky for my taste. Later I tried the Signature, after I had purchased my Slink, but I wasn’t really fond of how the feet looked compared to my Slink feet. Thanks to the latest update to the Alpha HUD and bento hands, I’ve been very pleased with my Slink choice!

  I’ve been very happy with my GA.EG bento head, for the price point and the customization via sliders to give my look a more unique appearance. Coupled with the 7 Deadly s{K}in Jager and hair from *Argrace*, I’ve received quite a lot of nice feedback on my choices!

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• i miss belleza jake in the votings. i prefer this one because the arms are not as muscular as gianni. the proportions are very good.
  Catwa is my fav meshhead. good to edit and the hud is ok. need some tutorials, but then it is simple to use

• Which mesh body and head do you use currently and why? Is there another body or head you would prefer to use but don’t because of convenience, cost, or another reason? I use eBody, it has more options for making things happen.

  Have you downloaded a Bento compatible viewer and tried any Bento rigged body parts as of yet? If so, which body parts have you tried and from which brands? I have not tried any Bento items because of costs.

  What kind of mesh body parts or updates are you hoping to see on the grid in 2017? If bento prices drop I would look for a head.

• Pingback: Berry’s 2018 Mesh Body Parts Survey – StrawberrySingh.com

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