Mesh Maker Best Practices List
Developing a mesh body or body part? While no one can tell you what to do with your creation, it is yours and yours alone, following these suggestions can help ensure you release the best product possible.
Important Note: With the exception of the UV maps… NONE of these are required for Omega System Compatibility. These are just recommendations garnered from the feed back of Omega Users all over the grid and our unique position of being able to indirectly see what is selling and what is not.
We’ve organized them into three broad categories, Core Features, Important Features and Extras.
Core Features are things that will break a Mesh, things that are considered basic features now that ANY competitive mesh should have. Things like being SLUV and an Alpha HUD go in this category.
Important features aren’t flashy or so baseline that you won’t even be considered competitive without them, but they are Important and sometimes down right annoying not to have. Things like being mod, important technical details and using the correct Nail Map go here.
Extras are…well Extra. These things go above and beyond and set your your mesh apart from others.
Skirt Prims, wardrobes and other flashiness go here.
Note.. I don’t always agree with what should be in which category. But I do my best to reflect what the market actually wants as opposed to what I thinks it should want. Ie: being Mod is way more important then having an extensive alpha hud, but the market clearly disagrees with me.
Core Features:
- Uses SLUV for Upper, Lower and Head: This should be a no-brainer. It is impossible to use standard clothing and skin textures otherwise.
- Have an Alpha Hud: Being able to wear mesh clothing is super important to customers and has started a bit of a Alpha HUD war…who can have the most cuts! x.x
- Users are able to hide the hands, feet and head of your mesh: So your users can mix and match bodys, hands, feet and heads. (or use their own SL head.
- Wrist and Ankles fit one or more sizes of slink hands and feet : Everyone likes their slink feet…., but it also lets other feet makers create feet that use the same standard sizing as slink…and guess what…they’ll fit your mesh!
- 2 or More Clothing Layers: 2 really is the minimum standard, but 3 is becoming increasingly common and soon will be standard.
Important Features:
- All Meshes:
- It’s Mod: This ensures when you’re gone, people are still able update their meshes with new scripting if need be. Obviously this includes the Omega System, but it also includes a variety of wardrobe management huds, layer changers, RLV funsies, ect
- You’ve taken advantage of the free alpha glitch fix here: cause alpha glitching is BAD.
- You’ve secured your appliers: IP theft is real and unavoidable. Especially for textures. We should however take any practical steps available to us to make it harder on those with ill intentions.
- Your layers and Sections have sensible descriptions for script writers to utilize: So Chellynne Bailey does not cry herself to sleep at night because you have 100 prims with no names and your kit breaks every time you update.
- Dev Kit Access: It can be tempting to restrict access to high end stores and designers, but your customers want to be able to make things for themselves as well. Even assuming you have an Omega Kit available for your mesh (Which wth wouldn’t you?!) UV maps vary and access to them is important.
- Breasts/Pecs & Bodys
- Nipples are undefined (no bump) or use the Lolas Tango Nipple Template : When you define nipples as a bump on the skin, that means skin makers have to make sure their skin works on your mesh. By leaving it undefined or using a separate nipple, they do not have this problem.
- Hands/Feet
- Have Type A Hands and Feet:
- Hands/Feet use the SL UV Map (or close to it): I know it’s tempting to try a better UV map…. I get it…but you’re messing with the poor skin makers again when you do so. Feet/Hand UV maps are never perfect, but it’s easier for everyone if you stick as close to the SL (or Slink) UV mapping a possible.
- Nails use the Slink Nail Map : Omega uses the Slink Nail Map. Nuff said.
- Heads
- Eye use the SL Eye Map : What other eye map would you use? also.. omega uses this map.
Extras:
- Built in Pussy Lips
- A scripted Wardrobe
- Piercing Options
- Multiple Nipple Options
- Multiple Hand and Feet Poses
- Feet that fit into Slink Shoes
- RLV Controls
- Skirt Layer that uses SLUV map for pants
- Pregnancy Version of the same body
- Also release your hands/feet separately in Standard Sizes
- Including a flat chested Version
- Multiple Breast Shapes
- Also release your head separately