We have made a BoM relay hud for the Lara mesh body, so you can try out the Bakes on Mesh (BoM) feature, that was recently released by Linden Lab.
This is not an "Update" to the Lara body, it's just a tool to let you see what the new feature is and how you can use it.
Consider this a preview tool - nothing more. It will function normally for skins and layers, but alpha layers will not work until the full BoM body is released, due to needed changes to the mesh body itself. For alpha, for now, use the Lara HUD as you currently do.
Please keep in mind that older pre-mesh-body skins will work, but expect to see some odd texture effects around the fingers and toes. This is because the default SL avatar has no toes and no fingernails and these skins were made with that in mind. So in order for your toes and fingers to appear properly, no matter if your skin textures are applied to your body or bakes on mesh, it is key that the skin was created for the Maitreya body.
The new Bakes on Mesh feature does not influence your mesh clothing in any way, you can still use that as you always have. BoM also won't influence your Tattoo, Underwear, and Clothing layers. They too can still be used the way you always have (with Tattoo, Underwear, Clothing appliers made for Maitreya or Omega). You can use the new BoM features in combination with the mesh body layers, to allow for more layering options.
To use the BoM relay:
Make sure you have removed your full body alpha layer (The one that hides your default body) and that you are using a BoM capable viewer.
Then simply wear or add the BoM relay as you would any HUD or applier and touch it to activate. Now every texture you have on your default body will be "baked" together on the SL server and sent to your mesh body. Each time you add, remove, or move a layer within the stack, your body will re-rez to display that change.
Note that others near you who are not in a BoM capable viewer, will not be able to see the baked textures on your mesh body.
To switch back to your standard mesh body: add your full body alpha and just re-apply your skin (on the hud or with a skin applier).
Where do we go from here?
This relay is a temporary measure to allow you to see and play around with the possibilities of BoM. It is our intention to have BoM fully implemented in the next update of the Lara mesh body - this will be a free update, you will not have to buy a new body. BoM will be an addition to the Lara mesh body, not a replacement of anything. We fully understand that many of you have invested a lot of time and money in both buying and creating appliers. We also expect that for certain things the use of appliers and dedicated layers might still be preferred.
There has been an update in the works for quite some time now. We want to express our gratitude for your patience and want to use this opportunity to explain a bit about what has been taking us so long. First of all, because nothing crucial was broken or malfunctioning, we felt less pressure to release an update fast. Our plans for the next update were based on your requests for things to be added to Lara and on some new ideas we had for the mesh body. The road turned out to be a lot more rocky than we anticipated and the progress was frustrated more than once. We came across some unforeseen obstacles that challenged us, but we feel we are in a better position now to move forward.
Please understand that we cannot give an ETA for the next generation of Lara. We have learned too well how dependent we are on too many variables. In addition, BoM is in its early stages. It will be interesting to see in which way it will enrich us and what it won't be useful for. Now that BoM has been released some of the insurmountable obstacles we were trying to overcome are removed. We have been re-thinking the layer system and how to best use it in a world where BoM exists.
Some changes and features that you have been asking for will be addressed. In the coming weeks as more viewers, thus more users become BoM capable, your wants and needs may change. Please let us know if your needs change so we can take the new information into account as we wrap up the next generation of your body and get it ready to send out to you.
The BoM Relay HUD will be shared in the Maitreya VIP group and in the Maitreya Lara Friends group. You can find it here on marketplace and it's copy/transfer, so it can be shared with your friends.
