Mesh Body Talk

I've been wanting to do a post to show some of the differences between Maitreya and Slink's new Hourglass body that has come out. I did some comparison photos so you can see the look of each body. 

I"ll start with the pic below. Since the point of the new Slink body was to create a curvier hourglass shape, I took one of my curvier shapes that I wear ( I have *alot* of different shapes I wear lol) and the Maitreya Lara Mesh body. Now, if you haven't used a mesh body before, know that you will most likely have to edit your default avi body under it, even if just a bit. Different mesh bodies will need different shapes under them to make them look right.  

So, yes, I took my usual curvy self and here it is.. NOTE: The skin on the Maitreya body is from League, Isla, in Pale and the skin used in the Slink Hourglass body is the skin samples it comes with. 

As you can tell, the mesh body helps to smooth out bumps and edges, as well as allow you to have a curvier more realistic looking avatar. I think in many ways mesh bodies have helped end that huge thigh gap look that almost really was necessary if you wanted to have any kind of hips in SL, something which  I always fought with in creating realistic looking shapes. As you can see from the image above, I can make my body fit the proportions of having my belly button almost in line with my elbow, which is actually how a female's body is shaped. By playing with the sliders on the leg muscle and saddlebags, I can create a the well rounded thighs and hips that I like on my avi. 

Below is the same shape under the Slink demo body.. Yes, this is the same default avi shape that is under the Maitreya mesh body up above. Notice the larger breasts and the more rounded hips? Also notice how the arms are thinner in the Slink body as well. The hips and how they round from the waist, along with the thicker thighs and bigger breasts make the Slink body really a more true hourglass shaped body. (Yes, I know. I didn't match my feet and hands.. but, this is the demo body.) 

Now, look at the back

The bum area in the Maitreya body is lovely.. I like the slightly upside down heart shape with this body. Now, you can play with this a bit by making your hip length shorter or longer, and seeing what look you like the most. I like a longer hip length myself, as I find its more realistic in my view. 
Again, the flow of the hips from the waist is gradual in the Maitreya body.. now, below is the Slink body. Remember, this is the SAME default shape under both bodies... 

Here you can see the very rounded hips and bum, with the almost apple shape to the rear end, as well as the thicker thighs. It really accentuates a very small waist. 

Here is a side view too. This lets you see how the breasts "hang" so to speak. The Maitreya body has  very nice shape to the breasts, and when you adjust the gravity slider, you can really make them look very realistic. Now, mind you, I LOVE my Lolas.. and I miss that look too. But, in mesh bodies, I really do like how Maitreya looks. 

Here is the Slink body side view: 

Slink Hourglass does have a nice flow to the breast line, and both bodies also have a nice "bubble look to the bum from the side. This is fun, though hardly realistic :) I can take down the bottom slider and make 
the bum not so big.. but what's the fun in that? 

So, being the shape enthusiast that I am, I decided to tweak my shape to be specifically for the Slink body.. and, see below. 

In this shape, I tried to keep the flow of the hips from the waist a bit more real.. and I could get away with making the hip width pretty small and still have a well curved and rounded hip and thigh area. Also, I took the breast size down a lot, and again, the Slink body creates the curves.  (Note that I am wearing the sample skin that the body demo came with in the above photo)

And, this is the back view. Again, really well rounded apple bottom but you can make your hip width pretty small and still have hips :) Nice way to not have that awful thigh gap thing..*shivers* 

Finally, below is the Slink body under a slim and petite shape I have that is up on marketplace, called Jenna.. (you can find that shape here). Ironically, the shape is optimized to work under Maitreya, but its a slimmer shape, so I think it worked well under the Slink because of that. 

You can see in the pic how curvy it looks with the Slink mesh body, which is exactly what its supposed to do.. create curves! So, if you have a default shape that is slim and are wanting to add instant curves and vavavavoomness.. then the Slink body is going to do just that. 

And, whoops, I realized I didn't use the nice little modesty hearts over the lady parts.. but.. oh well! 

Overall, I like the look of the slink body. The curves are lovely, though I do have to admit that I prefer the Maitreya in the hip and bum area. But, not so much that it would keep me from purchasing this body. The price is really good too, (1,250L) so very accessible for people who want a sexy and curvy body with out breaking their SL bank. The HUD is not hard to use, you just have to go through and learn it. The only suggestion I have for the HUD is to perhaps have different tabs, so that the alphas are in one tab, the layers in another, etc.  so that it looks less "cluttered" on the main part. However, the alphas are really versatile! There are so many little slices you can alpha.. really nice for those times when you only need a teeny bit hidden. 

I know Maitreya has more clothes made for it at this moment, but as clothing creators work to make more stuff for the mesh bodies I think more will be around for the Slink body. Blueberry is already making clothes for it so there will be more I am sure. I would think that with some adjusting you can make some mesh clothes fit, though I did not personally test that on this demo. 

I hope you found this post useful if you are still trying to decide to purchase a mesh body. I can only suggest you try on all the demos and see which one you like the best :) 

here is a summary of both bodies: 

SLINK HOURGLASS MESH BODY

1250L 
comes with slink skin tones
can be tinted using the RGB area of the hud
fits with slink hands and feet
is Omega Friendly 
has more alpha slices you can use than Maitreya
true hourglass shape which gives extra roundness to the hips, breasts, bum and thighs
all good things! 
has some clothes available for it made by mesh creators but the list is growing

MAITREYA LARA MESH BODY

2750L
comes preloaded with Glam Affair skin tones, as well as the ability to tint it
is Omega Friendly
fits with Slink hands and feet as well as having its own
can fit standard mesh sizes as well as having lots of clothing made for it by the simple fact that it has been out longer. I think SLINK is going to catch up fast :) 
Has less alpha slices than SLINK
is not a true hourglass shape, though it can be made very curvy depending on the shape used under it