This section deals with editing “system” body parts: shape, hair ¹⁾, eyes, skin. It does not deal with editing attachments.

It should be noted that an avatar must wear one of each of these body parts, and it cannot wear more than one at a time.

In order to access the editing window for body parts, you can do either of:

• click on the Outfits button on the bottom button bar, click the Screwdriver-Wrench icon at the top to enter Edit mode, and then click the Body Parts tab.
• Right click yourself and select Edit Shape from the menu.

NOTE: Editing a body part requires that the part be modifiable by you. If you purchased a shape, for example, the creator may have flagged it to be no modify for the next owner - that is, for you. In that case, you will be unable to change it. However, if you purchased as modifiable one or made you own, then you can edit it. The same holds for the other types of body part, of course.

At the top, you specify the sex of the shape, by selecting either the male or the female symbol. Right below this, the name of the shape is shown, and may be changed.

Underneath, the shape's height is displayed. SL operates in metric, so by default the hight is given in meters; you can click on feet to show that measurement, if you prefer.

There are a large number of aspects of a shape which can be edited. As a result, the shape edit window is organized into tabs. Scroll through the list of tabs using the left and right arrows at either end. The follows major body areas are listed:

• Body: Overall body size and shape. Details are fine tuned in subsequent tabs.
• Head: Overall head size and shape. Details are adjusted in subsequent tabs.
• Eyes: Here you adjust details concerning the eyes, such as their size, distance apart, slant, depth relative to the face, and so on.
• Ears: Details of ear size, shape, position on the head, ear lobes, etc.
• Nose: Nose size, width, nose bridge shape, nostril size and flare, shape of the nose tip and other details.
• Mouth: Width of the mouth, size of the lips, their thickness, upward or downward curve, position relative to the face, and other details.
• Chin: Here you can modify aspect of the chin and jaw, like angle, shape, over/underbite, chin cleft, etc.
• Torso: This allows you to vary the upper body, from the head down: neck thickness and length, arms length, torso length, and so on.
• Legs: This tab allows you to change the shape from the waist down: leg length, width of the hips, size of the butt, the feet, etc.

In all cases, each aspect of the shape can be set anywhere between two extremes, by using the slider or by typing in a number in the box to the right of the slider. Values may be between 0 and 100. The two pictures give an approximate idea of what the two extremes look like as applied to your own shape.

If you are happy with the changes you have made, click the Save As button at the bottom. You will be prompted for a name for the new shape. It will be saved in the same folder as the original shape was located.

If instead you decide you don't like the changes made, click on Undo Changes; any modifications you made will be lost and the shape will revert to how it was.

This tab is much simpler than the one for your shape.

There is a texture box which shows your current eye texture. If you wish to change this, simply click the image; a texture picker will appear and you may select a new eye texture.

Below this are two sliders, one to set Eye color, the other for Eye Lightness. These allow you to achieve some truly unusual effects with even the most normal looking eye textures.

This tab has three texture areas; these are called: Head Tattoo, Upper Tattoo and Lower Tattoo. (This may seem unintuitive, but this was the original intent for the textures, and the naming has stuck.)

As with eyes, you can change any/all of these textures by clicking on them and then using the picker to select a new one.

Below are four tabs.

• Skin Color: There are 3 controls here which allow the skin tone to be changed. These have little to no effect with most typical skins, which are opaque. However, some skins are made slightly transparent, so these controls can be used to alter the skin tone.
• Face Detail: Several controls to vary aspects of the face. Once again, since most skins are opaque, these will have no effect.
• Makeup: The controls here allow various changes to facial make and fingernail color. The same note on skins applies as before.
• Body Detail: Body definition and freckles. And as before, these will have no effect on the majority of acquired skins.

Similarly to the previous tabs, this one starts with a hair texture. You can click on it to change it. A texture picker window appears, which you can use to select a different texture.

Below this are four tabs.

• Color: The control here are used to tint the hair texture in various ways. If the hair texture is white, then varying the values of these controls will color the hair. If instead your texture is already the right color, set them all to zero.
• Style: The controls here affect the shape and size of the hair - the hair style, in other words.
• Eyebrows: These controls affect the size and shape of your eyebrows. Some will have no effect if you are using a regular purchased skin.
• Facial: This group on controls affects facial hair: thickness and style.

• Use a fully transparent texture; there is one in the Library folder of your inventory: Library → Textures- > *Default Transparent Texture, or you may use one of your own.
• In the Style tab, set all values to zero.
• Click on Save As and give it a name you will remember easily.

In the first section above, shape editing was discussed. However, many overlook the fact that some other aspects of the shape of the face/head can be changed in the Hair section. Specifically…

• Eyebrows: You can change the arc and other shape values here.
• Facial: Some of the values here will affect the shape of the jaw and chin; it is possible to get a more square jaw than can be achieved by using the shape controls, for example.

Both of these work best with a bald base as described above. Thus no “system hair” is visible, and the changes only affect the shape of the head/face.