Most people expect to wear hair and make no adjustments. As this is almost always impossible, this helpful guide will show you how to fit and wear any style you purchase.
For hair to look good it needs to be fitted properly to your head shape. Each head shape is different and each hair is different – unfortunately this means that each time you get prim hair some adjustment MUST be made.
Let’s start with the basics…
I M P O R T A N T
Before editing hair ALWAYS make a copy of the original. Most content creators will not replace item based on messed up copy.
Also make the copy of the shape as we will be editing that slightly as well to fit your hair.
Also ensure that when you go to edit – you have both stretch textures and both sides checked in upper part of edit window. This would ensure that when you resize hair it stays centered.
First things first…
BALD BASE
If you are completely new to the prim hair you must wear bald base, this will remove Linden default hair and prepare the ground so to speak for hair that you are about to put on.
Right click hair in your inventory and select WEAR.
All MADesigns HAIR is made for head size of 65 – this is SL average male head size and size of the head that almost all MADesigns Shapes have.
There are 2 aspects to adjusting hair successfully: shape adjustment & prim adjustment/resizing
Most people almost never think of adjusting their shape and as you will see from this next section this is very important part when fitting hair and big time saver.
SHAPE ADJUSTMENT
The most common thing that everyone overlooks when adjusting hair is adjusting their shape. It is almost always necessary to make slight adjustments to your shape to fit the hair properly.
Please note that following adjustments will not change the way your shape looks it will only make your hair fit better. So do not be afraid to make these changes as it will save you a lot of time editing each hair prim.
It is possible in most cases to go 10 values up or down 10 for head size (appearance> shape> head > head size) without affecting proportions of the body. Judge this by eye as this may also depend on your hairstyle. If hair is quite large this may not be the best option.
Set head size to 65 if possible.
To achieve perfect hair line we would also need to adjust forehead angle (appearance > shape > head > forehead angle). This is particularly useful for shorter and styles that expose your hair line.
Another thing to ensure is head length is under 56 (appearance > shape >head > head length. Adjusting this value will prevent scalp showing from the back, just ensure that your face does not look too flat.
Last thing is ear angle (appearance > shape > ears > ear angle). Adjust this value so to avoid prims cutting into your ears.
PRIM ADJUSTMENT & RESIZING
If you have unusual shaped head or perhaps you need to rezise hair this section is for you. (Basic Camera Controls Mastery is required)
RESIZING
While in edit…
Ctrl + Shift and stretch white boxes outward or inward to change size of your hair.
Use arrows to then fit hair as resizing will change it’s position.
Look from all sides, paying special attention how well hair fits around ears, at the back and from the top. No scalp should be showing or prims cutting into ears (this depends on the style and precision of the creator).
Well made hair should fit nicely around ears especially if the style is short.
INDIVIDUAL PRIM ADJUSTMENT
Again, very important – please make a copy of the hair before editing prims.
Always good to have original as your shape may change drastically over the years.
To make copy of the hair > right click on it in inventory> copy> right click again in same folder and select paste. ctrl + p or ctrl + v will work for PC users.
To edit individual strands of the hair right click on your hair, select edit and in edit window check EDIT LINKED PARTS. This will allow you to move individual strands independently of the whole.
If you lose a hold on the strand and whole hair is selected again when you go to edit, repeat the whole process again.
The rest is all about PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE.
Have Fun!
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