8/01/2015

A letter to PM customers

August 1st, 2015 **There is an update at the end of the letter**

Do you remember the "Deformer Project"?  Back in the days when mesh was starting to make its way into the grid, many of us supported this project, financially and enthusiastically. (read about it here)
Without getting into technical details, the whole idea was to be able to have one mesh that would fit any avatar shape. No sizes, no alphas.
Regardless if I agree or not with LL decision of not moving forward introducing this code once it was developed, it did open the doors for what now we know as Fitted Mesh. (LL announcement here) It pushed us a little closer to a more "universal fitted clothing" that would allow more time for creating and less time to make sizes, alphas, version 1, 2 or 3 of the same item.

But, we didn't make it quite there, yet.

We find ourselves today with classic avatar shapes, mesh bodies, mesh attachments, appliers, standard sizes, breast sizes, tiny avatars, etc, etc and etc.
As a clothing creator it has become quite a challenge to please this wide range of customers.
I wish there was a way to please them all.

I own, I believe, every single female mesh body that has been released and I've been testing my textures on all of them. Some bodies have been mapped differently than the classic ones making the seams not so tidy, on some of them the edges of my textures don't look as clean as I'd like, and sometimes they create some distortions in the patterns, making it looked crooked.
I have completely stopped creating layer textures as I used to simply because I couldn't make them look right in most mesh bodies. I've always wanted to offer high quality products at PurpleMoon, so it was not feeling right to make appliers with textures that will not work properly on mesh bodies, and as you can imagine, it is basically impossible to redo them all according to each body map.

Lately there have been some updates in many of the most popular bodies where the maps have been adjusted a little to fit the hundreds of textures we, classic avatars creators, have already made in the past. Many thanks for that. There are still differences in the maps but they are less noticeable than before.
So here I am facing all these changes, adapting, listening and understanding the need to move forward. Ladies, I read your notes and messages, I do. If I haven't decided anything until now it was simply because I needed time to figure it out. How to keep offering good quality products? How to stick to my believes of "one for all" that I supported so fiercely? How not to loose my sanity by committing to more than I could handle? How to keep PurpleMoon financially stable for me and my family and the people working with me?

I do know this. I love painting, drawing, coloring... creating illusions. I strive for perfection. I believe in being fair and honest with myself and others. I barely use any modeling software, they are too techie for me. I am a mom of a 2 year old girl who keeps me busy 24/7. I am also a business woman who has been waiting for the changing times to get settled to make any decisions.

I also know, there is always what I "would like" to do and what I "can" do.  I would like to make you all happy but I can't. I would like to create one pretty dress that would fit you all with just one click. I can't.

Here is what I can and will do:
I'll keep doing my best when drawing and painting detailed and beautiful outfits for you ladies to wear and look as gorgeous as you deserve.
I'll add Fitted Mesh options when models permit.
I'll add Omega appliers and Slink Physique appliers when working with layers. (**why these two? read down below)
I'll update a few selected "old" layer outfits adding Omega and Slink appliers that will be sold separately to update your existing wardrobe.
(Keep in mind I will not recreate the whole collection, just a few selected favorites. I am working on a list of the outfits that will be updated and I will post it soon)

**About the appliers:

I am happy to use the Omega System for the appliers because they strive for the universal concept I was talking before. One applier should fit all mesh bodies.
I choose to keep doing appliers for Slink to be consistent with the line of shoes and gloves I've already been working on for a while in the hope that Slink joins the Omega project soon.
I suggest taking a look at the list of mesh bodies currently supported by Omega [here]. Also keep in mind their own disclaimer: "While the mesh we support use very similar UV texture maps, there ARE some variations from mesh to mesh, especially with hands, feet and nails, so your results may vary, and not all products will work."
I cannot guarantee the appliers will work perfectly with your mesh body parts so I will provide demos Always try them before purchasing.

PurpleMoon will not provide customer support regarding the use of these appliers. We are simply third party developers of content compatible with the mesh body parts you decide to wear.

I hope to keep helping you dream, I hope to create more illusions for you to enjoy.
I hope to keep bringing the quality PurpleMoon customers have become used to all wrapped up with a ribbon of love and gratefulness. Thanks for being there. Always.

Poulet Koenkamp
PurpleMoon Creations Designer & CEO

**UPDATE** Slink Avatar Products Announcement:

"As of early September, 2015, Slink Avatar products incorporate Omega Support. To enable the body parts you are wearing to listen to an Omega HUD, you need to purchase the Slink Omega Activator object from the Love -n- Lust Designs SL marketplace store. https://marketplace.secondlife.com/stores/133475" 

Thank you Siddean Munro!
As of today October 8th, 2015 PurpleMoon will ONLY include OMEGA appliers with the outfits.









7 comments:

  1. A very thoughtful communication to your many fans. To be perfectly honest, I'm one of those who hates mesh bodies, heads, and clothing. Mesh has totally destroyed the illusion of real life in Second Life. Teleporting to a new place shows floating heads, dresses at odd angles, emptiness where bodies should be. It's just plain ugly. So I wear your classic gowns, Poulet, and have been building my Last Call and Icing collections (still available on Marketplace). Nothing matches a well done flexi skirt. Mesh, other than for shoes, hair, jewelry, landscape and furnishing, is an abomination. I don't know if others feel this way, but the more I see of mesh, the less I enjoy the sl experience.

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  2. I so agree, Acacia. And PM is my fav store in SL.

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  3. Thank you Argus, Harper, Rea and Acacia. Much appreciated your comments here. :)

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  4. All very fair points, and I'm sure people appreciate the hard work you put into your creations, given our changing SL times :)

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  5. Thank you for taking the time to compose such a meaningful explanation, Poulet. I do understand how difficult it would be to re-work every texture, keeping in mind that it's hard enough to match seams on the original avatar body, and imagining the effort it would take to match them on so many different patterns is just too much math for me.

    Thank you for making our SecondLife more beautiful so far, and maybe someday the "standard" will be more usable. As Acacia already mentioned, mesh for clothing just isn't really usable yet. ^_^

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