The Process of Backing Up and RECALLING your "shape"

One thing I've not yet done in SL is radically change my AVI once I've established it.. I did try a tiny.. ONCE. It crunched and deformed my basic (human seeming) AVI beyond all recognition and I basically had to rebuild him. Why? Because I didn't have the original fellow "backed up".

Now, I know it's likely written down somewhere, but would someone be so kind as to mention the process for BACKING UP, SWAPPING OUT, and RECALLING YOUR ORIGINAL avatar? In short words, please.. I'm quite a dull fellow.

Thanks,

Hotspur Otoole.

All of my tiny avs came with a completely separate, creator-designed shape...changing back to my usual one is just a matter of locating it in inventory and doing a right-click>Wear. Mine is, oddly enough, in a folder titled 'Shapes.'

When you change shapes, the previous one should remain in inventory unless you delete it or SL has one of its notorious glitches. Make sure the name is something easily recognizable and you know where you have it in inventory then, if you feel the need for a back up, just right-click>Copy, then right-click Paste where you want it and perhaps alter the name slightly (ie, V.2, etc). You can make an outfit in Appearance as well if you have several copyable pieces (skin, shape, hair, clothes) that you want to save as a default av.

Yes, sorry, I should have mentioned that I'm organizationally hyperactive and have folders within folders (within folders)...my 'Shapes' folder is one I created inside the 'Body Parts' folder. Your shape will probably just be listed in the main one and have whatever the Lindens named it as the title unless you changed it at some point.

All my slider setting numbers are written down on a piece of paper - now that's what I call back-up! Now where did I put that piece of paper?

It's a good idea to "make outfit" in Appearance, saving all parts to a folder with your name on it (I like to date things, so ***Osprey 4-07 might be how I'd do it). I like to have that folder in the main Inventory, easy to find, and waiting in case I need a quick change back from snailracing or something.

You can also search for "worn" when in your usual form, then put everything that comes up into one folder for a quick change.

EDIT: We were on the same page Osprey.

Once you get the main body, face, hair etc done in Edit Appearance, look at the bottom of that window and find MAKE OUTFIT. Click that.
The next window has a place at the top so you can give that outfit a name. This will be the name of the folder in CLOTHING in the main inventory. Check all the boxes that apply, then save that.
Now you have your base avatar. When you change clothing or make other changes, you can make a new outfit for each. This saves each outfit in its own folder. You can then open inventory, go to Clothing, and click and drag whichever outfit onto your avatar and you will change, if SL isnt glitching or lagged.
This way, you can keep your main body shape and change clothing without loosing your body.
If you decide to go tiny again or become something like a dragon, werewolf, etc, you can change back later to your original body since you have it saved already.

TigerChub

If your altering the very first shape your given its in the clothing folder- Along with your original outfit, eyes, hair, skin, etc , etc.

You can "save" and "save as" your shape like anything else.


Ways to make Backups -
Make a copy and store it in another folder. Give a copy to an alt or a friend. Or else put a copy in a rezed prim you have.