Groom turns the flat card collection into a hairstyle on your character. Start with a few cards on one side of the head. Make those work before filling the whole scalp.
Prepare the head and cards
Import through Head Assets
Open the Groom panel and use the import button beside Head Assets. In Import Head Model, choose the character file, check Scale Unit, and click Import.
Supported choices include OBJ, FBX, glTF, GLB, and STL. For a file without stored units, choose the units used when it was created. glTF and FBX declared units take precedence over the dropdown. Do not choose import units solely from the program you plan to export to.
Wait until the head is ready
Let the import and surface preparation finish. Surface tools can remain unavailable during this step. Use a simpler head mesh if the source is unnecessarily detailed; there is no fixed preparation time for every model.
Check the head before drawing
Enter the Groom workspace. Orbit with right-drag, pan with middle-drag, and scroll to zoom. Check the head's size and orientation now, before placing cards.
Choose a source card
Use the UV Layout source control in the Groom drawing settings to choose a recognizable bundle. Begin with a medium, clearly visible bundle rather than a very sparse flyaway.
Use the import button beside Head Assets for the head-specific OBJ/FBX/STL workflow. This is not the general Ctrl+I import dialog; the built-in Default Head is shown here.
- 1Find Head Assets in Groom
The current practice asset is Default Head, shown above Groom Blocks.
- 2Use the head-specific import button
The small button beside the head selector opens Import new 3D model (OBJ/FBX/STL). No external import dialog is pictured.
Control reference: head import units
Check Scale Unit and the declared-unit hint before importing. The dialog below was opened without browsing or executing an import; its private example path is covered.
This is the head-specific Import Head Model dialog, opened without browsing or importing. Centimeters is selected. The declared-unit hint matters for glTF/FBX; the private practice path is covered in the derivative.
- 1Check Scale Unit
Centimeters (cm) is selected in this reference.
- 2Read the declared-unit hint
The dialog states that glTF / FBX declared units take precedence.
Place your first card
- Press B for Draw Strips and review the draw settings above the viewport.
- Start on the scalp where the root belongs. Drag toward the intended tip and release.
- Press Q for Select and click the new card.
- Check its UV Layout choice. If it shows the wrong hair bundle, choose the intended source.
- Orbit the head. Check that the root is on the intended area and that the card follows the desired flow.
A selected example strip is shown on the practice head. Check the source UV card, then follow the orange root through the green path handles toward the tip. Keep the head surface visible while judging the curve.
- 1Choose the source UV card
UV-1 is the selected source in the Draw Strip toolbar; Ribbon and drawing parameters are visible above the head.
- 2Follow the root-to-tip path
The orange root is at the left end of the selected strip. Green handles trace its curve over the head toward the lower-right tip.
Use the drawing snap level to control the card's offset from the head. It is not a spacing grid for roots. A higher offset can help separate one pass of cards from another, but check the result from the side to avoid floating roots.
L2 is active, with a 4.0 mm maximum surface clearance in this example. Snap levels affect new drawing, not root spacing or finished cards. The selected card supplies surface context, not a before/after offset comparison.
- 1Choose a drawing snap level
L2 is highlighted. Clicking another level chooses its clearance for new strips; clicking the active level disables drawing snap.
- 2Check the actual clearance amounts
The expanded settings show 1.0, 4.0, and 6.0 mm for Levels 1–3. Short strips limit clearance to 25% of their length.
- 3Keep the head and card in view
The root remains pinned while clearance builds along a newly drawn strip. Changing the level does not reshape this finished card.
Choose a shaping tool
For a first card, adjust its width, then its facing direction, then its curve. You do not need every tool on every card. Select the card first when using a tool that edits an existing strip.
Scroll horizontally to view all columns.
| Tool | Key | Use it to |
|---|---|---|
| Select | Q | Select cards and edit their handles. |
| Draw Strips | B | Draw a new card from root toward tip. |
| Redraw Strip | R | Replace the path of an existing card rather than adding a new one. |
| Twist | T | Turn a card along its length. Watch its facing direction and highlights. |
| Width Size | W | Adjust the card's width, including narrower tips. |
| Width Bend | E | Curve the card across its width instead of leaving it flat. |
| Loft Draw Strips | L | Create several cards between two drawn boundaries. |
With Width Size active, check the selected strip against the head while adjusting Width. The visible example is 1.8; judge both coverage through the body and the tapered end rather than the number alone.
- 1Check the selected strip's coverage
The yellow outline and visible path handles identify the selected card. Keep its body, root, and tip in view.
- 2Adjust the selected card's Width
The Width field is 1.8 in this example. Check the silhouette and scalp coverage as you change it.
Scroll horizontally to view all columns.
| Brush | Key | Use it to |
|---|---|---|
| Comb | C | Guide a group of cards into a more consistent flow. |
| Smooth | S | Soften abrupt changes in the card curves. It is not an automatic intersection repair. |
| Move | M | Push or pull the shape of a region of the hairstyle. |
| Clump | K | Gather neighboring cards into locks. |
| Cut | X | Shorten cards to refine ends, fringe, or a hairline. |
Use Ctrl+wheel to adjust brush radius and Shift+wheel for strength when a brush is active. Begin with a small area and light strokes. Undo an overly broad change instead of trying to correct it with several more strokes.
Control reference: Comb brush settings
Choose a brush before setting Radius, Strength, and Falloff. This reference shows the active Comb brush and its toolbar; it does not show the result of a stroke.
With Comb active, set Radius, Strength, and Falloff before a stroke. This reference shows 5.0 cm, 50%, and Smooth (Cubic); it does not show a completed comb operation.
- 1Activate Comb
The orange comb icon identifies the active brush.
- 2Set radius and strength
Radius is 5.0 cm and Strength is 50% in this example.
- 3Choose the brush falloff
Smooth (Cubic) is the selected falloff.
Move, duplicate, and extend
In Select mode, use the root, interior, and tip handles for different tasks.
Scroll horizontally to view all columns.
| Gesture | Result |
|---|---|
| Drag the root handle | Move the card across the head surface. |
| Shift + drag the root | Duplicate selected cards and move the new copies. |
| Ctrl + drag the root | Move while preserving the card's authored facing direction. |
| Ctrl + Shift + drag the root | Duplicate and move while preserving that direction. |
| Drag an interior handle | Change the card's path locally. |
| Ctrl + drag the tip | Extend the card from its existing tip. |
After duplication, vary the path or width enough to avoid a repeated-row appearance. Check the selected cards before a group gesture so you do not move more of the groom than intended.
Work with symmetry
Press Y to toggle X-Symmetry while drawing with Draw Strips or Loft. It creates a mirrored counterpart for the new drawing. The head must be centered on the symmetry plane for the two sides to line up.
Use Mirror Cards when you want mirrored copies of cards that already exist. Live drawing symmetry is not a promise that every later brush edit will update both sides.
Turn symmetry off for an off-center part, unequal fringe, or a finishing pass with deliberate variation. Check for duplicated cards down the center after mirroring.
Fill a gap
- Select two boundary cards with compatible root positions and flow.
- Open the hotbox with Space and set a small Fill Gap count.
- Choose Fill Gap, or press Shift+G.
- Inspect the inserted cards from several angles. Undo if they cross, then adjust the boundary cards before trying again.
Build a row with Loft
Press L for Loft Draw Strips. Draw the first boundary, then draw the second in the same root-to-tip direction. The tool creates cards between the two boundaries.
Start with a small strip count so individual cards are easy to inspect. In Loft, Ctrl+wheel changes the strip count rather than brush radius.
For a fade, choose Fade Haircut in Mode, then adjust Strips (U),Rows (V), Start Len, End Len, and Pattern. Review a small patch before covering the sides or nape. More rows do not automatically produce a better hairline.
Control reference: Standard Ribbon and Fade Haircut
These figures locate Loft's settings before drawing. The single selected practice card is not a generated loft or fade; the two boundaries and generated rows are not demonstrated here.
Select Loft Strips, check the source UV, then set Mode and Strips before drawing the two boundaries. Standard Ribbon and 5 strips are shown. The single prepared card is context, not a generated loft result.
- 1Activate Loft Strips
The orange Loft tool is active in the left toolbar.
- 2Check the geometry and source
Ribbon and UV-1 are selected in the paired toolbar controls.
- 3Set Standard Ribbon and Strips
Mode is Standard Ribbon and Strips is 5. No Loft boundaries have been drawn in this reference.
Fade Haircut exposes row count, length endpoints, and placement pattern. The example uses 5 strips, 4 rows, 1.5 cm to 6.0 cm, and Staggered. This is preparation only; the existing single card is not a generated fade patch.
- 1Use the Loft tool
Fade Haircut is a mode of Loft Strips, not a brush.
- 2Choose Fade Haircut
The current Mode is Fade Haircut.
- 3Set counts and length endpoints
Strips (U) is 5, Rows (V) is 4, Start Len is 1.5 cm, and End Len is 6.0 cm.
- 4Choose the placement pattern
Staggered is selected. Other patterns are not open in this reference.
Profiles and braid shapes
The selected card's profiles control how width, twist, and bend change from root to tip. Use a profile when a uniform adjustment makes one part of a card look right but another part wrong.
This is Width Size Profile, not Twist or Width Bend. Read it from ROOT to TIP: the example keeps more width through the body and narrows the end. Check the selected card as well as the graph.
- 1Check the selected card
The highlighted strip is the card whose shape is being inspected, with its root and full path still visible.
- 2Use Width Size Profile
The profile name and ROOT/TIP labels identify the width curve. Twist Profile above it remains a separate control.
- 3Narrow the tip without thinning the body
The right side of this example curve falls toward TIP, while the middle stays higher. It is an example shape, not a required preset.
Ribbon is the normal choice for a flat hair card. The geometry choices also includeBraid (3-Strand), Braid (2-Strand), andFour-Strand Braid. Choose a braid shape, then adjust its cycles, spacing, and strand radius while checking the full silhouette.
A braid geometry choice changes the placed shape. It is different from applying the Braid modifier to source hair before baking.
Control reference: current geometry choices
The selected-card Geometry Type menu shows the supported choices. Ribbon remains selected; this figure does not show a converted braid result.
The current selected-card menu offers Ribbon and three braid choices. Ribbon remains selected in this reference; it is not an example of converted braid geometry, and there is no Fishtail entry.
- 1Read the supported geometry choices
Ribbon, Braid (3-Strand), Braid (2-Strand), and Four-Strand Braid are the actual menu entries.
Manage a larger groom
- Use groom blocks to keep sections manageable. They organize placed cards, separately from the source hair layers.
- Space opens the hotbox near the pointer for tool choices and common actions.
- Shift+I toggles isolation for the selection.
- Shift+H hides selected cards; Shift+Alt+H restores hidden cards and exits isolation.
- Shift+U randomizes selected cards' source UV layouts. Use it only when those source variations are suitable for the same part of the hairstyle.
Control reference: Groom Hotbox
Find the tool grid and quick actions before using them. The example shows Fill Gap count 3, but does not execute Fill Gap, visibility changes, symmetry, or Randomize UV.
Press Space in Groom to open this quick menu near the pointer. The captured Fill Gap count is 3. This figure locates the controls; no Fill Gap, hide, isolation, symmetry, or UV-randomization operation was executed for it.
- 1Choose a Groom tool
The upper row contains strip tools; the lower row contains brushes and Loft.
- 2Find visibility and symmetry
Isolate, Hide, and Symmetry are separate buttons.
- 3Set the Fill Gap count
The count beside Fill Gap is 3 in this reference.
- 4Find Randomize UV
This is a separate action below Fill Gap.
Follow Build a hairstyle in layers for a placement order that keeps the broad shape readable as you add detail.
Review and export
- Check the silhouette from front, sides, back, and above.
- Look for exposed scalp, floating roots, crossing cards, and cards that disappear edge-on.
- Try a second environment light before changing textures to solve a lighting problem.
- Restore hidden cards, save the project, and make a small test export.
Control reference: Environment and Lighting
Use Environment for HDRI selection, intensity, rotation, and background/reflection display. Lighting has separate directional-light and shadow settings. The references show the panels, not a lighting comparison or the collapsed advanced shadow sections.
Environment controls affect lighting and its display, not the baked texture's colors. Background and reflections are separate switches; the 2D Canvas controls below are a different group.
- 1Choose an environment
The orange outline identifies the selected environment thumbnail.
- 2Set intensity and rotation
Intensity is 35000 and Rotation is 0 in this reference.
- 3Separate background and reflections
Show Background is off and Show Reflections is on.
- 4Keep canvas settings separate
Show Canvas, Auto Fit, percentage Padding, and Frame Canvas In View belong to 2D Canvas.
Directional Light and Shadows have their own controls. This reference shows the main fields; Bias, Quality, Soft Shadows, Contact Shadows, and VSM Options remain collapsed and are not demonstrated.
- 1Choose the light direction
Sun is selected, with Azimuth 222 and Elevation 55 in this example.
- 2Set light colour and intensity
The color swatch and Intensity 60000 belong to the directional light.
- 3Inspect the main shadow settings
Cast Shadows is enabled. Map Size is 4096 and Cascades is 4; these are example settings, not a performance recommendation.
Control reference: Camera and Rendering
Check exposure and viewport rendering before changing textures to solve a display problem. The figures show Camera Exposure and the main Rendering controls. Collapsed sections are navigation entries only; viewport anti-aliasing is separate from bake anti-aliasing.
Camera exposure changes the view, not the source texture. Aperture 7, Shutter 1/125, and ISO 100 are shown; Projection, Depth of Field, and Vignette are section entries only in this capture.
- 1Read the exposure fields
Aperture, Shutter, and ISO are separate controls.
- 2Find exposure presets
Sunny, Overcast, and Indoor are visible preset buttons.
- 3Open other camera sections
Projection, Depth of Field, and Vignette are collapsed here; their settings are not pictured.
These are viewport rendering controls, not bake anti-aliasing. The reference shows MSAA, TAA, Ambient Occlusion, and Bloom states; collapsed rendering sections and quality/performance comparisons are not demonstrated.
- 1Choose viewport anti-aliasing
MSAA is on at 4x, TAA is off, and Post-Process AA is None.
- 2Check Ambient Occlusion
Its Enable box is unchecked in this reference.
- 3Inspect Bloom separately
Bloom is enabled with Strength 0.30, Levels 6, and Threshold checked.
In Export Settings, choose Groom Cards (3D Mesh)for the placed hairstyle, not the flat Cards UV (2D Mesh) output.