Use hair cards in Blender

Choose the HairStorm output

• Cards UV (2D Mesh): Flat cards to place and shape in Blender. Requires Personal or higher.
• Groom Cards (3D Mesh): Cards already placed on a character. Requires Professional or Studio.

In Export Settings, select Albedo, Alpha, and Roughness as PNG images. UseGLB or FBX if you want to retain multiple UV layouts. Start withm (Meters) for the mesh unit and check size against the Blender scene on import.

OBJ is also supported, but it carries one UV set rather than multiple UV layouts. Do not choose it when your handoff depends on preserving both.

Import and check the mesh

1. Import the exported file

   Use Blender's File → Import command for the format you exported. A GLB uses the glTF 2.0 importer. Import beside the same character head if you are checking a placed groom.

2. Compare size and orientation

   Check dimensions, placement, and facing direction before applying transforms or moving cards individually. A mismatch may come from export units, the importer, or the character's existing transforms.

3. Inspect UV Maps

   Open the mesh's Object Data Properties → UV Maps and inspect the layouts in the UV Editor with the exported Albedo image. Choose the map that places a recognizable bundle correctly. Do not assume its name or list position will be identical across importers.

Show the hair texture

1. In the Shader Editor, use a material with Principled BSDF connected to Material Output.
2. Add the exported Albedo as an Image Texture and connect its Color output to Base Color.
3. Add the separate Alpha image. Set it to Non-Color and connect its Color output to the Principled shader's Alpha input.
4. Add Roughness as Non-Color and connect it to Roughness.
5. Use a UV Map node naming the layout you verified. Connect it to the Vector input of each image so all three use the same mapping.
6. Switch to Material Preview or a rendered view to inspect the result.

For EEVEE in Blender 4.2 and later, use Material Properties → Settings → Surface → Render Method: Dithered as a starting point for transparency. Older versions use blend-mode names such as Alpha Hashed or Alpha Clip. Keep backface culling off when both sides of a card should be visible.

See Blender's EEVEE material settings for the options in the current manual. Cycles and EEVEE do not expose every transparency setting in the same way.

Check before refining

• Solid rectangles: Check the separate Alpha image connection and the render method.
• Wrong hair on a card: Compare the selected UV map with the exported image in the UV Editor.
• Cards disappear from behind: Check backface culling and the card's orientation.
• Flat cards instead of the hairstyle: Re-export Groom Cards if you wanted the placed groom.
• Dirty borders: Check texture edge padding before changing the material repeatedly.

Save the Blender scene after the test passes. Parenting, rigging, and animation are separate Blender tasks; the mesh import does not automatically bind the hair to a character.