A hair layer is a source bundle for your texture, not a row of cards on the character. Make a small collection of useful bundles here; you can reuse each bundle many times when grooming.
Create and organize layers
Begin in the 2D workspace with the Hair panel open. If you are new to the application, complete Your first hair texture first.
Give source layers meaningful names, select the layer you want to edit, and use the header buttons to add or duplicate. The eye controls change visibility without deleting the source layers.
- 1Select a named layer
The highlighted Main flow row is the active source layer. Soft locks and Fine flyaways stay separately organized.
- 2Add or duplicate
The two buttons on the Hair Layers header add a new source layer or duplicate the selected one.
- 3Toggle layer visibility
Use the eye beside each row to show or hide that layer. Visibility is separate from deletion.
Add or duplicate a layer
Use the plus control above the hair-layer list to add a layer. Use the duplicate control when you want a variation of a bundle you have already made. Drawing with Draw Hair in 2D is another way to create a layer.
Name layers by their purpose
Use names such as Dense base, Wavy lock, or Sparse tips. These describe the texture you are making more clearly than a sequence of numbers.
Keep variations separate
Select a single layer to edit it independently. Selecting several layers lets you adjust shared settings together; select just one again before using its Root Map.
Draw and reshape a bundle
- Choose 2D, place the pointer over the viewport, and press B for Draw Hair.
- Set the patch size and density in the tool controls, then drag from the root toward the tip.
- Release to create the bundle. Press B again to leave drawing mode.
- Select the layer. Use the guide-editing controls to drag points for local changes, or the redraw control to replace the guide path.
- Use W to move the selected layer, E to rotate it, or R to scale it. Arrange bundles without overlapping them on the canvas.
Activate Draw Hair, set the new bundle parameters, then draw a root-to-tip stroke on the 2D canvas. The existing practice bundles provide context; this figure does not show an in-progress stroke.
- 1Activate Draw Hair
The highlighted hair-stroke icon is the active Draw Hair tool in the 2D workspace.
- 2Set the patch size
Patch W and Patch H set the starting root patch for a new bundle. They are not the final texture dimensions.
- 3Choose density and pattern
Set Density and the root placement Pattern before drawing the new root-to-tip path.
Edit the guide of a source hair group while watching the surrounding strands. Hold P0 to redraw; drag P1?P3 for smaller changes. This is source-hair editing in 2D, not editing a Groom card on a head.
- 1Start a redraw at P0
The highlighted root control is P0. Hold it to start a new source-guide stroke.
- 2Adjust an interior handle
Drag a green intermediate handle for a local shape adjustment while keeping the bundle visible.
- 3Use the on-canvas editing hint
The application identifies the redraw, handle-drag, and Escape actions at the bottom of this source-guide view.
Start with a straight bundle and a gently curved one. Strongly tangled source hair can be hard to read after baking, especially when the texture is viewed at a small size.
Choose the hair settings
Open Root Settings for the selected layer. Work from the overall shape toward fine detail; increasing every setting at once makes it difficult to tell which change helped.
These controls shape the selected source layer. Hair Length and Thickness affect the strands; Density controls how many source roots are generated. They do not set the number or spacing of Groom cards.
- 1Set Hair Length
Change the strand length for the selected source layer, then judge the bundle on the canvas.
- 2Set Thickness
Change strand thickness without confusing it with the width of a placed Groom card.
- 3Set Density
Density controls the source roots in this layer. It is not a scalp-placement or Groom-card spacing control.
Scroll horizontally to view all columns.
| Control | What you see | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Patch Width / Patch Height | Changes the area from which the hair starts. | Spread roots out or make a more compact bundle. |
| Patch Arch | Arches the root patch. | Change the starting shape without redrawing the whole guide. |
| Hair Length | Makes the strands longer or shorter. | Set the overall reach before adding waves and curls. |
| Thickness | Makes individual hairs thicker or thinner. | Improve strand visibility without simply adding more hairs. |
| Density | Adds or removes hairs in the patch. | Make dense coverage bundles or sparse wisps. |
| Pattern / Jitter / Seed | Changes the arrangement of roots. | Try a different distribution while keeping the bundle's purpose. |
| Segments / Sides | Changes how smoothly individual hairs are represented. | Increase only when bends or strand outlines look visibly angular. |
| Width Profile | Changes thickness along the hair from root to tip. | Create tapered ends instead of equally thick hairs. |
| Advanced Randomness | Varies starting positions and strand lengths. | Break up an overly even edge after the main shape works. |
Use a Width Profile preset as a starting point, then adjust it while watching the tips. Set root and tip colors in the shading controls if you want the bundle to change color along its length.
Use the source strand Width Profile to retain body near the root and taper the ends. The Custom curve shown is an example; ROOT and TIP identify the direction along each strand.
- 1Shape the root-to-tip taper
The visible curve stays high through the strand body, then falls toward TIP. Drag the curve handles to adjust that taper.
- 2Check the current preset
The preset reads Custom in this example. Do not confuse this source-strand profile with a placed Groom card profile.
Control reference: Advanced Randomness
Expand Advanced Randomness for Start Offset and Length Min/Max. The root-generation controls below its divider are a separate group; the figure shows Random, not every Pattern option.
Advanced Randomness contains Start Offset and the Length Min/Max interval. Density, Seed, Pattern, and Jitter below the divider are separate root-generation settings. Only Random is shown; other placement patterns are not pictured.
- 1Vary strand starts and lengths
The expanded subsection shows Start Offset 0.00, Length Min 0.80, and Length Max 1.00.
- 2Keep root generation separate
Below the divider are Density 700, Seed 41, Pattern Random, and Jitter 0.00.
Control reference: source Shading
Select a source layer and open Shading. Check the layer/group scope before choosing a preset or changing root/tip colour and roughness. This is different from adjusting the environment light.
Check Shading Target before changing the material. Main flow is selected at layer scope here; root/tip colour and roughness are source-shading controls, not environment lighting.
- 1Check the shading scope
The target reads Layer Scope - All Groups and identifies Main flow with its two groups.
- 2Start from a shading preset
The actual preset gallery and category tabs are visible.
- 3Refine colour and roughness
Root Colour and Tip Colour are separate swatches. Roughness is 0.60 and Tip Roughness is 0.75 in this example.
Assign roots to groups
A group is a selection of roots inside one layer. Use it when part of a bundle needs its own color or modifier treatment. You do not need extra groups for every new layer.
Open the Root Map
Select one layer and choose Root Map in the Hair panel. The dots show where hairs begin, not where cards will sit on a head.
Choose a group and assign roots
Add or select a group in the group controls, then drag a lasso around roots in the map. The enclosed roots join the selected group. Hold Alt while drawing a lasso to unassign them.
Check the assignment
Inspect the colored dots before applying a group-specific effect. If the wrong roots changed, undo with Ctrl+Z, choose the intended group, and try a smaller lasso.
The blue roots in this source layer belong to Accent roots; white roots remain in the base group. This is a source-root assignment map, not a scalp placement map.
- 1Inspect the assigned roots
The small blue region is distinct from the white base roots. Drag a lasso to assign source roots to the selected group.
- 2Choose the target group
Accent roots is selected below the map and uses the same blue group color. Alt-drag unassigns roots rather than placing Groom cards.
Check your canvas
- Each layer has a useful name and a clear purpose.
- Bundles are separated, with room around their sides and tips.
- Dense bundles provide coverage; sparse bundles still contain visible hairs.
- Only the layers you want to bake are visible.
Save the project, then continue to Style with modifiers.