how Do i create hair in maya?

I’ll be using my completed model from Issue 218 of 3D World to explain this. There are a multitude of ways to create hair in Maya; exported Fibermesh curves applied to a particle system (which I covered in issue 201), Yeti, even Xgen. Each method has its merits but I want to talk about Ornatrix and explain how I used it to create the hair for my model.

Ornatrix was exclusive for Max users but Ephere released a Maya version a few months ago, and I decided to give this trial a go. I wanted a geisha-like haircut and I had already modelled the shape, so I split it into strips using the Detach tool.

When you install Ornatrix, you get a dedicated shelf with all the tools and functions. I used the Add Hair From Mesh Strips function to generate the hair. From here, it was a case of adding a bit of frizz and volume – you’ll find these in the shelf. Tooltips will pop up, so you know which one is which. Because Ornatrix is node based, you’re able to edit your settings non-destructively.

It’s important to make sure all the curves are facing the same direction, so every parameter you enter acts in a predictable manner. Unruly curves can be corrected using the Mesh Strip Editing tool.

Simply click on the red arrow and rotate it to conform to the rest of them. Once you have all the curves, you can edit them using the ramps. Clicking on the arrow to the right will enlarge them for better control. You can control the radius of the hair, the volume, the frizz, and even the length, using the ramps.

Once the shape is finalised, you’ll need to add a shader. I used Arnold to render this, so it was just a case of applying an Arnold shader to the hair shape. To adjust the Width setting, click on the Ornatrix Hair node and under Render, you can adjust the Minimum Hair Width.

Adjust the Diffuse setting and specular detail. If you need to add variations in colour, you can change this in the Shader settings. This is just one of the ways you can create hair in Ornatrix, but you can use curves or generate them from a scalp mesh.