Add Hair Rig

This tool adds a hair rig to the selected mesh.

• Sectors: The number of sectors that the hair is divided into. Each sector corresponds to a bone chain.
• Sector Offset: Offset between the first sector and the X axis.
• Hair Length: The number of bones in each bone chain.
• Bone Layer: The bone layer for the hair control bones.
• Weighting Method: Method for calculating the vertex weights.
  • Real Space:
  • UV Space:
• Roundness: A parameter for the roundness of the bone chains.
• Control Method: Method for controlling the hair bones:
  • None: Each hair bone is controlled directly.
  • IK: An IK goal is placed at the end of each bone chain.
  • Winder: Each bone chain is controlled by a winder.
• Hide Bones: Put the deform bones on the last, hidden layer, unless the Control Method is None.
• Head: The name of the head bone. The root of each bone chain is parented to this bone.
• Hair Start Location: The fraction in real space under full head control.
• Head End Location: The fraction in real space where the head influence ends.

Select the hair mesh and run the tool with the default settings.

Hair deform bones are found on the last layer, which normally should be hidden.

We can now pose the hair with the IK goals.

Sectors

The mesh strands are divided into sectors. In the middle of each sector there is a chain of bones that influence the vertices in the sector. The sector offset is the angle between the first bone chain and the X axis.

To the left we have the default twelve sectors, in the middle four sectors and zero sector offset, and to the right four sectors and a 45 degree offset.

Weighting Method

Vertex weights can be assigned in two ways: using the Z coordinate in real space, or the Y coordinate in UV space.

Roundness

This parameter controls the shape of the bone chains. At zero roundness the joints are placed in a straight line from the root to the tip. At higher values the intermediate joints are moved away from the tip of the head bone.

Control Method

There are three ways to control the hair deform bones: directly, with IK effectors, and with winders.

Only the control bones are visible on the assigned bone layer. The deform bones are hidden on the last layer, except when they are controlled directly.

Hair Start and Head End

These parameters control how far the influence of the head bone is extended. Higher values means that only the hair tips are moved by the hair rig.