Curl Operator
The Curl operator adds waviness and curliness to strands. Real hair tends to modulate as it travels from root to tip, and the Curl operator recreates this with two basic forms: a flat sinusoidal wave, where strands wave along one axis, and a spiral, where strands wind around an invisible cylinder in two axes to form coils.
Shaping the curls
The curl is built from a sinusoid, so the most important controls describe that wave:
- Magnitude - how large the waves or coils are.
- Phase - the number of curls or rotations along each strand.
- Phase offset - where along the strand the wave begins.
Additional controls, such as a stretch factor that lets the phase change along the strand's length, and variation settings, let you move from uniform, mechanical curls toward natural, varied ones.
Combining with other operators
Curl pairs naturally with the Frizz Operator and Noise Operator: curl gives the regular wave structure, while frizz and noise break up its regularity. The starting rotation of each strand can matter for how curls sit; the Rotating Strands operator lets you set that twist.
Targeting strands
Use the strand group parameter to curl only part of a groom, and drive the magnitude or phase with a strand channel or map to vary curliness across the surface.