Graft Grooms
Graft Grooms in Ornatrix for 3ds Max are a special type of preset used to create hair on top of a surface by placing a pre-made graft surface, which then generates the resulting hair. A graft groom can contain a set of parameters that can be adjusted to refine the hair's appearance.
Grafting a Groom
Grafting a Surface
To create a graft groom in 3ds Max:- Click the Graft Groom button in the Ornatrix toolbar.
- From the list of displayed surfaces, select one by clicking on it.
- Click and drag on top of the target mesh surface in the viewport to fit the graft surface.
- Pressing the Escape key during the drag will cancel the graft surface fitting.
The default graft groom for the selected surface is created upon completing the drag operation. Further drags on the surface will re-place the graft surface.
Refining Grafted Surface Placement
Once a graft surface is placed onto a target mesh in 3ds Max, you can select and move its vertices along the surface to adjust its shape. The soft-selection parameter in the tool's settings can be used to modify the influence range of the selected vertex. The resulting groom conforms to changes made to the graft surface.
Grafting Another Surface
To create another graft surface without modifying the last placed one, first deselect the created graft groom in the viewport or the Scene Explorer. Then repeat the steps of placing a graft surface to create a new groom.
Changing Grafted Groom Parameters
Once a graft surface is placed, the resulting groom modifier is selected. Its parameters can be adjusted in the 3ds Max's modifier panel.
Creating Graft Grooms
Creating new graft grooms in Ornatrix for 3ds Max follows these steps:- Select all modifiers in the stack (except the base surface and shape node).
- Right-click and Box the modifiers into a single Groom modifier.
- Select the top shape node and press the Generate Groom button in the Ornatrix toolbar.
- Ensure that the Create Graft Surface or Update Graft Surface checkbox is enabled and checked, indicating a graft groom is being generated.
- Fill in the optional information as described below.
- Press the Generate button.
The new graft groom is now in the grooms directory. If a new graft surface is defined, it will also be saved in the grooms directory as an .oxgs file.
Generate Groom Parameters
The parameters in the Generate Groom dialog are similar to those used for creating standard grooms. When creating graft grooms, the Create Graft Surface or Update Graft Surface option is available. Unchecking this option results in a standard groom.- Name: Name for the graft groom.
- Directory: Directory where the groom file will be saved.
- Thumbnail: An optional 64x64 pixel PNG file for the groom thumbnail in the UI.
- Create Graft Surface: If checked, a new graft surface file (.oxgs) is created. If updating an existing surface, Update Graft Surface (N grooms) is displayed. N is the number of grooms using this surface.
- Name: Name for the graft surface.
- Fit Handles: Coordinates for two fit handles in the format: handle1Face,handle1UCoord,handle1VCoord,handle2Face,handle2UCoord,handle2VCoord.
- Adj. Verts.: Collections of vertices as adjustment groups, formatted as comma-separated groups with space-separated vertices within each group.
Preparing a Graft Surface
For graft surfaces in 3ds Max, use a part of an existing model (e.g., character's head) required for the groom. Select the necessary faces and delete the rest.
Thumbnail Image
Capture a screenshot of the graft surface in the viewport, crop it to 64x64 pixels, and save it as a PNG file in Ornatrix's grooms directory.