{"id":1093,"date":"2020-10-01T13:30:49","date_gmt":"2020-10-01T13:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gim.studio\/?page_id=1093"},"modified":"2020-10-01T13:33:04","modified_gmt":"2020-10-01T13:33:04","slug":"creating-spline-guides-and-mesh-guides","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/creating-spline-guides-and-mesh-guides\/","title":{"rendered":"Creating \u201cSpline Guides\u201d and \u201cMesh Guides\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\t

Creating \u201cSpline Guides\u201d and \u201cMesh Guides\u201d<\/h1>\n

Mesh that generates the fur can be a skinned mesh or a static mesh. When using free gFur, only skinned meshes are supported. There are two options to style the look of the fur \u2013 splines<\/b> and meshes<\/b>. Seems like currently splines can be reliably generated and exported only from 3ds Max. We will try to add some more options later.<\/p>\n

There are two basic requirements for spline guides to work in any 3D app:
\n\u2022 splines have to \u201cgrow\u201d from vertexes of the mesh (not from faces or edges)
\n\u2022 the 3d application has to be able to export splines into the fbx file format without conversion to geometry<\/p>\n

Mesh guides are exported as separate skinned meshes, but they have to have the same vertex ID\u2019s as the mesh that will be used to grow the mesh. Easy verification for a correct guide mesh is that these have to work as morph targets in the 3D application. This serves only as a way to check for errors, meshes are not exported as morph targets, but rather as separate meshes skinned to the same bones as the mesh that will be used to grow the fur.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>

\n\t
\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tSpline Guides\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t

First let\u2019s have a look at the workflow with the \u201cSpline Guides\u201d. Spline Guides have to \u201cgrow\u2019 from the vertexes of the \u201cGrow Mesh\u201d because each vertex becomes associated with it\u2019s spline and the same vertex on each successive layer\/shell will follow and stick to that spline. Because of how this fur technique works, we can\u2019t control the direction of every single hair, but rather we control the direction and \u201ctrajectory\u201d of each vertex across the generated shells and in effect we can control the shape of a cluster of many fur hairs.<\/p>\n

The following steps are required in 3ds Max to get working \u201cSpline Guides\u201d. The process can be replicated in any 3d application where splines can \u201cgrow\u201d from vertexes and where they can be exported into fbx file format without conversion to geometry.<\/p>\n

1. We take our skinned mesh and duplicate it and remove the skin. We could do the whole process on the original mesh with the skin. This first step is more of a workflow preference than anything else.
\n2. Assign the \u201cHair and Fur\u201d modifier to our mesh.
\n3. Next we turn on \u201cDisplay Guides\u201d and turn off \u201cDisplay Hair\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

4. Now we can groom and style the fur with the available tools in Hair and Fur modifier
\n5. After we are done with grooming, we have to extract the Hair and Fur guides into spline object. Make sure to place the mesh in [0,0,0] coords if you were grooming on a mesh that is moved out of the middle of the scene.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMesh Guides\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n
\n
\n

Mesh Guides work very differently in the setup phase in 3d application, but they end up being almost the same in Unreal Engine. It could be said that with Mesh Guides we are creating a frame in which \u201cGuide Splines\u201d will be generated by gFur shell component. Advantage of Mesh Guides is that they seem to be easier to get done right in any 3D application.<\/p>\n

As mentioned earlier, Mesh Guides have to follow a few rules:<\/p>\n

\u2022 they have to be skinned to the same bones as the Grow Mesh
\n\u2022 they have to work as morph targets for the Grow Mesh \u2013 this is a quick way to check if vertex IDs are the same (they have to be the same)
\n\u2022 Mesh Guides should not cross each other as this will lead to different visual errors in the engine<\/p>\n

Depending on how much control we want to have over the shape of the fur, we can decide how many Mesh Guides we want to create and how we want to deform them. Even only one Mesh Guide could be sufficient to define the tip of the fur. More Mesh Guides would be useful if you want your fur to be more defined along the length of the fur hairs \u2013 e.g. you may want to bend them or twist them along their length.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s have a look at the workflow that can be easily replicated across different 3d apps:<\/p>\n

1. Duplicate the mesh with skinning already applied, keep the skinning on the duplicate too \u2013 this will be the first Mesh Guide
\n2. Make sure you \u201cbake out\u201d the skinning into vertexes (skinning in envelopes will not work correctly)
\n3. Shaping of the Mesh Guide should be done in modifiers below the skin modifier<\/p>\n

a. You should make sure that each successive Mesh Guide is pushed at least slightly above the previous Mesh Guide (or the original Grow Mesh in the case of the first Mesh guide mesh) \u2013 this can be easily achieved by \u201cPush Modifier\u201d being always the first one in the stack
\nb. continue with with different vertex selections with falloff followed by modifiers like bend, noise or anything else that helps you to style the fur<\/p>\n

4. Duplicate the mesh from step 3 and continue shaping another Guide Mesh \u2013 make sure, that after more modifications, this mesh won\u2019t be crossing the previous Guide Mesh
\n5. Finally, export all the meshes to fbx file format. For optimization purposes, it\u2019s common to export the following meshes:<\/p>\n

a. mesh with suffix like \u201c_Base\u201d \u2013 this mesh usually contains parts of the character that don\u2019t need fur
\nb. mesh with suffix like _GrowMesh \u2013 this is the mesh that we want to cover with fur
\nc. export every \u201cGuide Mesh\u201d as separate fbx file \u2013 remember that these meshes have to be also skinned to the same bone structure as the _Base and _GrowMesh meshes<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t

\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tImport in Unreal Engine\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n
\n
\n

Most of the import works as you are used to. The only exception are \u201cFur Guides\u201d which even with \u201cauto import\u201d on, have to be imported manually.<\/p>\n

When importing skeletal \u201cMesh Guides\u201d you should use the skeleton of the \u201cGrow Mesh\u201d or \u201cBase Mesh\u201d.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Creating \u201cSpline Guides\u201d and \u201cMesh Guides\u201d Mesh that generates the fur can be a skinned mesh or a static mesh. When using free gFur, only skinned meshes are supported. There are two options to style the look of the fur \u2013 splines and meshes. Seems like currently splines can be reliably generated and exported only …<\/p>\n

Creating \u201cSpline Guides\u201d and \u201cMesh Guides\u201d<\/span> Read More »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"footnotes":""},"yoast_head":"\nCreating \u201cSpline Guides\u201d and \u201cMesh Guides\u201d - GiM<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/creating-spline-guides-and-mesh-guides\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Creating \u201cSpline Guides\u201d and \u201cMesh Guides\u201d - GiM\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Creating \u201cSpline Guides\u201d and \u201cMesh Guides\u201d Mesh that generates the fur can be a skinned mesh or a static mesh. When using free gFur, only skinned meshes are supported. There are two options to style the look of the fur \u2013 splines and meshes. Seems like currently splines can be reliably generated and exported only … Creating \u201cSpline Guides\u201d and \u201cMesh Guides\u201d Read More »\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/creating-spline-guides-and-mesh-guides\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"GiM\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2020-10-01T13:33:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"1 minute\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/creating-spline-guides-and-mesh-guides\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/creating-spline-guides-and-mesh-guides\/\",\"name\":\"Creating \u201cSpline Guides\u201d and \u201cMesh Guides\u201d - GiM\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2020-10-01T13:30:49+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2020-10-01T13:33:04+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/creating-spline-guides-and-mesh-guides\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/creating-spline-guides-and-mesh-guides\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/creating-spline-guides-and-mesh-guides\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Creating \u201cSpline Guides\u201d and \u201cMesh Guides\u201d\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/\",\"name\":\"GiM\",\"description\":\"Games in Motion\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/#organization\",\"name\":\"GiM\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/gim.studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/gim.studio_256.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/gim.studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/gim.studio_256.png\",\"width\":256,\"height\":256,\"caption\":\"GiM\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Creating \u201cSpline Guides\u201d and \u201cMesh Guides\u201d - GiM","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/creating-spline-guides-and-mesh-guides\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Creating \u201cSpline Guides\u201d and \u201cMesh Guides\u201d - GiM","og_description":"Creating \u201cSpline Guides\u201d and \u201cMesh Guides\u201d Mesh that generates the fur can be a skinned mesh or a static mesh. When using free gFur, only skinned meshes are supported. There are two options to style the look of the fur \u2013 splines and meshes. Seems like currently splines can be reliably generated and exported only … Creating \u201cSpline Guides\u201d and \u201cMesh Guides\u201d Read More »","og_url":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/creating-spline-guides-and-mesh-guides\/","og_site_name":"GiM","article_modified_time":"2020-10-01T13:33:04+00:00","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Est. reading time":"1 minute"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/creating-spline-guides-and-mesh-guides\/","url":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/creating-spline-guides-and-mesh-guides\/","name":"Creating \u201cSpline Guides\u201d and \u201cMesh Guides\u201d - GiM","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/#website"},"datePublished":"2020-10-01T13:30:49+00:00","dateModified":"2020-10-01T13:33:04+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/creating-spline-guides-and-mesh-guides\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/creating-spline-guides-and-mesh-guides\/"]}]},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/creating-spline-guides-and-mesh-guides\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Creating \u201cSpline Guides\u201d and \u201cMesh Guides\u201d"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/#website","url":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/","name":"GiM","description":"Games in Motion","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/#organization","name":"GiM","url":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/gim.studio_256.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/11\/gim.studio_256.png","width":256,"height":256,"caption":"GiM"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1093"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1093"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1093\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1099,"href":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1093\/revisions\/1099"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gim.studio\/animalia\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1093"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}