FollicleFX Workflow Overview

This guide explains the complete FollicleFX workflow from start to finish. Understanding this workflow will help you create professional hair efficiently.

The Four-Stage Workflow

FollicleFX follows a clear, logical workflow:

1. GUIDES → 2. PRIMITIVE → 3. MODIFIERS → 4. DISPLAY

Each stage builds on the previous one. Let's explore each stage in detail.

Stage 1: Guides

What: Create sparse guide curves that define hair flow

Why: Guides are the foundation of your hair. They tell FollicleFX where hair grows, which direction it flows, and how long it is.

How Many: Typically 50-500 guides (sparse)

Think of it as: The "skeleton" or "blueprint" of your hairstyle

What Guides Control

  • Position: Where hair grows on the mesh
  • Direction: Which way hair flows
  • Length: How long the hair is
  • Shape: Straight, curved, or custom sculpted shapes

Creating Guides

You have several options:

Option 1: Generate Guides (Most Common)

  • Open the Guides tab
  • Set parameters (count, length, distribution)
  • Click Generate Guides
  • FollicleFX creates guides automatically

Option 2: Create Empty Hair

  • Click Create Empty Hair in the Guides tab
  • Manually sculpt guides in Blender's sculpt mode
  • Full artistic control

Option 3: Convert Curves

  • Create curves in Blender however you like
  • Click Convert Curves to Guides
  • Your curves become FollicleFX guides

Guide Parameters

Count: How many guides to create (50-500 typical)

  • More guides = more control over hair flow
  • Fewer guides = faster, simpler

Length: How long guides are (in Blender units)

  • This sets the maximum hair length
  • You can trim later with the Cut modifier

Distribution: How guides are placed on the mesh

  • Random: Scattered randomly
  • Poisson Disk: Evenly spaced (no clumping)
  • Grid: Regular grid pattern
  • Vertices: One guide per vertex
  • Face Centers: One guide per face
  • Even: Evenly distributed

Control Points: How many points per guide curve (2-32)

  • More points = smoother curves
  • 8 points is usually good

Editing Guides

After generating guides, you can edit them:

  1. Click Edit in Sculpt Mode
  2. Use Blender's curve sculpting tools
  3. Shape guides exactly how you want
  4. Exit sculpt mode when done

Important: FollicleFX preserves your sculpted shapes when you adjust parameters!

Stage 2: Primitive

What: Generate dense hair strands from your guides

Why: Guides are too sparse for realistic hair. The Primitive stage fills in thousands of strands between guides.

How Many: Typically 10,000-100,000+ strands (dense)

Think of it as: "Filling in" the hair between your guide "skeleton"

What Primitive Controls

  • Density: How many strands to generate
  • Interpolation: How strands follow nearby guides
  • Length: Strand length (can vary from guides)
  • Width: How thick strands are
  • Taper: How strands thin from root to tip

Key Primitive Parameters

Density: Number of strands per unit area

  • Start with 10,000-20,000 for testing
  • Increase to 50,000-100,000+ for final renders
  • More strands = more realistic but slower

Density Multiplier: Quick way to scale density up/down

  • 1.0 = normal density
  • 0.5 = half density (faster preview)
  • 2.0 = double density (more coverage)

Density Map: Use a texture to control density

  • White = full density
  • Black = no hair
  • Gray = partial density
  • Great for hairlines, thinning, patterns

Interpolation Radius: How far strands look for guides

  • Larger = smoother, more blended
  • Smaller = follows nearest guide more closely

CV Count: Control points per strand

  • More = smoother curves
  • 8-16 is typical

Strand Properties

Length Multiplier: Scale strand length

  • 1.0 = same as guides
  • 0.8 = 80% of guide length
  • 1.2 = 120% of guide length

Length Variation: Random length variation

  • 0.0 = all strands same length
  • 0.2 = ±20% variation (natural)
  • 0.5 = ±50% variation (very varied)

Base Width / Tip Width: Strand thickness

  • Base: Thickness at root
  • Tip: Thickness at tip
  • Typical: 0.001-0.005 Blender units

Taper: How strands thin from root to tip

  • 0.0 = no taper (same width)
  • 1.0 = full taper (thin to point)
  • 0.7-0.9 is natural for hair

FollicleScript in Primitive

Many Primitive parameters support expressions:

Random Length Variation:

rand3(0.8, 1.0, index)

Each strand gets random length between 80-100%

UV-Based Density:

v * 2.0

More density at top of head (v=1.0), less at bottom (v=0.0)

Gradient Width:

lerp(0.003, 0.001, v)

Thicker strands at bottom, thinner at top

Stage 3: Modifiers

What: Apply effects to style and shape your hair

Why: This is where you create your hairstyle - clumping, curls, frizz, etc.

How Many: Stack multiple modifiers (typically 2-5)

Think of it as: "Styling" your hair

The Modifier Stack

Modifiers are applied in order from top to bottom. Order matters!

Typical Stack:

  1. Clumping - Group strands into clumps
  2. Coil - Add curls/spirals
  3. Frizz - Add randomness and flyaways
  4. Cut - Trim to final length

Available Modifiers (9 Total)

Clumping: Group strands together

  • Creates natural hair clumps
  • Essential for realistic hair
  • Use for wet hair, tight curls, natural grouping

Flow Direction: Control hair flow with arrows/curves

  • Override guide direction
  • Create specific flow patterns
  • Great for styled hair

Coil: Add spiral/helix patterns

  • Create curls, waves, corkscrews
  • XGen-style controls
  • Adjustable tightness and frequency

Frizz: Add random displacement

  • Creates natural randomness
  • Flyaway hairs
  • Damaged/messy hair look

Braid (Experimental): Create braided patterns

  • Woven/braided effects
  • Still in development

Cornrow: Create cornrow braids

  • Tight braids close to scalp
  • Anchor strand system

Loc/Dreadlock: Create matted, rope-like hair

  • Dreadlocks and locs
  • 18 parameters for complete control

Cut: Trim strand length

  • Multiple cut modes
  • Random variation
  • UV-based cutting

Simulate (Experimental): Physics simulation

  • Film-quality hair physics
  • DER with twist and anisotropic bending
  • Performance intensive

Modifier Order Matters

Good Order:

1. Clumping (groups strands)
2. Coil (adds curls to clumps)
3. Frizz (adds randomness on top)

Bad Order:

1. Frizz (randomizes first)
2. Clumping (tries to clump random strands - looks wrong)

Rule of Thumb: Structure first (clumping), then details (frizz)

Modifier Masks

Every modifier supports texture masks:

  • Control where the modifier has effect
  • White = full effect
  • Black = no effect
  • Gray = partial effect

Example: Apply frizz only to the top of the head using a mask texture.

FollicleScript in Modifiers

Modifiers heavily use expressions for variation:

Per-Clump Variation:

rand3(0.6, 0.9, clump_id)

Each clump gets different strength

Flyaway Selection:

rand(index) < 0.05 ? 3.0 : 0.5

5% of strands get high frizz (flyaways)

UV-Based Effect:

v > 0.5 ? 1.0 : 0.3

Strong effect on top half, weak on bottom half

Stage 4: Display

What: Control how hair appears in the viewport

Why: Optimize viewport performance and visualization

Think of it as: "Viewing" your hair

Display Modes

Curves: Show hair as simple curves

  • Fastest
  • Good for editing

Ribbons: Show hair as flat ribbons

  • Medium speed
  • Good preview of shape

Tubes: Show hair as 3D tubes

  • Slowest but most realistic
  • Best for final preview

Viewport Settings

Strand Percentage: Show only a percentage of strands

  • 100% = all strands (slow)
  • 50% = half strands (faster)
  • 10% = sparse preview (fastest)

Color Options: Color hair by various attributes

  • Solid color
  • By strand index
  • By clump ID
  • By UV coordinates

GPU Preview

Enable GPU preview for real-time feedback:

  • Updates as you adjust parameters
  • Smooth, responsive
  • Requires NVIDIA GPU

Complete Workflow Example

Let's create wavy hair with natural clumping:

Step 1: Guides (2 minutes)

1. Select head mesh
2. Open Guides tab
3. Set Count: 200
4. Set Length: 0.2
5. Set Distribution: Poisson Disk
6. Click Generate Guides

Step 2: Primitive (1 minute)

1. Open Primitive tab
2. Set Density: 20000
3. Set Length Multiplier: 1.0
4. Set Length Variation: 0.15
5. Set Base Width: 0.002
6. Set Tip Width: 0.0005
7. Set Taper: 0.8
8. Click Generate Strands

Step 3: Modifiers (3 minutes)

1. Open Modifiers tab

2. Add Clumping modifier:
   - Tightness: 0.6
   - Blend: 1.0
   - Length Mode: Preserve Differences

3. Add Coil modifier:
   - Count: 3.0
   - Radius: 0.03
   - Mode: Wave

4. Add Frizz modifier:
   - Magnitude: 0.015
   - Frequency: 1.0
   - Flyaway Percent: 0.03

Step 4: Display (30 seconds)

1. Open Display tab
2. Set Mode: Ribbons
3. Set Strand Percentage: 50% (for faster preview)
4. Enable GPU Preview

Result: Natural wavy hair with subtle clumping and a few flyaways!

Workflow Tips

Start Simple: Don't use all modifiers at once. Add them one at a time and see the effect.

Save Presets: Once you get a look you like, save it as a preset. Reuse on other projects.

Iterate: The workflow isn't strictly linear. You can go back and adjust guides or primitive settings after adding modifiers.

Use Expressions: Learn basic FollicleScript expressions. They add natural variation that makes hair look realistic.

Preview Performance: Lower strand percentage in Display tab while working. Increase for final renders.

Modifier Order: Remember - structure first (clumping), details last (frizz).

GPU Preview: Enable it! Real-time feedback makes styling much faster.

Common Workflows

Straight Hair

Guides → Primitive → Frizz (subtle) → Cut

Wavy Hair

Guides → Primitive → Clumping → Coil (wave mode) → Frizz

Tight Curls

Guides → Primitive → Clumping (high tightness) → Coil (helix mode) → Frizz

Dreadlocks

Guides → Primitive → Loc modifier

Wet Hair

Guides → Primitive → Clumping (very high tightness) → Frizz (very low)

Messy/Damaged Hair

Guides → Primitive → Clumping (low) → Frizz (high) → Cut (varied)

Next Steps

Now that you understand the workflow, dive into each stage:

  • Guides Tab - Learn all guide creation options
  • Primitive Tab - Master strand generation
  • Modifiers - Explore all 9 modifiers in detail
  • FollicleScript - Learn expression language for advanced control

Ready to master each stage? Let's start with the Guides Tab!