Quick Ornatrix intro in 3ds Max: Clone your scalp, set up Edit Guides, and comb basic hair with Brush Mode! Perfect for beginners starting hair creation.

Timestamps:

00:00 - Clone Scalp (CTRL+V)

00:30 - Edit Guides Modifier

01:00 - Brush Settings & Create

01:30 - Combing + PushAway Tips

02:00 - Algorithms (Legacy/Local)

This is Ep 1 of series. Like & sub for more CG tips. 👇

In this first episode, you’ll learn how to add hair step-by-step to a separated scalp in Ornatrix for 3ds Max.We’ll explore two main workflows: using ready-made presets to build hair quickly, and creating it from scratch by drawing guides or strands directly.You’ll also get familiar with the key modifiers, learn to control width, density, clumping, and see how to shape and comb hair efficiently.

What you’ll learn:

- How to apply presets via Add Hair / Quick Hair

- What GuidesFromMesh, Edit Guides, HairFromGuides, ChangeWidth actually do

- How to use StrandGravity, Frizz, and Ox Clump for realism

- How to draw guides or hair manually

- Tricks for increasing strand density and filling thin areas

Timing:

0:00 – Welcome  

0:26 – Scene setup overview  

0:41 – Two main methods of adding hair  

0:54 – Presets and the Select Groom window  

1:03 – The four basic modifiers 

2:01 – HairBall preset and extra modifiers  

2:49 – Creating hair from scratch  

3:07 – Drawing Guides workflow  

3:56 – Brush Mode and settings  

5:00 – Adding density and extra strands  

7:13 – Final result and conclusion 

💬 Drop a comment below - what’s your favorite hair-creation workflow in Ornatrix?

👍 Like and subscribe so you don’t miss the next episodes in the series!

___

Happy viewing!

Best regards

Andrew.

Learn how to export Ornatrix hair from 3ds Max to Unreal Engine using the Groom system - and convert your Strands to Hair Cards fast and clean. This method keeps the exact shape of your groom, avoids crashes, and works with static hair for games and cinematics.

Timing:

0:00 - Showing the result we have in 3ds Max + Ornatrix. This is a quick example result.

0:06 - Export it to Ornatrix Alembic using these settings: Y-up, No Animation/Static Hair, Unreal Engine Export, Export Strand Rotation, Export Surface Position, and click Export.

0:26 - Then import the object into Unreal through the Groom Plugin. Don’t forget to enable it. Use these settings: Rotation X = -90, Z = 180, Scale X = -1.

0:31 - Drag the object into the scene and you’ll see the same result.

0:36 - Open the object settings and go to the Cards tab.

0:39 - Click the Add Card Asset button.

0:43 - Click Generate Hair Cards. The Card Generation Settings window will appear. Set approximately these values. But if you need fewer triangles, adjust the parameter. Each one has tooltips, so I won’t explain them here.

0:47 - Click Generate.

0:51 - As a result, we get the desired object made of HairCards. It doesn’t have a material assigned, since the purpose of the tutorial is to show how to get FBX HairCards from Strands, not how to work with this asset in Unreal.

0:57 - Export the asset to FBX.

1:02 - Also export any of the textures in the suggested format.

1:06 - Open it in Photoshop and extract the alpha.

1:16 - Check the result in 3ds Max, since the user’s question was about it.

1:34 - You’ll get an identical result, but now it’s HairCards.

___

Happy viewing!

Best regards

Andrew.

Hi everyone! I decided to share some behind-the-scenes of my new project.

I jumped into a fresh WIP because I really missed working with complex braids. The story of this hairstyle started spontaneously: I was testing a new tool in Ornatrix, and an unusual braid appeared on the screen. I liked it so much that it became the starting point for the entire concept.

Right now, it’s an early stage of exploring a fantasy look for MetaHuman. I’m intentionally stepping away from canons and realism to fully focus on finding a unique shape and idea.

I’m working with Ornatrix (Maya) and Unreal Engine. The process is in full swing: I’m searching for a balance of volume and color while fighting off technical issues in UE. I plan to share all the adventures and bugs in a separate “dev diary” on YouTube.

I’ll be really glad for your support, reposts, and comments. Your activity is the best motivation!

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/uxPredLFi10

In this tutorial I’ll show you the full process of transferring Fibermesh hair from ZBrush into Cinema 4D, converting it into Ornatrix guides, grounding and refining them, preventing intersections with the body, filling gaps with new guides, previewing hair in the viewport, and rendering with Redshift.

Everything is explained step by step - so you can easily follow along and repeat this workflow in your own projects.

___

Happy viewing!

Best regards

Andrew.

In the previous lessons, we exported hairstyles from ZBrush into Maya and 3ds Max with Ornatrix.

This time, we’ll take it further and bring the hairstyle all the way into Unreal Engine.

You’ll learn how to:

• Export curves from ZBrush and prepare them in Maya

• Convert curves into Ornatrix guides and export with Ornatrix Alembic

• Import into Unreal Engine and set up the Groom component

• Edit and refine the hairstyle with Ornatrix UE tools

• Adjust density, brush new strands, and tweak hair materials

By the end, you’ll have a complete workflow from ZBrush to Unreal with a fully editable hairstyle inside Ornatrix UE.

Have you tried bringing ZBrush grooms into Unreal yet? Share your experience in the comments!

Welcome to Episode 2 of the ZBrush to Maya with Ornatrix series! In this tutorial, we move beyond the full-resolution export and dive into a much faster, more optimized workflow. Learn how to create beautiful, complex hair from a lightweight set of guides, giving you more speed and flexibility in your grooming process. This method is perfect for creating production-ready assets efficiently.

Happy viewing!

Best regards

Andrew.

Hey everyone!

Today I want to share a solution to a problem I'm sure many of us have faced: getting high-quality hair renders in Unreal Engine. Achieving good shadows and sharp details without a long, painful process of tweaking CVars has always been a real challenge.

I tested an asset called Hair Cinematic Tool 2.0, and it has fundamentally changed my workflow. In my opinion, it's the single best tool for this task available today. It packs all that complexity into one user-friendly Blueprint, letting you work with sliders instead of console commands.

I recorded a detailed video where I clearly show how this tool transformed one of my old, problematic projects. Inside, you'll find:

• A "Before & After" comparison

• A breakdown of key settings (PPLL, Deep Shadow, etc.)

• A performance test on an RTX 5090

I hope you find this review helpful. I'd be very happy to hear your opinions and experiences in the comments. Have you faced similar challenges in your projects?

Hi everyone! In the first episode of my new series, we'll break down the complete pipeline for transferring a hairstyle from ZBrush to Maya using Ornatrix, and prepare it for rendering in Arnold.

This tutorial covers the entire process from export to a final test render, so you can confidently transfer your most complex hairstyles.

Timestamps (Chapters):

00:00 - Intro: ZBrush to Maya with Ornatrix

00:31 - Exporting Curves from ZBrush (100% PreViz)

00:52 - Importing to Maya & Creating Ornatrix Guides

01:12 - Grounding Guides to the Scalp (Ground Strands)

01:28 - Optimizing the Scene (Collapse Stack)

01:35 - Creating Hair from Guides (HairFromGuides)

01:49 - How to Fix Bald Spots with the Create Brush

02:28 - Final Polish with the Comb Brush

03:59 - Setting up the Scene for an Arnold (GPU) Render

04:54 - Teaser for Episode 2

What are your favorite tricks for working with hair in Maya and Arnold? Share them in the comments!

Happy viewing!

Best regards

Andrew.

Hey everyone! I've got great news from 3d.sk—they've started uploading hair scans in Gaussian Splatting format! In this video, I'm breaking down what this technology is and how it's changing the game for creating 3D hair references. We'll take a look at the new models, discuss the pros and cons of Gaussian Splatting compared to traditional 3D scans and photos, and talk about how combining these three reference types gives us artists the complete picture to work from.

Timestamps (Chapters):

00:00 - New Technology on 3d.sk: Gaussian Splatting

00:40 - Comparison: 3D Mesh vs. Gaussian Splatting

01:28 - Why Photos are Still Key for Fine Details

02:05 - Review of the New Gaussian Splatting Models

02:44 - The Importance of Combining All Reference Types

03:31 - My Hopes for the Future: Downloadable GS Files

05:13 - Call for Discussion

What do you think about Gaussian Splatting? Will this become the new standard for references? Share your opinion in the comments!

Enjoy watching! 

Best regards, 

Andrew Krivulya Charly.