Hair object export help please
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Hi, I’m trying to export my hair object as a fbx to bring into other software, to do that I have to go to the generate tab and turn to flat, but when I export out I don’t have any hair textures. Do you know how to export the textures? I’m taking my hair to character creator 4 and really all i need is the texture png and uv island. Like diffuse, opacity maps etc. I then could manually add the texture pngs into the character creator material . Any help would be much appreciated
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Hi confidence-devil,
Please have a look here:
https://stcineversityprod02.blob.core.windows.net/$web/Cineversity_Forum_Support/2023_PROJECTS_DRS/20230420_CV4_2023_drs_23_HAef_01.zipI would keep the original Hair Material tag on the object and set the Thickness Root=Tip, e.g., 12cm or whatever fits.
There are no Hair Textures included. Hair is not based on Textures; it is a calculation only in its native setting. The Flat setting requires you to create it.
I have added an example/demo.All the best
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thank you. how did you generate the hair texture and alpha? im assuming alpha is the same as opacity map. and then how did you get them to export out in that folder? if i try to export out the fbx hair i dont get the textures separated like you have.
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Hi confidence-devil,
A cinema 4D file with textures, while the project folder is moved, works best if textures are placed in the tex folder.
If you export then an FBX, the exporter can find it.
The textures applied are just a few brush strokes in Photoshop; it was meant as a dummy file.
The brush I used in Ps was customized, just six dots roughly placed in a circle, then applied with different tones and sizes.Since you asked for PNG, the Alfa image is just another quick paint job in Photoshop. I don't use PNG in my work, and certainly not as Image-based Alfa. But since the Hair image was completely covered with texture, the gamma-based Alfa is not a problem.
Often, if something is imported into a game engine, for example, it might be good to explore if you can set up the material in a native way there. But with over 30 game engines on the market, this is a general tip, and as with all general tips, only useable to a certain degree.
All the best
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ok , is there a way to export the opacity map of the hair material as a texture? then i can just add a random hair texture off of google but would have the right opacity levels, not sure if this makes. I've seen a YouTube video of making hair in blender with a similar hair addon like c4d using the original material opacity map. also say I wanted a gradient of color starting from the root to the tip or say I wanted a texture pattern on the object and the hair grows in that texture ( like how you can natively do with hair material), is redshift the answer for that?
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Hi confidence-devil,
I am not clear on what your expectations are here. Hair is a Volume effect in its default state. To switch it to flat, place a segment-based stripe with a resolution according to the Segments set in Hair. Each Flat "Object" or Hair represents on single Hair. Those are not affected by the Hair Material other than shape-defining channels.
Since you mention Opacity, I assume you are not using the Standard Material. Be that as it will, if we call it Alfa, Transparency, or Opacity: There is no image or map. In the Hair material, a Gradient affects a single Hair if left on default. If there is any expectation that there is a multiple hair matte – a strand matte, that is not the case, nor is there any option to produce such with baking, for example.
What you need to do, is to open Photoshop or BodyPaint 3D, any pixel-based application that has a brush, and create what your project needs.Besides that, please open the file below to specify a folder where you like to have the Strand mattes rendered.
You get 73 variations. I hope there is something you can use in it.
Use those as Alfa, Transparency, or Opacity; perhaps, in some apps, they need to be inverted.The hair color can be procedural; with all the channels, you have to define the surface you like.
CV4_2023_drs_23_HAmt_01.c4dEnjoy your weekend
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Thank you for all your help. I think if I can get the uv map of the hair object to export out, I then can make my custom maps in photoshop allowing me to know the direction of the strain. I couldn’t see any uvs when selecting the hair object and going to uv editor, but I never tried it with your material tag. Not sure if I’m messing a step to see and expor the uv map. Thanks again much appreciated
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You're very welcome, confidence-devil.
At the moment, you use "Flat," which has internally already set up UV data. While exporting, this is reproduced.
To understand more about what happens, try the following.
Set up an object
Call up Hair
Set up "Hairs" to a lower number
Increase the Hair material Thickness
Set up the Generate to Flat.
If it looks OK:
While the Hair Object is active, press the C key.Can you see ht UV tag?
Cheers
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Ok I will try that when I get home. So when export as fbx it would be in there?. But if my other program can’t see that is there a way to export just the image file of the uv?
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Hi confidence-devil,
The first step I do when I have exported an FBX is to call up a new project and merge the FBX into that. If there is a problem, it most likely will show problems down the road.
The other question is, what target app do you have? If possible, I can try it.
UV data is like a copy of the polygons but used per polygon to frame a particular texture area. This is typically done in a normalized space, meaning that one can swap out a low-res image for a high-res image without starting over.
Let me know what you need, and I will try to find a way to explore that.
All the best
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I use character creator 4. I needed a specific hair, so I made it in c4d. then I just used some of the hair materials from other hair already in character creator 4, It worked, but now I needed some way more specific control. I’m trying to make a let’s Call it a fury rope, but I want the hair to be like in a cheetah random pattern effect. So I was hoping to be able to use c4d , import to color Chanel and go to root and import the cheetah texture and have the hair have that hair growth in that pattern. I know how to do it on the hair material but that doesn’t renderer out any image.
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Thanks a lot for the information, confidence-devil.
Please have a look here:
https://stcineversityprod02.blob.core.windows.net/$web/Cineversity_Forum_Support/2023_PROJECTS_DRS/20230421_CV4_2023_drs_23_HAef_11.zipI have included my "Hair-Strand-Machine" with a flipped camera, so you don't have to worry about UVs. Render out what you need, place it into the Alfa channel in C4D, and – done.
The manual of CC4 shows a few options. FBX, OBJ, and GoZ caught my attention.
In the folder, you will find an FBX and OBJ file. There is more data in this folder; please keep it as it is right now.
Load one or the other into CC4, I don't have a Windows machine here, and they don't have a Mac version, so please explore the options.
I hope we find the best way for you.
If you have ZBrush, the GoZ option might work, but again, I can't test that.
Enjoy
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Wow thanks, def check it out when off work. Cc4 does have pipeline to z brush GOZ, I have experimented with it sending over characters to customize some polygons then goz back to cc4. I also have substance painter which is pretty amazing too
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Sounds great, confidence-devil,
This means there should be one way or another to get to CC4.
I just started with the Adobe Substance package. I had it many years before Adobe bought it. I'm happy to have it finally back. So, if there is a way with it, I'm also happy to look into it. Perhaps you know more about Substance and CC4.
Have a great weekend.
