3D-Grooming tutorials from CharlyTutors

[akcharly]

Hello everyone!

My name is Andrew and I have been working in 3D since 2009.

My portfolio

Now I am focused only on grooming. That is, I make hair/fur for cinematic characters, movies, NFTs, cartoons and commercials. I work with Ornatrix + 3ds Max/Maya/C4D/Unreal Engine.

I can do both for rendering - Vray/Arnold/Redshift/Octane, and for Unreal (new workflow) - GroomPlugin/Alembic Hair.

As of today, I started to translate my channel with answers to cg grooming questions - into English. Yes, it's not that fast - but I'm trying. Because not everyone likes to read subtitles and would like to listen to the lessons in their own language. I do the voiceover with AI - because it's not realistic to do all the voiceover myself.

If you can't wait to see all my lessons, there is the main Youtube-channel and there is support for English subtitles.

Obviously, I could not add them to the rest of the video... I'm working on it. But all the old ones are already supported. There is a lot of videos - not only CG Grooming. Still working with this channel - since 2016.

At the moment I'm translating the channel with answers to the questions

Then I'll finish the translation of the main channel.

Basically, for the last time, the topic of all the lessons is CG-Grooming in Maya-3ds Max - Unreal Engine.

The next post will be the first lesson with AI voiceover.

Because of the war - I don't always get to do it - but I try. So any support from you would be appreciated.

So. Happy viewing!
And good mood to you.
Regards,
Andrew.

[akcharly]

Ornatrix Maya | Making of dreadlocks | Episode 1 - Stream - Oct 8, 2023

[akcharly]

Ornatrix 3ds max | Two ways to plant the interpolated guide between guides

[akcharly]

Ornatrix 3ds Max | Clump Amount from Surface Comb Channel

[akcharly]

Ornatrix 3ds Max | Use Procedural gradient for Clump Count

TIMING:

0:00 - Picking up where we left off in the previous lesson
0:03 - Creating an additional Furball that I will use as a procedural guide for Clump
0:07 - Remove the ChangeWidth modifier as we don't need it.
0:14 - Go back to the previous Ornatrix object from the previous lesson and copy the Ox Surface Comb modifier. We already applied a procedural gradient to the channel.
0:23 - Select our new object, choose Edit Guides and add the Surface Comb modifier above. As a result - we get a channel that can be used in Clump.
0:34 - The Mode should definitely be Sink Size.
0:39 - Change the channel name for convenience.
0:44 - Enable HairFromGuides
0:54 - Temporarily change the generation method to guides as hair. It's more convenient for me. But you don't need to do this step.
1:01 - Change the hair to guides using the "Guides from Hair" modifier. Because these are the guides we need for the external clumps.
1:07 - In Distribution Channel, select the channel we created in SurfaceComb. In my case it is called GuidesGEN. Don't worry about the other channels. We don't need them.
1:21 - It may look like nothing is working, and it is. Because you need to change the generation method to something else. For example, Uniform.
1:33 - Everything is working now. I'll tell you right now - it's not perfect. The developers know and are thinking about how to improve it, but already you have parametric guides thanks to this approach, using a mask that we didn't draw, but created in Surface Comb. That's pretty cool!
1:36 - Now you can control the number of them in Root Count. And we can see that the gradient is working, but not perfectly. We'll fix that manually a little bit later.
1:46 - Let's rename our new guide object to GUIDES CLUMP. Again - this is for convenience. You can name it whatever you want.
1:52 - Selecting the main object. We remove the Surface Comb modifier from the last lesson. We don't need it anymore.
1:58 - Go to Clump and select External Clump Strands. Click on the slot with the same name and add our GUIDES CLUMP object.
2:16 - Click Create to create a clump through its guides. We end up with a series of clumps controlled by a parametric gradient from the Surface Comb. Pretty cool, right?
2:32 - Using Root Count, we change the number of guides, which affects the number of clumps. Note that this is not visually updated (hopefully they'll fix this in the future).
2:39 - So you have to go to the Clump modifier and click Create again after changing the number.
2:43 - As you can see - it all works.
3:00 - Now I will show you how to add additional guides if there are not enough. Only do this if you are 100% sure that you are not going to change the number of guides.
3:05 - Inside the GUIDE CLUPS object, create an additional Edit Guide.
3:12 - Select Brush mode and create a brush. With this brush, Ornatrix will allow you to create interpolated guides. You can watch this tutorial on this topic - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gg5LEQscwvs&t=1s.
3:16 - Choose Position = Center, this is so that when you click on an object - a guide will be created, not a random number.
3:19 - Add guides where you want. You can add as many guides as you want. You can move them, rotate them. Whatever you want 😃 It is already as your imagination desires.
3:40 - Update the clump with Create and get a nicer result. Thats all. Enjoy 😃

[akcharly]

Ornatrix 3ds Max | Octane Renderer | How to fix paint color in viewport?

Up until recently, there was a bug in Ornatrix 3ds Max and Octane Renderer that prevented you from seeing the hair color in the viewport when Octane Hair was assigned to an object. Starting with the new Octane build 2023.1.2.14.10, you can use the special Conceal Layer option, which is located in the Special tab - for almost every material.

You can read more about it here

You can also get the prepared scene that I show in the lesson there.

In this video, I'll show you where the option is enabled and we'll color the Ornatrix object a bit more to check the working function.

Previous video on this topic

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TIMING:

0:00 - Open the scene, which is available on the Octane forum, I linked it above
0:05 - Assign Octane Hair Mtl
0:09 - We see that there is no color in the Viewport. I'm just showing the problem that was in the previous builds
0:14 - Go to Ornatrix Edit Guides and enable the СolR Channel. How to get it - I told you in the previous lesson.
0:18 - So, we have this channel selected, but the color is still not visible in the viewport. Now I'll show you how to fix it.
0:22 - Scroll down to the very bottom of the material settings and activate the Conceal Layer option. As a result, we will see the color in the viewport and the problem is solved.
0:29 - But I want to check if everything works correctly - by additionally painting the object in other colors. Go to Brush mode and in Current Brush - select Paint.
0:34 - Activate any color and paint the hair. Everything works
0:45 - Using Display Options and Opacity - you can adjust the strength of the color overlay.
0:53 - I'll paint in a few more colors
1:09 - Now, for this to work in the render, you need to create an Octane Color Vertex Attribute and connect it to the Albedo slot in the Octane Hair material
1:16 - Then in the node itself you need to select HairColor1 in the Name field.
1:22 - Check on the render. Everything works.
1:39 - Again turn off and on the Conceal Layer option and see that everything also works and the color in the viewport matches the color in the render.
1:43 - Watch the previous video, subscribe to the channel or open my page on Artstation

___
Enjoy watching!
Best regards,
Andrew Krivulya Charly.

[akcharly · Accepted solution]

Ornatrix 3ds Max v8 | Plant Guides with different CV

In Ornatrix 3ds Max v8, starting from version 8.1.1.34275, you can create new guides with different numbers of CVs. This is very convenient when you need to optimize a hairstyle and not have the same number of segments everywhere.

Just select the Plant Guide Tool, enter the desired number of segments in Num.Segments in the Planting Options tab, and that's it. Just be sure to turn Adopt Shape on and off before doing this to start the point distribution algorithm.

TIMING:

0:00 - Check that you have the new version, not lower than this one.

0:10 - Create a Furball on a Plane or something else

0:13 - Delete ChangeWidth and HairFromGuides - we don't need them in this lesson

0:17 - In Edit Guides, go to Root Mode and select any two guides.

0:23 - Invert the selection and delete everything else

0:27 - Then turn Adopt Shape on and off to start the point calculation algorithm. ATTENTION! Turn it on and off. If it was on, turn it off, on, off. That's right. Otherwise nothing will work.

0:31 - Then enter any number of segments you need

0:37 - Activate Plant Tool and create a guide with this number

0:40 - Then I just show different quantities. The procedure is the same.

0:53 - Go to Strands to enable the display of these points. To do this, turn off the Num.Control Points option - setting its value to 0.

0:57 - This way we will see the desired number of points. Everything works.

1:07 - Ending, subscription to the channel, Artstation and other videos on the channel.

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Enjoy watching!
Best regards,
Andrew Krivulya Charly.

[akcharly]

Uncover the Hidden Secrets of Ornatrix Maya | Discover the Real Curve Count for UE!

To verify the number of curves in Ornatrix Maya before exporting to Unreal Engine, assign an additional Edit Guides modifier on top of HairFromGuides. This is important because the hair count value does not always match the number of exported curves. Often, this value is much lower (e.g., for eyelashes and eyebrows) or approximate. This depends on the interpolation and mesh type. Remember that Unreal Engine also has its own interpolation, so the number of curves may differ. This video shows several examples of different hair types to help you understand why it's important to assign Edit Guides on top to get an approximate idea of how many hairs will be exported and imported into Unreal Engine.

[akcharly]

Ornatrix Maya | Hair Bun Series | Episode 1

This is one of my methods for creating a simple bun using a Torus. With each new episode, we'll gradually make the result more complex and render it in V-Ray and Unreal Engine.

Enjoy watching!
Best regards,
Andrew Krivulya Charly.

[akcharly]

Making of Antea | 3D Grooming | Capsule Studio | for Banishers: Ghosts of New Eden cinematic

This video is part of my portfolio on Artstation. In it, I showcase the making of hair for the character Antea from the game Banishers. I created Antea's hairstyle using Ornatrix in 3ds Max and rendered it in V-Ray. This project was commissioned by Capsule Studio, who worked on the cinematic for the game. Enjoy watching!

You can select English voiceover in settings.

Enjoy watching!
Best regards,
Andrew Krivulya Charly.

[akcharly]

You can select EN voice dub. 

Overcoming 255 CV Limit in Ornatrix Maya to UE: Dreadlocks Tutorial

How to Bypass the 255 CV Limitation in Unreal Engine 5.3 Using Ornatrix in Maya In this video, I provide a detailed explanation of how to overcome the 255 CV point limit on curves in Unreal Engine (starting from version 5.3) using the capabilities of Ornatrix in Maya. This method enables the creation of complex hairstyles, such as dreadlocks, without compromising quality.

Enjoy watching!
Best regards,
Andrew Krivulya Charly.

[akcharly]

Easily Manage Guides in Ornatrix Maya 5 with One Simple Trick

Unlock the power of guide management in Ornatrix Maya 5! This tutorial tackles a Discord user’s question, showing how to work with guides using the new Branching feature and Isolate tool. Learn to streamline your workflow, apply unique modifiers, and groom complex hairstyles or fur without duplicating objects. Perfect for 3D animators and artists aiming for efficiency and control in their projects!

Enjoy watching!
Best regards,
Andrew Krivulya Charly.

[akcharly]

Ornatrix 3ds Max 9: Mastering Clump Editing with the New Manipulator

Discover the powerful new clump editing feature in Ornatrix 3ds Max version 9.0.2.36198! This update introduces a dedicated manipulator that gives you unprecedented control over your hair clumps. Learn how to easily move, scale, and rotate clumps to achieve perfect hair designs for your 3D characters and models.

In this video, we'll walk you through the simple steps to activate the Ox Clump modifier, create your initial clumps, and then leverage the new manipulator for precise adjustments. Say goodbye to tedious workflows and hello to intuitive hair grooming!

Whether you're a seasoned 3D artist or just starting, this new Ornatrix feature will significantly enhance your hair creation process. Watch now to master advanced clump editing techniques!

Enjoy watching!
Best regards,
Andrew Krivulya Charly.

[akcharly]

EXPORT ZBrush Hair to ORNATRIX 3ds Max. Episode 1

Hey everyone! Charly here, In Episode 1, learn how to export hairstyles from ZBrush to 3ds Max using Ornatrix for stunning hair renders. We’ll cover curves export, PreVis settings, and hair guide creation. More episodes on Maya and Cinema 4D coming soon! Navigate with timestamps below and subscribe for the full series!

Happy viewing! Andrew Krivulya(Charly)

[riddles512514]

Hey Andrew,

Massive respect for your dedication — grooming is such a niche yet essential part of 3D production, and it’s awesome to see someone so committed to sharing real-world techniques across platforms like Maya, 3ds Max, and Unreal.

Translating and voicing over all your content is no small task, especially given everything you’re dealing with. The fact that you’re still pushing forward and making these resources accessible to a wider audience is truly commendable.

Looking forward to your first AI-voiced lesson and diving deeper into your grooming workflows. Subscribed and sending good vibes your way — keep creating, we’re watching and learning!

[akcharly]

Thank you for the kind words and thoughtful support. I'm glad the content resonates and proves helpful. I’ll do my best to keep it going - new lessons are already in the works.

[akcharly]

EXPORT ZBrush Hair to ORNATRIX 3ds Max. Episode 2: V-Ray Render & Real-Time Look Dev in Chaos Vantage

In this second episode, we take the next crucial step with the hair we prepared in our first video. The focus here is not on creating a final, polished hairstyle, but on teaching the process of look development. Using the quick groom we created in ZBrush as our example, our team will demonstrate the complete workflow for setting up lighting, materials, and performing real-time look dev with the powerful combination of Ornatrix, V-Ray, and Chaos Vantage. This guide is designed to help your team master the techniques for iterating on any hairstyle, allowing you to efficiently explore and finalize its look.

Happy viewing! Andrew Krivulya(Charly)

[akcharly]

ZBrush to Ornatrix 3ds Max: Lighter Curves & Mesh Strips | Ep. 3

Hey everyone! Charly here with Episode 3 of our 3D Hair Series! Today, we’re diving back into ZBrush to export lighter curves and mesh strips to Ornatrix in 3ds Max. Learn to trim guides with Ox Filter, use Hair From Mesh Strips, and compare workflows with V-Ray rendering in Chaos Vantage. Stay tuned for more episodes!

Happy viewing and have a nice day

Best regards,

Andrew.

[akcharly]

ZBrush to Maya with Ornatrix | Ep. 1: Full Hair Export & Arnold Render

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.

Happy viewing and have a nice day

Best regards,

Andrew.

[akcharly]

ZBrush to Maya with Ornatrix Ep. 2: Your FASTER Hair Workflow 🔥

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 and have a nice day

Best regards,

Andrew.

[akcharly]

Custom MetaHuman Hair Devlog #1 | Ornatrix Maya Braid Workflow for UE5.6

In this 3D hair devlog, I’m showing my workflow for creating custom MetaHuman hair using Ornatrix in Maya and exporting it into Unreal Engine 5.6.
This isn’t a tutorial, but a real development diary where I share progress, issues, and insights from my current project.

You’ll see:

🔹Braid setup using Clump Patterns in Ornatrix
🔹How I manage guides, symmetry, and interpolation
🔹Export settings (ChangeWidth & Generate Strand Data) for correct strand behavior in UE5.6
🔹The issue I’ve found in MetaHuman Creator and what I plan to ask Epic about

If you’re working on grooming, MetaHuman customization, or real-time hair, this devlog might help you refine your own pipeline.

Let’s discuss in comments:

🔹Have you noticed similar issues when exporting custom hair to MetaHuman?
🔹Which Ornatrix pattern setup works best for you?

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Enjoy watching!
Best regards,
Andrew Krivulya Charly.