Stylized Hair PRO v3 - Hair Editing for Blender

This is a Geometry Nodes based add-on for Blender, that will allow you to create stylized hairstyles in a streamlined, procedural way!

NOTE: This add-on works, with versions of Blender of 4.10 and above. Using it with older versions might cause malfunction!

It is focused on working with the hair curves system in Blender, but I've also adapted it to be able to work with other curves (bézier , paths) in the more traditional way of stylized hair creation.

It features a lot of tools to create and control hair curves - from their shape, geometry, materials, ornaments, and even animating them with a Hair Dynamics system.
For the full set of features, watch the explainer video.

Latest Updates:

(22-07-2024) Stylized Hair PRO v3.26 UPDATE:

• Updated version for Blender 4.2 - Use this version of the add-on if you are using a version of Blender greater than 4.2.0.

(24-06-2024) Stylized Hair PRO v3.25 UPDATE:

• Fixed a thing, where adding new hairs with the 'Add' brush doesn't show the geometry.
  • This was caused by a quirk in Blender, where the radius of new hair curves is set to 0 by default. It should really be 1, so that we can use the 'Radius' tool or Alt-S to scale the thickness of individual hair curves. It looked like the add-on is broken, but it's just hairs with 0 thickness. So I've tweaked it, such that when the curve radius is 0, it should act like it's 1.
  • To regain the ability to scale individual curves in Edit mode, you have to select them and set their radius to 1, by going to Curves > Set Attribute. Make sure the radius attribute is selected (which it should by default), then set it to 1.0.

In Edit mode, select the curves, then go to Curve > Set Attribute. Make sure the 'radius' attribute is selected.

In the pop-up, set the radius to 1.

• Now you can use the 'Radius' tool or Alt-S to scale the thickness.

(21-06-2024) Stylized Hair PRO v3.24 UPDATE:

• The caps UV now rotates with the curve rotation to avoid texture shifting at the ends.
• Changed the ends twisting to have linear falloff from the end to create an even twist throughout the curve.
• Fixed an issue where individual hair curves thickness (radius) couldn't be adjusted in Edit mode with Alt-S

(19-06-2024) Stylized Hair PRO v3.23 UPDATE:

• An updated 'SHAPE' section layout:

The new Shape panel layout

• Added a 'Tilt' functionality to adjust the angle of the hair ends.
  (most useful when the roots/tips are open)
• Added the 'Bulge' and 'Roundness' to the hair root.
• There is now a way to preview the profile curve in the 3D viewport:

Preview the Profile Curve in the viewport

• Added a way to "Fill the Caps" of the hair geometry to create a manifold mesh.
  (option is in the 'Settings' panel)
• Added a "Caps" mask to the shading attributes.
  (use it in the 'Stylized Hair PRO - Hair Attributes' shading node group under 'Masks')
• Fixed a bug with the generated UV map on a braid with ornament enabled.

NOTE: Remember to update the node tree of existing projects to access the updates!

(14-06-2024) Stylized Hair PRO v3.22 UPDATE:

• Fixed a bug when applying the mirrors.
• Adjusted the rotate/twist orientation on mirrored strands.
• Fixed a few issues, regarding mirroring curls.
• Fixed the curl 'Phase' not working.
• Adjusted the 'Shape' section Root/Tip sliders, so they can be adjusted at the same time by dragging down the mouse.

(09-06-2024) Stylized Hair PRO v3.21 UPDATE:

• Added the 'Quick' generation buttons for Curls, Braid and Profile to the 'Quick Menu'.

Stylized Hair PRO Quick Menu

• Minor update to the curls generation.
• Added some warning messages regarding the Blender version.

Blender Version Error Warnings

(05-06-2024) Stylized Hair PRO v3.20 UPDATE:

General

• A few tweaks around the UI.
• Performance and consistency upgrades around the Ornaments generation.
• The 'Global Values' section has been removed

Apply Curve Mirrors

• There is now a button to apply any mirroring you have on your hair curves, so you can continue to groom them separately.

Split a Curve into Separate Objects

• If you have a curve with multiple splines, you can split it into separate objects with the new 'Split Curves' utility. That way they will have independent 'Stylized Hair PRO' modifiers.

Reset Section Settings

• You can now reset a single section of settings (SHAPE, TWIST, etc...), instead of the whole setup.

Copy Settings

• If you want to set a value for multiple curves, there is a new Copy button for each section, that will transfer the section settings to all curves in the selection.

Internal Tutorial in the UI

• I have created an internal tutorial, which you can follow to guide you through the creation of stylized hair with the add-on. You can use it to learn about various areas of the add-on functionality.

Quick Generation for Profiles, Curls and Braids

• Profiles, Curls and Braids can be quickly generated with the new 'Quick' buttons. It will create randomized version for each respective shape.

Curls

• Improved 'Curl Noise'.
• A new 'Flatten Curl' option.
• A new 'Stylization Level' setting, that creates a more stylized angular curl shape.

Add-on Preferences

• There is a new 'Preferences' panel, where you can chose which sections you want displayed. You can also hide the tutorial and set the Global Scale Factor.

(01-05-2024) Stylized Hair PRO v3.14 UPDATE:

Improved Braids

• I've fixed an issue with the braid generation, where there was only one braid created, regardless of the number of hair curves. Now there is a braid for each one.
• Removed the 'Braid Noise Scale' setting - Now the scale is automatic, depending on the other braid settings.
• Added a new option - Braid Tip. With this you can now create a "tied off" end, instead of the braid going through the whole length of the hair curve.
• You can add an ornament to the braid tie-off point.
• Added a shade mask for the braid tip section. You can access it in the "Stylized Hair PRO - Hair Attributes" node group in the Shader Editor.

Looping Wind Effects

• There are now two options for the wind effects generation:
  • Simulated - The Wind Effects are ran through the Dynamics simulation. Creates more accurate results, but prevents looping.
  • Generated - The Wind Effects are generated as a post-effect to the Dynamics simulation. Creates less accurate results, but allows looping. These are suitable for static sculptures.
• Improvements to the 'Simple' wind effect.

Ornaments

• General optimizations for better performance.
• I've removed the "Ribs" option from the "Band" ornament. It introduced unnecessary complication. A similar shape can be easily modeled and used as a Custom Ornament.
• The Custom Ornaments can now be deformed to follow the curve shape.
• Fixed a bug with the "Scrunchie" ornament not attaching to the hair curve.

Custom Hair Mesh

• If you want to use your own custom hair mesh, or want to control some other geometry with the hair curves (like a wing or tentacle), I have created a way for you to do so. In the Utilities panel, there is now a "Custom Hair Geometry" utility, where you can pick a custom object to be deformed by the hair curve. That way you can groom it, curl it, or use the Hair Dynamics to make an animation.

Mesh & Armature

• Renamed the "Mesh Conversion" utility to "Mesh & Armature".
• The "Mesh & Armature" armature preview disappears when you disable "Generate Armature". Also, the preview now only shows in the viewport and doesn't render.

B-bone Armature

• You can now automatically generate a B-bone armature from the Mesh Conversion utility. It will create the bendy bones and control handles, based on the settings you set in the B-bone tab:
  • Number of Handles - How many control handles are going to be created.
  • Handle Size - The size of the handle bones. You want this to be small for best results.
  • B-bone Segments - How many segments each bendy bone will have.

General

• Various node group performance optimizations.
• I've tweaked the UI panels by placing similar settings into separate boxes, helping with the clarity and ease of use.
• Settings that are not active are disabled, making it more clear that a prior action is needed (for example, when the Dynamics are disabled, all the settings in that section are greyed out, unless you enable the dynamics). The goal is to avoid confusion over "not working" settings.
• Added an 'Use Original Thickness' option in the Settings panel. With this you can control the thickness of the curve with the native tools in Blender. Generally, that's Alt-S in Edit Mode.
  • NOTE: The controls for the thickness from the add-on will be disabled, because combined with the original thickness (Curve Radius) values produce very unintuitive and hard to control results.
• Fixed a bug with the wind dynamics, causing the curve to twitch when editing.D

Convert Curves From Old Hairstyle

• If you have a hairstyle, created with the "traditional" method (with bézier or path curves and a profile curve), you can convert them to the "Stylized Hair PRO" setup, to take advantage of the add-on functions, like the Hair Dynamics, Shading Attributes, etc.
  Just select any curves that have a profile curve from your hairstyle and a "Convert old curves to SHP setup" button will appear in the main panel.
  If you click it, it will add the SHP modifier and set the profile curve that the original had as the new 'Custom Profile' curve. It will also check the new 'Use Original Thickness' option in the Settings panel.

(14-03-2024) Stylized Hair PRO v3.13 UPDATE:

- Added an X, Y and Z axis mirroring.

- There's now a quick access to the twists for root, mid and tip in the Quick Menu:

The updated layout of the pie menu.

(05-03-2024) Stylized Hair PRO v 3.12:

Ornaments

• Fixed a few bugs with the ornaments disappearing, when converting the hair curve to mesh.
• Added a 'Range' setting to the 'Band' ornament, to adjust how much it "grabs" the pinched region of the hair.
• There is now a way to adjust the mesh density of the ornaments, from the 'Resolutions' section of the 'Settings' panel.

Utilities panel

• There's a new 'Utilities' panel, that houses any operations, that are not part of the editing workflow.
• If you have a project, that you've made with an older version of 'Stylized Hair PRO', there is a new utility, that will automatically update any hair curves that you have created to the newest version you have installed. It will preserve any settings you have made on them, so that you can continue to edit the hairstyle with the newest version of the add-on.
• 'Mesh Conversion' has moved to the 'Utilities' panel.

(22-02-2024) Stylized Hair PRO v 3.11:

- Fixed a bug with the braids.

- Tweaked the Shading Attributes node group layout, a few shade additions, as well as minor performance upgrades.

(21-02-2024) Stylized Hair PRO v 3.10:

Profiles:

• Added two new profile types:
  • Line: Designed for creating 2D hair cards with the ability to bend and incorporate sub-strands.
  • Crescent: Similar to the Line profile but with thickness for 3D hair cards, also featuring bend and sub-strand capabilities.
• The Islands profile now includes the option to close off the tips of individual strands, along with individual settings for bulge and roundness of sub-strands. Additionally, profile resolution has been optimized to prevent excessive geometry density.
• Tweaked the layout of the 'Profile' panel to accommodate these new changes effectively.

Hair Dynamics:

• Completely overhauled the Hair Dynamics system for improved robustness and efficiency. The internal logic has been revised to ensure the dynamics effect is contained within the hair curve without requiring the removal of parenting or reliance on external Follow Objects for deformation.
• Introduced two new strand settings: Elasticity and Liveliness. These settings enhance control over the dynamics effect on hair strands.
• Added settings for Factor and Contrast to further refine the dynamics effect application on the hair strand.
• Gravity direction can now be customized.
• Enhanced collisions system for better results and efficiency, particularly with denser collider meshes. Strength adjustment is available for the force with which the Collider repels the hair strand.

Wind Effects:

• You can now create Wind Effects from the Dynamics panel:
  • Force: Controls the strength of the wind force (0 = disabled wind effects).
  • Speed: Determines the speed of the wind.
  • Turbulence: Adjusts the amount of movement in the hair caused by the wind.
  • Complex/Simple: Offers options for 3D or 2D turbulence waves with orientation settings.
  • Wind Direction: Defines the vector for the direction of the wind.
• You can select an 'Effector Object' to serve as the wind guide, with options to Attract or Repel the wind towards or away from it.

Simulation Settings:

• Introduced settings for the dynamics simulation:
  • Simulation Points: Determines the resolution of the simulation curve for smoother deformations.
  • Post-sim Smoothing: Offers a method to smooth the simulated curve and reduce sharp bending.
  • Complex Curls Simulation: Accounts for the curled shape of hair strands during simulation for more accurate deformations.

Shade Attributes:

• General improvements to generated shades and new shade attributes introduced:
  • Strand Color: Assigns a color attribute to each hair curve.
  • Strand Noise: Adds noise along the length of the hair curve.
  • Enhanced Ends Shade: Produces better noise with contrast control.
  • Anisotropic Highlight  (a.k.a. "Anime Hair"): Creates a highlight spot on the hair strand, shifting with different viewing angles.

Hair Settings:

• Taper Curve Resolution: Concentrates curve resolution towards the root or tip, allowing for a gradient of mesh density without increasing overall poly count.

Mesh Conversion:

• Added a new 'Mesh Conversion' sub-panel within the 'Settings' panel, featuring a button to convert generated geometry into a mesh.
• Includes the option to generate an automatic armature with preview capability before conversion and automatic parenting of the generated mesh to the armature.

Quick Menu:

• New sub-panels for 'Wind Effects', 'Shade', and 'Mesh Conversion' now feature buttons in the pie menu for convenient access. Custom icons have been adjusted for improved visibility.