Create Stylized Hair using GeoCurve

This is the basic workflow for creating detailed stylized hair in Uniform using GeoCurves. GeoCurves are objects that are rendered as high-poly mesh tubes but behave like splines. This means that the tubular shape of each curve is preserved even when smoothing or deforming its shape with destructive editing tools.

Working with GeoCurves for stylized hair involves switching between different tools, which are more easily accessible from the classic profile. Using the grid launcher with keyboard shortcuts can further streamline the process. For this explanation, we will use the classic profile, but you can create a custom UI to have these tools readily available in the interface.

Begin by creating a hair strand with the Draw Curve tool, located under Add > Curve > Draw Curve. This tool generates a procedural curve object with gizmos that allow you to refine the shape further. The thickness of the strand can be adjusted later with more precise control. Once you are satisfied with the shape, select Apply as GeoCurve.

Next, let’s explore how to manipulate a single GeoCurve spline. The workflow is similar to high-poly sculpting with GeoMesh. You can use the Move tool to deform the spline or the Object Transform tool to draw selections and move points around. Additionally, Trim tools can be used to cut parts of the spline.

Like regular meshes, if you stretch a GeoCurve too much, you may run out of geometry to maintain precise detail. To address this, use the Rebuild Surface tool. Hold down M0 to adjust the detail size and drag to rebuild. This process is equivalent to remeshing a high-poly mesh during sculpting.

Now, let’s add more detail to the hair clump. Select the Variant Curve tool under Add > Curve and drag it over the existing spline. This tool creates copies of the original spline as part of the same GeoCurve object. By holding down M0 for translation or M1 for rotation, you can create different spreads.

To introduce variation to the hair, use the Radius Tilt tool under Deform > Curve. The tool functions as follows:

• Dragging from an endpoint adjusts the radius from that endpoint.

• Dragging from the center of a spline adjusts the radius of the entire spline.

• Dragging from outside the curve affects all splines within the GeoCurve object.

For further shape variations, use the Move Geodesic tool to move individual splines inside the GeoCurve object. This allows you to quickly switch between the Move tool, which changes the overall shape of the clump, and the Move Geodesic tool, which alters the shape of individual strands.

To add more intricate detail to the hair, you can manually edit the profile shape. Create a new workspace tab by clicking the plus icon, select New Arrange, and choose the GeoCurve Profile preset. You can use any deformation, region, graph, or layout tool to edit the profile. It works like any other object in Uniform. For example, you can use the Graph Merge tool to collapse edges and create a rectangular shape. You can also use the Region Duplicate tool to create copies of the profile within the same curve, which is useful when combining with twist effects to create ropes and braids.

Creating a full hairstyle involves repeating this process to generate different hair clumps. You can also take advantage of Uniform’s support for multi-object selection to deform all objects simultaneously. Hold down the Select shortcut and drag over multiple objects, then use any deformer to influence the overall shape and flow of the hair.