Create hair, fur, or instanced geometry using XGen presets

Create hair, fur, or instance geometry by applying an XGen preset to your polygon mesh. Start hair and fur grooms with presets or use them to manage shot-based hair styles, landscapes, and environments. Presets are topology independent, so you can apply them to low and high resolution versions of your character mesh or to different mesh shapes.

1. Select the mesh or faces of the mesh object you want to use with the preset.
2. Do one of the following:
   • To apply a preset from the XGen Library, from the Modeling menu set, select Generate > Library, and then select a preset directory and the preset's thumbnail image.
   • To apply a preset from another location, from the Modeling menu set, select Generate > Import Preset, and then browse to the XGen preset (XGP) file.
3. In the Import Preset window, type a New Description Name and, if desired, create a new Collection for the Description.
4. (For guide-based presets only) Under Guide Based Preset Options, choose how to position the guides on the target mesh. See Import XGen preset options for details.
5. Click Import.

   Maya creates a new Description with the attribute, modifier, and guide settings specified by the preset file. If you apply a preset that contains Ptex-based mask and region maps, Maya creates a Ptex map expression with the necessary connections. You must repaint the map values on the preset's target mesh. See Repaint Ptex-based Region Maps and Masks below.

6. In the Primitives tab of the XGen Editor, increase Density to generate more primitives.

Repaint Ptex-based Region Maps and Masks

Presets that apply Ptex-based region maps or masks expose the map editing tool icons () beside the mapped attributes in the XGen Editor.

To repaint a Region Map or Mask

1. In the XGen Editor, locate the mapped attributes .

   For example, click the Primitives tab to see mapped primitive attributes and region maps, and the Modifiers tab for modifier masks.

2. Click this icon beside the mapped attribute.

   Since the preset already has a Ptex map expression, the target objects are flooded white for masks and red for region maps.

3. In the Tool Box, click this icon to access the 3D Paint Tool.
4. In the 3D Paint Tool settings, select a color, such as black for masks and blue for region maps.
5. Paint the map on the target surface.
6. In the XGen Editor click beside the mapped attribute to save the updated map.
7. (For region maps) Set Region Mask to 1 to enable the map.

   If there is a Ptex map assigned to the Region Mask, click and then select Reset to a slider from the menu that appears, and then set it to 1. You also need to repaint the this mask on the target surface.