Transfer interactive grooming hairs to an XGen default splines description

You can transfer hair styles created with interactive groom hairs to an XGen default spline description using an Alembic cache. In this workflow, you cache a small number of sculpted hairs, and then convert these curves to guides in your default spline description.

Preparing the interactive groom hairs for export

1. In the Interactive Groom Editor, select the description_base node.
2. In the Generator group of the node's Attribute Editor, reduce the Density Multiplier to a value by a factor of between 20 and 50.

   For example if the Density Multiplier value is 5.0, set it 0.10. This reduces the density of the hair curves you export to approximately the correct number of guides needed to generate the hair style on the default splines description.

3. Select the description node in the Interactive Groom Editor, and then select Description > Cache > Export Cache to create an Alembic cache of the hair curves.

   See Create an interactive groom hair cache.

Import the interactive hair curves and add them to a default splines description as guides

1. In the scene, select the character mesh on which you want to transfer the interactive groom hairs.
2. From the Maya main menu, select Cache > Alembic Cache > Import Alembic, and then browse to the location of the cached interactive groom hairs.

   This imports the hair curves to the same world space location as your character mesh.

3. Select the mesh again, then select Generate > Description.
4. To create a guides-based default splines description, in the XGen Editor, set the following:
   • What kind of Primitives are made by this Description? to Splines (use for long hair, vines, etc).
   • Generate the Primitives to Randomly across the surface.
   • Control the Primitives by to Placing and shaping Guides.
   • Click Create.
5. In the XGen Editor, click the Utilities tab.
6. Under Utilities, select Curves to Guides.
7. In the Outliner, select the Alembic cache you imported.
8. In the XGen Editor, under Curves to Guides, click Add Guides.

   Maya converts the cached curves to XGen guides.

9. Preview the description.