Animate hair, fur, or instanced splines using dynamic curves

If you create a guides-based Description, you can animate the guides using the dynamic curves from an nHair system. Using the Curves to Guides utility, lets you convert the dynamic curves to the guides, which then drive the hair, fur or instanced splines. Note that this workflow only uses the dynamic curves from an nHair system. The hair and fur remains XGen-based.

You can use the same technique to animate other types of spline primitive objects, such as grass, scales, or feathers. For information on creating a guides-based Description, see Create hair or fur using spline primitives.

Tip: Before starting:

• Shape the guides to create a base groom or pose. See Shape and Control XGen Primitives.
• In the XGen Editor toolbar, clearing the preview () and turning off Update Preview Automatically make it easier to see the curve and guide animation.

1. In the XGen Editor, select the Primitives tab.
2. In the Guide Animation section, turn on the Use Animation.
3. Click Create Hair System.
4. In the Make Curves Dynamic Options window that appears, do the following:
   • Set Output to NURBS Curves.
   • Ensure all other options are turned on.
   • ClickMake Curves Dynamic.
5. In the Outliner window, expand hairSystemOutputCurves and select all the curves.
6. In the XGen Editor, click the Utilities tab.
7. Select Curves to Guides:.
8. Under Curves To Guides, do the following:
   • Turn off Delete Curves.
   • Turn on Preserve Dynamic Link.

     When on, this option maintains a dynamic connection between the curves and the converted guides so that the guides inherit the curve animation.

9. Adjust all other Curves to Guides options to the desired settings. See Curves To Guides options.
10. Click Add Guides.

    Maya converts the dynamic curves to new guides and hides the original guides. The new guides inherit the curves dynamic properties.

11. In the Outliner, select the hidden guides and delete them.
    
12. Go to the start frame and play back the simulation to see the animated guides.

    Update the preview () play back the simulation to see the animated splines.

    For information about setting the initial state for the nHair system, see Set hair curve positions and Start Rest and Current Position curves.

Add more dynamic motion to the spline primitives using Nucleus forces (seenDynamics Simulation Framework) or Maya Fields (see Maya Fields). Add an XGen modifier, such as Wind (see XGen Wind modifier options), to create for non-dynamic motion.

Related tasks

• Save and setup dynamic curves for rendering
• Animate guides by attaching an nHair system
• Animate spline primitives using an Anim Wires modifier