Coil Modifier

The Coil modifier adds spiral curls and waves to hair strands. Think of it like wrapping hair around a curling iron — you get tight spirals, loose waves, or anything in between.

What is Coiling?

Coiling wraps strands around an invisible axis, creating spiral patterns. Unlike the subtle curl in the Clumping modifier, Coil creates strong, defined curls — the kind you see in curly hair, perms, or styled ringlets.

Visual effect: Strands spiral in 3D space, creating tight curls, loose waves, or corkscrew patterns.

When to use: Curly hair, wavy hair, ringlets, spiral curls, permed hair.

Parameters

Mask

Control where coiling applies using a painted texture.

  • White = full coiling, Black = no coiling
  • Click 🖌️ to paint, 💾 to save, 📁 to load

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Count Section

Count

Number of coils/turns along the strand length.

Range: 0.5–100.0 (Default: 5.0)

  • 1.0 = One full spiral rotation
  • 5.0 = Five rotations (default)
  • 10.0+ = Very tight spiral

Expression support: Yes (click ƒx)

When to adjust:

  • Loose curls: 1.0–3.0
  • Normal curls: 3.0–7.0
  • Tight curls: 7.0–15.0

Use Count Scale

Enable/disable count scaling along the strand.

Default: Checked

When enabled, the Count Scale curve controls how coiling varies from root to tip.

Count Scale (Profile Curve)

Multiplies the Count value along the strand (root to tip).

Default: 0.0 at root → 1.0 at tip (coils increase toward tips)

This is natural — real curly hair is straighter near the scalp and curlier at the ends.

Common profiles:

  • Default (root 0, tip 1): Natural — straight roots, curly tips
  • Flat at 1.0: Same coiling everywhere
  • Tip only (0 until 0.7, then ramp): Straight until tips, then coil

Count Variation

Random count variation per strand.

Range: 0.0–1.0 (Default: 0.0)

Adds randomness so not all strands curl the same amount. Use 0.1–0.3 for natural variation.

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Radius Section

Radius %

Coil radius as percentage of strand length — how wide the spirals are.

Range: 0.0–1.0 (Default: 0.02)

  • 0.01 = Very tight, subtle curls
  • 0.02 = Tight curls (default)
  • 0.05 = Medium curls
  • 0.10 = Loose, wide curls

Expression support: Yes (click ƒx)

Use Radius Scale

Enable/disable radius scaling along the strand.

Default: Checked

When enabled, the Radius Scale curve controls how curl width varies from root to tip.

Radius Scale (Profile Curve)

Multiplies the Radius value along the strand (root to tip).

Default: Flat at 1.0 (same radius everywhere)

Common profiles:

  • Flat at 1.0: Same radius everywhere (default)
  • Root 1.0, Tip 0.7: Natural taper — wider at roots, tighter at tips
  • Root 0.5, Tip 1.0: Tighter at roots, wider at tips

Radius Variation

Random radius variation per strand.

Range: 0.0–1.0 (Default: 0.0)

Adds randomness so not all strands have the same curl width. Use 0.1–0.3 for natural variation.

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Mode & Phase Section

Mode

Coil behavior mode.

| Mode | Description | Best For | |------|-------------|----------| | Helix | Full 3D spiral | Tight curls, ringlets | | Wave | 2D side-to-side oscillation | Loose waves, beach waves | | Corkscrew | Helix with increasing radius toward tip | Artistic effects |

Tip: Use Helix for most curly hair. Use Wave for loose, wavy hair.

Phase

Starting rotation offset (in radians, 0.0–6.28).

Default: 0.0

Where the spiral starts. Usually leave at 0.0.

Phase Variation

Random phase offset per strand.

Range: 0.0–6.28 (Default: 1.0)

Adds randomness so strands don't all spiral in the same direction. Use 1.0–3.0 for natural variation.

Clump Phase

When checked, all strands in the same clump coil together (use with Clumping modifier).

Default: Unchecked

Visual effect: Entire clumps spiral as a unit instead of individual strands spiraling independently.

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Range Section (Collapsed by Default)

Controls where coiling applies along the strand.

Start

Where coil begins (0 = root, 1 = tip).

Default: 0.0

End

Where coil ends (0 = root, 1 = tip).

Default: 1.0

Ramp In

Smooth fade-in at start position.

Range: 0.0–1.0 (Default: 0.15)

Prevents sharp kinks where coiling begins. Use 0.1–0.2 for smooth transitions.

Ramp Out

Smooth fade-out at end position.

Range: 0.0–1.0 (Default: 0.0)

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Advanced Section (Collapsed by Default)

Preserve Length

Maintain original strand length after coiling.

Range: 0.0–1.0 (Default: 0.0)

  • 0.0 = Don't preserve (curls naturally shorten apparent length — realistic)
  • 1.0 = Fully preserve (strands stretch to maintain length — can look unnatural)

Tip: Leave at 0.0. Real curly hair appears shorter than straight hair of the same length.

Seed

Random seed for all variation (count, radius, phase).

Range: 0–99999 (Default: 123)

Change to try different random patterns.

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Practical Examples

Tight Ringlets

Count: 8.0, Count Scale: Default (root 0, tip 1)
Radius: 0.025, Radius Scale: Default
Mode: Helix, Phase Var: 2.0

Loose Wavy Hair

Count: 2.0, Count Scale: Flat at 1.0
Radius: 0.08, Radius Scale: Flat at 1.0
Mode: Wave, Phase Var: 3.0

Natural Curly Hair

Count: 5.0, Count Variation: 0.2
Radius: 0.04, Radius Variation: 0.15
Mode: Helix, Phase Var: 1.5

Beach Waves

Count: 1.5, Count Scale: Flat at 1.0
Radius: 0.10, Radius Scale: Flat at 1.0
Mode: Wave, Phase Var: 4.0

Root Straight, Tip Curly

Count: 7.0, Count Scale: Default (root 0, tip 1)
Radius: 0.035
Mode: Helix, Start: 0.4, Ramp In: 0.2

Tips

  • Count and Radius are the two key parameters. Count controls tightness, Radius controls width.
  • Use default Count Scale. Root straight, tip curly is natural.
  • Add variation. Count Variation and Radius Variation (0.1–0.3) prevent uniform, artificial curls.
  • Helix for curls, Wave for waves. Helix = tight 3D spirals. Wave = loose 2D oscillation.
  • Phase Variation is important. Without it, all curls spiral the same direction — looks uniform.
  • Clump Phase for coherence. Check this if you want entire clumps to spiral together.
  • Preserve Length = 0. Real curls shorten apparent length. Leave at 0.0.
  • Ramp In for smooth transitions. Default 0.15 prevents sharp kinks.

Common Mistakes

  • Too much Count. Using 15+ for everything. Use 3–8 for most curly hair.
  • Flat Count Scale. Using uniform coiling everywhere. The default tapered curve is more natural.
  • No variation. Forgetting Count Variation and Radius Variation. Uniform coiling looks artificial.
  • Wrong mode. Using Wave when you want tight curls. Wave is for loose waves, Helix is for curls.
  • No Phase Variation. All curls spiral the same direction. Add 1.0–3.0 for natural variety.
  • Preserve Length = 1. Stretches strands unnaturally. Leave at 0.0.