Loc Modifier

The Loc modifier creates dreadlock-style hair with tight coils, buildup, and natural variation. It's perfect for creating locs, dreads, and tightly coiled hairstyles with realistic structure and detail.

What It Does

The Loc modifier transforms smooth hair into cylindrical dreadlocks with:

  • Tight coiling around the strand axis
  • Buildup that thickens the loc structure
  • Frizz for surface texture
  • Profile curves for shape control along the length
  • Per-strand variation for natural randomness

It makes the ropes itself — no Clump modifier needed

Loc gathers the hair into ropes on its own. Set Loc Count to the number of locs you want and the modifier groups the strands into that many ropes, anchored to the scalp, and then coils, thickens and mats each one.

This is the part worth knowing if you have made locs in an earlier version or in another hair tool: you do not need a Clumping modifier above Loc to bundle the hair first. A Loc modifier on its own is a complete dreadlock groom.

If you put a Clumping modifier above Loc, it becomes a parent grouping and locs form inside each clump — which also means Loc Count is applied per clump, not per head. Measured on a test groom: 60 locs under 116 clumps produced about 6,900 ropes, not 60. Every loc stayed entirely within one clump, so the nesting works as intended, but it is almost never what you want for ordinary dreadlocks. Put Loc on its own unless you are deliberately after locs-within-clumps.

Think of it as gathering the hair into ropes, then wrapping each rope into a tight coil and adding thickness and texture to give it the characteristic loc appearance.

Core Parameters

Loc Structure

Coil Count

  • Number of coil rotations along the strand
  • Higher values = tighter, more frequent coils
  • Range: 0-50, default 10
  • Example: 5 for loose coils, 20 for tight dreads

Coil Radius

  • How far the coil extends from the center
  • Controls the "tightness" of the coil
  • Range: 0.0-1.0, default 0.3
  • Lower = tighter coils, higher = looser spirals

Coil Radius Profile

  • Curve controlling radius along the strand length
  • Allows coils to tighten or loosen from root to tip
  • Default: uniform coiling
  • Example: Taper down at tips for natural look

Buildup System

Buildup Amount

  • How much the loc thickens from the base strand
  • Creates the characteristic cylindrical shape
  • Range: 0.0-2.0, default 0.5
  • Higher values = thicker, more substantial locs

Buildup Profile

  • Curve controlling thickness along the length
  • Allows locs to taper or bulge
  • Default: uniform thickness
  • Example: Thicker in middle, thinner at tips

Buildup Variation

  • Random variation in buildup per strand
  • Range: 0.0-1.0, default 0.2
  • Creates natural inconsistency between locs

Frizz Parameters

Frizz Amount

  • Surface texture and flyaways on the loc
  • Range: 0.0-1.0, default 0.3
  • Adds realism by breaking up smooth surface

Frizz Frequency

  • How often frizz details appear
  • Range: 0.1-10.0, default 2.0
  • Higher = more frequent, finer details

Frizz Profile

  • Curve controlling frizz along the length
  • Default: uniform frizz
  • Example: More frizz at tips, smooth at roots

Coil Variation

Coil Count Variation

  • Random variation in coil count per strand
  • Range: 0.0-1.0, default 0.2
  • Prevents uniform, artificial look

Coil Radius Variation

  • Random variation in coil tightness
  • Range: 0.0-1.0, default 0.15
  • Some locs tighter, some looser

Coil Phase

  • Starting rotation offset for coils
  • Range: 0.0-360.0 degrees
  • Randomizes coil alignment between strands

Coil Phase Variation

  • Random variation in phase per strand
  • Range: 0.0-1.0, default 0.5
  • Prevents synchronized coiling

Advanced Controls

Twist Amount

  • Additional twist along the strand axis
  • Range: 0.0-10.0, default 0.0
  • Simulates hand-twisted locs

Twist Profile

  • Curve controlling twist along the length
  • Allows twist to increase or decrease
  • Example: More twist at roots, less at tips

Segment Length

  • Length of each coil segment
  • Range: 0.01-1.0, default 0.1
  • Smaller = more detailed coils, slower

Smoothing

  • Smooths the coil shape
  • Range: 0.0-1.0, default 0.3
  • Higher = smoother, more polished locs

Loc Count and Size

Loc Count — how many locs to form across the groom. The strands are grouped into this many locs, so it is the number you actually see. Raising it makes thinner, more numerous locs from the same hair.

Loc Diameter — thickness of a single loc, in world units. Set to AUTO it is derived from the mesh, so a 10 cm head and a 2 m creature both start sensible without touching a slider.

Size Variation — how much individual locs differ in diameter. A small amount reads as hand-made; real locs are never uniform.

Bundle Amount — how tightly the strands inside one loc are drawn together. Low values leave a loose, fuzzy rope; high values pack a solid cord.

Congo Locs

Congo (or “conjoined”) locs are locs that have grown together into thicker combined ropes — common in mature natural hair.

  • Congo Amount — how many locs merge with a neighbour. 0 keeps every loc separate.
  • Congo Split — where along the length the merge happens. Low values join near the root; high values leave the locs separate until further down and merge toward the tips.

Debris

Use Debris Profile and Debris Amount add lint, fluff and irregular matter caught in the loc. The profile controls where along the length debris collects — usually more toward the root, where hair is oldest.

Multi-Section Buildup

Use Multi Buildup and Buildup Section Count split the loc into several buildup sections along its length instead of one continuous swell. Each section thickens and tapers independently, which is what gives mature locs their knotted, segmented look rather than a smooth cone.

Matting Ramp

Matting strength follows an editable ramp along the length, so you can keep the root tight and let the tip loosen (or the reverse) without compromising with a single number.

Per-parameter expressions

Most Loc parameters accept a FollicleScript expression instead of a fixed value, via the fx button beside the slider: buildup intensity, randomness, section count and size variation, buildup thickness, debris amount, irregularity, root zone length and tightness, shrinkage, tip length, and twist amount.

This is how you vary locs across a head without splitting the groom — thicker locs at the crown, looser at the nape, driven by v or a painted map.

Profile Curves

The Loc modifier uses several profile curves to control how parameters change along the strand length:

Coil Radius Profile

  • Controls coil tightness from root to tip
  • Example: Start tight (0.2), end loose (0.5)

Buildup Profile

  • Controls thickness distribution
  • Example: Thin at root (0.3), thick in middle (0.8), thin at tip (0.4)

Frizz Profile

  • Controls surface texture distribution
  • Example: Smooth at root (0.1), frizzy at tip (0.6)

Twist Profile

  • Controls twist intensity distribution
  • Example: Heavy twist at root (1.0), no twist at tip (0.0)

FollicleScript Examples

Random Coil Count

10 + rand(index) * 5

Varies coil count between 10-15 per strand.

UV-Based Buildup

0.3 + u * 0.4

Thicker locs on one side (u=0 to u=1).

Length-Based Frizz

length * 0.1

Longer strands get more frizz.

Alternating Twist

(index % 2) * 5.0

Every other loc gets twist.

Clump-Based Radius

0.2 + (clump_id % 3) * 0.1

Three different coil tightness levels.

Workflow Tips

Creating Basic Locs

  1. Add a Loc modifier. That is the whole setup — nothing needs to come before it.
  2. Set Loc Count to the number of locs you want on the head, and leave Loc Diameter on AUTO until the count looks right.
  3. Start with Coil Count: 10, Coil Radius: 0.3
  4. Add Buildup Amount: 0.5 for thickness
  5. Add Frizz Amount: 0.3 for texture
  6. Raise Size Variation a little, then adjust the other variations — real locs are never uniform

Tight Dreads

  • High Coil Count (15-20)
  • Low Coil Radius (0.2-0.3)
  • Moderate Buildup (0.4-0.6)
  • Low Frizz (0.1-0.2)

Loose, Textured Locs

  • Low Coil Count (5-8)
  • Higher Coil Radius (0.4-0.6)
  • High Buildup (0.6-0.8)
  • High Frizz (0.4-0.6)

Tapered Locs

  • Use Buildup Profile: thick at root, thin at tip
  • Use Coil Radius Profile: tight at root, loose at tip
  • Creates natural taper effect

Common Issues

Far Too Many Locs, And Loc Count Does Not Seem To Be The Number

  • Check for a Clumping modifier above Loc. Loc Count is applied per clump when one is present, so the rope count multiplies by the number of clumps
  • Remove the Clumping modifier: Loc groups the hair by itself, and Loc Count is then the number of locs on the head

I Only Get One Rope, Or Far Too Few

  • Check Loc Count: it is the number of ropes across the whole groom

Locs Look Too Uniform

  • Increase Coil Count Variation
  • Increase Buildup Variation
  • Increase Coil Phase Variation
  • Use FollicleScript for more randomness

Locs Too Thin

  • Increase Buildup Amount
  • Check Buildup Profile curve
  • Increase base strand width in Primitive tab

Coils Too Loose

  • Decrease Coil Radius
  • Increase Coil Count
  • Check Coil Radius Profile

Performance Issues

  • Reduce Coil Count
  • Increase Segment Length
  • Reduce Frizz Frequency
  • Use fewer strands

Performance Tips

  • Reduce Coil Count for faster preview
  • Increase Segment Length for faster computation
  • Reduce Frizz Frequency for faster evaluation
  • Use fewer strands during parameter tweaking