Surface Tab

The Surface tab handles mesh binding, animation following, and groom transfer. It's the glue that connects your hair to your character.

What It Does

  • Mesh binding — Attach hair roots to the scalp mesh
  • Animation following — Hair follows armature/shape key deformation in real-time
  • Groom transfer — Move a hairstyle from one character to another
  • Auto-rebind — Automatically update binding when mesh changes

Binding System

FollicleFX stores where each guide is attached to the mesh surface. This allows guides (and interpolated strands) to follow mesh deformation precisely.

Binding Status

The panel shows:

  • Source mesh name
  • Guide count
  • Whether binding is computed (✓ Computed / Not computed)

Compute Binding

Click "Compute Binding" to calculate surface attachment data. This is done automatically when generating guides, but you may need to recompute after major mesh changes.

Rebind Now

Manually trigger rebinding. Use after mesh topology changes (subdivision, remeshing).

Auto-Rebind

When enabled (default), binding updates automatically when the mesh is modified. Disable for manual control.

Animation Following

Make hair follow animated mesh deformation (armature, shape keys, lattice, etc.).

How It Works

  1. At rest pose, the system records where each guide is attached
  2. Each frame, guide roots are repositioned to match the deformed mesh
  3. Guide shapes follow the local orientation of their attachment point
  4. Strands are re-interpolated from deformed guides

Setup Workflow

  1. Set character to rest pose (T-pose or A-pose)
  2. Click "Compute Animation Binding"
  3. Animate your character normally
  4. Hair automatically follows deformation

Enable Animation Following

Toggle checkbox — enabled by default. Disable for static hair on animated characters.

Clear Binding

Remove animation binding data. Recompute after clearing.

Troubleshooting

  • Hair doesn't follow → Clear and recompute at rest pose
  • Hair lags one frame → Check mesh has no modifiers after hair
  • Hair explodes → Recompute at rest pose, check mesh scale

Groom Transfer

Transfer a hairstyle from one mesh to another.

Target Mesh Selection

  • Dropdown — Lists all meshes in the scene
  • Eyedropper (👁) — Pick from viewport selection
  • Refresh (↻) — Update mesh list

Transfer Modes

| Mode | Best For | |------|----------| | UV Coordinates | Same character, different topology | | Nearest Point | Similar shapes, any topology | | Nearest Normal | Curved surfaces, preserves orientation | | Projection | Similar poses, slight shape differences |

Transfer Options

  • Preserve Length — Keep original strand length (recommended: ON)
  • Preserve Shape — Keep hair shape (recommended: ON)
  • UV Tolerance — Matching tolerance for UV mode (default: 0.01)
  • Max Distance — Search radius for nearest-point modes (default: 10.0)

Transfer Workflow

  1. Style hair completely on source character
  2. Select target mesh from dropdown
  3. Choose transfer mode (UV Coordinates for same character, Nearest Point for different characters)
  4. Enable Preserve Length and Preserve Shape
  5. Click "Transfer Groom"
  6. Hair appears on target mesh

Tips

  • Same character, different mesh: Use UV Coordinates mode
  • Different characters, similar shape: Use Nearest Point mode
  • Very different characters: Use Nearest Normal, may need restyling after transfer
  • Transfer fails: Increase UV Tolerance or Max Distance

Common Workflows

Animated Character Setup

  1. Create and style hair at rest pose
  2. Click "Compute Animation Binding"
  3. Test animation — hair should follow
  4. If issues, clear and recompute

After Mesh Changes

  1. Modify mesh (sculpting, subdivision)
  2. Auto-rebind triggers automatically (or click "Rebind Now")
  3. Animation binding persists

Transfer Between Characters

  1. Complete styling on source
  2. Select target mesh
  3. Choose appropriate mode
  4. Transfer
  5. Adjust if needed