ZBrush Tip: Exporting FiberMesh as Production Hair Guides

FiberMesh guides provide an efficient bridge between a sculpted hairstyle in ZBrush and a strand-based hair system in another 3D application. Instead of exporting every fiber as polygonal geometry, export curves that can drive production hair, fur, or grooming tools.

Begin by creating and refining the FiberMesh while it is still in Preview mode:

• Mask the scalp or surface from which the fibers should grow.
• Open Tool > FiberMesh and click Preview.
• Adjust MaxFibers, Length, Coverage, Gravity, and Segments until the overall distribution is suitable.
• Use the FiberMesh profile and thickness controls for visual evaluation, but remember that exported guide curves primarily describe each strand’s path rather than its rendered width.

Before exporting, groom the fibers into clear, intentional clumps. Use ZBrush grooming brushes to establish the flow from root to tip. Large directional changes should be resolved first; small flyaways and simulation-driven details are generally better added in the destination hair system.

• Use GroomHairLong or GroomHairShort to define the main direction.
• Use GroomTurbulence sparingly to avoid noisy guides.
• Check the hairstyle from the front, side, back, and top.
• Confirm that roots remain close to the scalp and that guides do not pass through the head.

When the grooming is ready, use Tool > FiberMesh > Export Curves. ZBrush exports the fibers as curve data that can be imported into compatible applications and converted into guides for their native hair tools. Because destination software and plug-ins may expect different curve formats or axis conventions, perform a small test export before committing to the complete groom.

For a cleaner and more manageable transfer:

• Reduce guide density. A production groom rarely needs every preview fiber as a guide. Excessive curves can make importing, editing, and simulation unnecessarily slow.
• Use adequate segments. Too few segments produce angular curves; too many add weight without improving the hairstyle. Increase segments only enough to preserve the silhouette and major bends.
• Export logical regions separately. Divide scalp hair, eyebrows, beard, eyelashes, or fur patches into separate FiberMesh groups or SubTools. This makes material assignment and groom management easier downstream.
• Preserve a source file. Save the ZBrush project before accepting or converting FiberMesh so the original distribution and grooming settings remain editable.
• Verify scale and orientation. Import one region first, inspect root placement and curve direction, then apply any required axis or scale correction consistently.

In the destination application, treat the exported curves as a starting framework rather than a finished simulation. Rebuild density through interpolation, assign width and taper, generate clumps, and add procedural variation there. This workflow keeps ZBrush focused on artistic shape design while the dedicated hair system handles rendering and dynamics.

For current ZBrush licensing and purchasing options, visit NOVEdge’s ZBrush selection. Additional professional 3D tools for integrating guide curves into a broader pipeline are also available through NOVEDGE.

You can find all the ZBrush products on the NOVEDGE web site at this page.