Fibers (fur, hair)
Render hair and fur as organized fiber masses with believable volume, flow, thickness, and light response.
What it is
Hair and fur consist of bundled strands organized into clumps and an overall mass. You establish areas that are thick or thin, straight or curled, groomed or messy, then light the mass as a simple form before adding strand detail.
Work across 3 scales: the large shape, such as a hair helmet, ponytail, or fur volume; mid-scale clumps, such as wedges, ribbons, and tufts; and selected fine strokes or flyaways that suggest individual strands.
Light scatters within and between strands. Lit areas use soft halftones and brighter accents where light catches the fibers. Shadows retain some internal softness and bounced light. Strokes follow growth from root to tip, wrap around the skull or body, and separate at tips and edges.
Why it matters
This control keeps hair and fur from reading as hard sheets, noisy marks, or flat shapes that ignore the form beneath. Over-detailing can weaken the value structure, while weak grouping can remove the sense of flow. Organizing fiber volume, clumps, and light supports hairstyles and coats at small and close viewing scales.
You can check it when
- ✓At thumbnail size, your hair or fur still shows its volume, flow direction, and light-to-shadow pattern.
- ✓You can render short dark fur and long light hair as different materials through their grouping, length, and stroke behavior.
- ✓Strokes follow growth around the head or body, emerge from roots, wrap over forms, and taper at tips.
- ✓Fibers form solid masses, broken edges, and a controlled number of flyaways, with detail distributed unevenly across the surface.