I'm having some hair/fur trouble

[chris]

Hello All,

 

Oh man it has been a LONG time (over a year I think) since I'm visited here. I haven't had much time in the last few years to spend much energy/time in 3D but I'm making an effort to get back into it. Man I missed it! Anyway, I've started by trying to finish off a few projects that I left unfinished, in doing so I have run into a few issues between the way certain features work back in version 11 through 12.5 and version 14.0c which I am currently using. (Until I know I'm going to have the time and be able to stick with it I wasn't planning on upgrading to version 15 yet as there are changes in the way subscriptions work now.)

 

OK I will post 2 renders the first is a link to a file I had rendered back in version 12 I think. Notice the definition in the hair, the variation in colour, the sheen. It didn't seem to matter what lighting I put that hair under it always looked really nice.

 

 

Now look at my best attempt in version 14.0c. I've played with so many settings and just can't get anything but a flat look no matter what I try. I've tried different shaders too (including Kajiya-Kay which I understand was the old version 12 default shader), but still can't seem to find the right mix. Please try not to mind that it was rendered in the modeling window, it renders almost identically in the Choreography window.

 

 

Unfortunately I don't have the original fur material from the first render as the file was accidentally and unfortunately saved over with the current version material and has MANY settings changed by now so I can't even tell you what settings I had anymore in the first render. But I can tell you that it didn't look the same when I first imported it into version 14 the first time, I remember that!

 

The thing is I'm not looking to find the exact settings, I just am trying to find out how to get the control over the look of the hair I found so easy back in version 12(ish). It almost doesn't even look like the same bear. I know the hair system is WAY better now, I just can't seem to figure out how to get a handle on the settings. CAN ANYONE HELP! PLEASE!!!

 

Thanks.

[robcat2075]

I dont' know much about hair, but I'd speed up the experimenting stage by just putting the hair material on one patch and testing with that.

 

It kind of looks like "ambiance" is set to something other than 0. that would cause a flat dull look.

[NancyGormezano]

Looks to me like you don't have specularity set somewhere - either in the hair shader (if using something other than normal), lights, hair emitter, etc

 

Show us the settings you are using for the hair material as well as the render with render settings.

[Fuchur]

I am quite sure that you just have to set "Plugin Shaders" to "On" in your Renderingsettings.

(just to on... dont set anything else underneath)

 

Can be activate at the render to file-dialog or at options -> rendering or if you setted it this way directly at the camera. (if Camerasettings are used. Can be seen at options->renderings)

 

-> Explaination:

You very likely used a hairshader on you Plugin-Shader -> Specularity-Setting. If you dont set your Plugin-Shaders to on in the rendersettings, these properties will just be ignored and you dont get the shader to work.

 

*Fuchur*

[johnl3d]

you could use the " old hair" shift click when picking hair

[John Bigboote]

You will want to use the 'MuHair' shader and MAKE SURE-as Fuchur said- to turn ON the 'Plugin Shaders' in your render dialogue. EDIT--- there are some MAJOR revisions done to hair in the latest version...well-worth the upgrade for anyone working with hair.

[chris]

THANK-YOU ALL!

 

That was it! Shaders was turned OFF in render settings, I can't believe I forgot about that.

 

Below is my first test on the Bear with Shaders turned ON in render settings, much better but still some tweaking needed.

 

 

This was rendered with Muhair, and yes robcat2075 I have been testing it on something other than the Bear, both on a single patch and also on a "fur ball".

 

Thanks again.

[rusty]

Hi Chris,

 

If you plan on animating this model (and btw it looks great) or have it in an animation, I'd try some quick thrown together tests ASAP. Hair can do funny things (at least in version 14 and below) when moved or... if just the camera moves. This seems to happen where there are 5 or 3 point patches or where there are hooks. By funny things I mean move when it clearly shouldn't, strains or small groups thrusting outward and/or shimmer. I believe all of this can be corrected by taking various steps.

 

Rusty

[chris]

Currently I'm just planning to use it in stills. Actually though there are very few if any 3 or 5 point patches in this model if I remember from when I built it. I'd have to go home and check it over but I have no plans to animate him yet... though I will be rigging him because I may eventually use him in a book or something and it would certainly be easier to pose if he was rigged.

[Eric2575]

Chris:

 

Could you post your hair settings please? How many control points are you using?

 

Eric