Applying PixelHair to metahuman or custom character in Unreal

Unlike the character mesh, you can’t just drag and drop the PixelHair/hair into the Unreal scene.

Instead, we need to attach the PixelHair/hair to the character as a component inside the character’s blueprint. This ensures that:

The PixelHair/hair follows the character wherever it is used.
The hair is always included when the character is referenced in animations, cinematics, or gameplay.

Open the Character Blueprint

Since PixelHair must be added as a component, we need to open the MetaHuman or custom character blueprint:

If you’re using a MetaHuman → Skip to the next section (the blueprint already exists).
If you’re using a custom character without a blueprint → Follow the steps below to create one before proceeding.
However if you already have a character blueprint like the metahuman, skip the next section ( Adding PixelHair as a Groom Component in the Blueprint ) .

Setting Up a Character Blueprint for Custom Characters

If you’re using a custom character that doesn’t already have a character blueprint, follow these steps to create one.

Create a New Character Blueprint

1. Open the Content Browser in Unreal.
2. Right-click in the folder where your character is stored.
3. Select “Blueprint Class”.
4. In the new window, choose “Character” as the parent class.
5. Name your blueprint (e.g., “MyCharacter_BP”).
6. Double-click to open the Blueprint Editor.

Add Your Character to the Blueprint

Before continuing, we need to assign your custom character to the blueprint.

1. In the Blueprint Editor, look at the top-left corner under “Components”.
2. Find “Mesh (CharacterMesh0)” and click on it.
3. On the right side, under Mesh Settings, you’ll see a box labeled “None”.
4. Click the box and assign your custom character as the mesh.

With your character blueprint set up, we can move forward in the tutorial

Adding PixelHair as a Groom Component in the Blueprint

With the character blueprint open, we now need to attach the PixelHair/hair as a Groom Component so it follows the character.

Step 1: Add a Groom Component

For MetaHumans:

• In the Components panel, you’ll see a list of groom components that MetaHuman already uses.
• Select the existing groom components

For Custom Characters ( With No Groom Component Yet):

1. Click the “Add” button at the top of the Components panel.
2. Search for “Groom” and select “Groom Component”.
3. Rename it to “Hair” (for consistency with MetaHuman components).
4. Drag the Groom Component onto “Mesh (CharacterMesh)” so it attaches to the character’s body.

Step 2: Assign the PixelHair Groom Asset

Now, whether you’re using MetaHuman or a custom character, follow these steps:

1. Click on the Hair Groom Component in the Components panel.
2. Look to the right-side panel and scroll down to find “Groom Asset” under the Groom section.
3. Click on the setting and select your imported PixelHair Groom asset.

Step 3: Check the Hair in the Viewport

• Switch the Blueprint Editor to the Viewport to preview the hair.
• In many cases, you might notice the PixelHair/hair is floating above the character or even on the floor.

To fix the Hair position, we need to bind it to the character’s head.

Step 1: Open the Binding Options

1. Minimize the Blueprint Editor and return to the Content Browser.
2. Find the imported PixelHair Groom asset.
3. Right-click on the groom asset and select “Create Binding”.

Step 2: Bind the Hair to the Character

1. In the Binding Options window, look for “Target Skeletal Mesh”.
2. Click the dropdown and select your MetaHuman or custom character mesh.
3. Once selected, click “Create”.

Step 3: Return to the Character Blueprint

1. Unreal should automatically take you back to the Blueprint Editor after creating the binding.
2. Go to the top of the window and switch to your MetaHuman or custom character blueprint.

Step 4: Apply the Binding to the Groom Asset

1. In the Blueprint window, click on your Groom Component (Hair).
2. Go to the Groom Asset settings (right-side panel).
3. Under the Groom Asset setting, you’ll now see a “Binding” option.
4. Click on it and select the binding asset you just created.

Step 5: Confirm the Hair Alignment

• Once the binding asset is applied, the PixelHair/hair should automatically snap into place on the character’s head.
• Now your character and its new hairstyle are fully set up!

That’s it! Enjoy Your Character’s New Look

Your character is now ready to use with PixelHair in Unreal Engine. You can now freely use, animate, and modify the character with the new hairstyle.