Applying the hair to your character is a straightforward process. First, ensure you save your changes to preserve the current state of the hair before importing it into your project. Once saved, open a new Blender file and load your project.
Before applying the hair, it is important to note that the character’s head shape can significantly affects the final appearance. If the head closely matches an average human shape or aligns with the hair mesh, the result will resemble the previews shown on the website.
In some cases, artists have attempted to apply PixelHair over an existing sculpted hairstyle, which can result in an unnatural fit due to the additional volume and uneven scalp shape. To achieve the best results, ensure the character is bald with a proportional head shape. If necessary, adjust the scalp’s shape and size for an optimal fit.
To apply the hair, navigate to ‘File’ in the top-left corner of Blender, then select ‘Append’. This will open the file browser. Locate the saved hair file, double-click to open it, it should look like this.
Double-click “Object” to open the folder. Locate the object with the PixelHair mesh name identified earlier. (If you don’t remember the name, you can quickly check in the original file, which should still be open.) Select the correct object, then click “Append”.
The Pixelhair mesh will now be imported into your project, but it may not be positioned correctly. To align it properly, start by selecting the hair mesh. (If the particle hair system is visible, temporarily disable it in the viewport to improve performance and reduce lag while adjusting the mesh.)
Next, select the Move Tool. If the move gizmo is not centered on the Pixelhair mesh, right-click the mesh, choose ‘Set Origin’, then select ‘Origin to Center of Mass (Surface)’. This will reposition the gizmo to the center of the mesh.
Now, use the Move Tool to align the hair mesh over the character’s head. If necessary, scale the mesh by pressing ‘S’ and dragging the mouse. The goal is to fit the Pixelhair mesh as closely as possible to the character’s head, which should look like this.
If your hair mesh, like in my example, is partially inside the character’s head, don’t worry. We’ll use Blender’s sculpting tools to adjust it for a better fit.
First, make sure the hair mesh is selected. Then, switch from ‘Object Mode’ to ‘Sculpt Mode’ using the dropdown at the top-left corner of the window.
In Sculpt Mode, select the ‘Elastic Deform’ brush. Use your mouse to gently adjust the hair mesh, ensuring it fits better on the character’s head. The goal is to have most of the mesh outside the character’s head, as shown in the example below. This is important for the next steps. it’s better for the hair mesh to sit slightly above the scalp than to be embedded inside it.
The mesh doesn’t need to fit perfectly against the head; small gaps are fine. Pay close attention to the ears, ensuring that the hair mesh’s ear openings align properly with the character’s ears, as shown in the example below.
Now that the Pixelhair mesh aligns with your character’s head shape, the final step is activating the shrinkwrap modifier.
While still in Sculpt Mode, select the Modifier icon in the Properties Panel.
For some of you, the purchased Pixelhair might already have a shrinkwrap modifier set up. If it does, simply ensure it’s enabled. If not, you can add one manually.
Adding the Shrinkwrap Modifier to the PixelHair Mesh
- Click ‘Add Modifier’.
- Depending on your Blender version, you’ll see either:
- A list of modifiers → Scroll down and select ‘Shrinkwrap’.
- A search bar → Type ‘Shrinkwrap’, then select it when it appears.
- Once added, drag the Shrinkwrap Modifier to the top of the stack to ensure it applies correctly.
Now, the shrinkwrap modifier should be at the top of the modifier list, which is our focus.
With the shrinkwrap modifier open, locate the ‘Target’ setting. Next to it, you’ll see an eyedropper icon.
- Click the eyedropper icon.
- Move your cursor over your character’s head and click to select them.
- The character’s name should now appear in the ‘Target’ field. (Refer to the image below for clarification.)
- Find the ‘Snap Mode’ setting and change it to ‘Outside Surface’.
- Set the ‘Offset’ value to 0.0002m. (this depends on the scale of your character)
This ensures the Pixelhair mesh sits properly on top of the character’s scalp.
If applied correctly, the Pixelhair mesh will snap to your character’s head, achieving the desired fit. However, in some cases, you might encounter errors, particularly around the ear area. This happens when the Pixelhair mesh is too far from the scalp and closer to the ear, causing the shrinkwrap modifier to misinterpret the target surface.
Fixing Shrinkwrap Errors
- Deactivate the shrinkwrap modifier by turning off the TV icon in the modifier panel.
- While still in Sculpt Mode, select the Elastic Deform tool.
- Gently pull the Pixelhair mesh closer to the character’s head.
- Reactivate the shrinkwrap modifier.
This should correct the issue and properly align the hair mesh to the scalp.
With all errors fixed and the Pixelhair mesh properly aligned to your character’s head, it’s time to switch back to Object Mode.
Now, unhide the hair particles, and voilà! Your character now has the new hairstyle applied.
Feel free to render it or use it in your project as needed. Enjoy working with it!
Note: If you adjusted settings like strand steps and children amount earlier in this tutorial, make sure to apply these changes to the render settings as well. This ensures that your final render matches what you see in the viewport.
For example, if you lowered the viewport strand steps from 10 to 8, set the render strand steps to 8 as well. The same applies to children amount ensure the values match in both viewport and render settings.
Where to Adjust These Settings
- To find the render settings for strand steps, go to ‘Render’ → ‘Path’. The render settings will be right above the viewport version.
- For children amount, open the Children settings, where both viewport and render options are located next to each other, making it easy to match the values.
