The provided source material offers insights into obtaining and creating free hair assets for Daz Studio, a 3D character creation and rendering application. The information covers two primary methods for acquiring free hair: downloading pre-made assets from community repositories and using the software's built-in Strand-Based Hair system. Additionally, the sources discuss a free player for the "Look at My Hair" plugin, which allows users to apply and edit certain hair presets. Specific free hair assets mentioned include "Zoro_d" hair for Genesis 3 and Genesis 8 females, "Bblythe Hair" textures, and various refits for older Victoria 4 and Michael 4 figures. The sources also provide guidance on using the Strand-Based Hair editor, including performance settings and the interface layout.
Free Pre-Made Hair Assets
Community sources identify several free hair assets available for download, though availability may change over time.
Zoro_d Hair for Genesis 3 and Genesis 8 Females
According to a community forum post, user "zoro_d" released a piece of free hair compatible with both Genesis 3 Female (G3f) and Genesis 8 Female (G8f) figures. The post directs users to a download link on sharecg.com. The source notes that the hair has been tested with dForce physics simulation, with mixed results; while the simulation works, the user reported that it may cause figures to become invisible when rendering with the Iray render engine, though it functions correctly with Delight rendering.
Bblythe Hair Textures
A separate entry mentions a "Trans Map" texture resource for the "Bblythe Hair" product, which is designed for Genesis 8 Females. This resource is hosted on sharecg.com. The source material does not provide details on the specific visual changes the texture map provides, only that it is a texture resource for that specific hair product.
Victoria 4 and Michael 4 Hair Refits
Source [1] lists a significant collection of hair refits for older generation figures, specifically Victoria 4 (V4) and Michael 4 (M4). These appear to be archived or legacy freebies.
Victoria 4 Hair Fits: The list includes refits categorized by the original artist or style creator. The specific styles mentioned include: - Various Artists: Pregipessa, Renella, Fair Fae, Long Story, Wildcat, Destiny, Slick, Allura, AprilSH Shimada, BP Bettypage, CC Hair, Chloe, JoeleGecko Pinup, Magix VR, Miki Chelle, Norientin, Rapsody, Raven Mohawk, RWaller Roz. - StudioMaya: AnimeFlip-vic, Bandanna, BobHair, CCut, FlipStyle, MD1Casquette, MDBob, RastaStyle, RobinHair, RollHair1, RollHair2, ShortCut, Simple, SpiralTwinTail, StraightHair, TwinChignonVic, TwinTail, WesternHatnHair, WildTailVic, YunaHair. - Neftis: VeryFrench, pompadourv3. - Mylochka: Alterra, Angela2, DrouPrincess, LadyJane, Lovey2, Thug. - Lisbeth: Arianav3, Paris. - Lab108: mitsuamishowa. - Kozaburo: KOZWAVE, Updo2. - Honey: icho-gaeshi.
Michael 4 Hair Fits: - Sparky's A4 Long Hair Refits: Specifically noted for DAZ Males. - Neftis' Hair Fits: Listed for M4.
Availability and Access: The source indicates that some of these assets are unavailable. For the Sazzyazzca (KerWar) V4 hair fits, the original forum link is archived, and the source notes that only the "RAMWolff link" remains valid. This suggests that users seeking these legacy assets may need to navigate archive sites or specific community repositories.
Built-in Strand-Based Hair System
Daz Studio includes a free, built-in tool for creating hair without requiring external plugins. This system is described as accessible for beginners, though it offers a more limited scope compared to creating hair from scratch.
System Capabilities and Limitations
The Strand-Based Hair system is a strand-based tool that allows users to manipulate a series of sliders and tools to achieve a desired hairstyle. It is noted as being "totally free" and integrated directly into the software. However, it is not as comprehensive as full manual modeling. The system can be performance-heavy, particularly on older systems or graphics cards.
Creation Process
To use the tool, a user must first load a character into the scene. With the character selected, the user navigates to Create > New Strand Based Hair. A dialogue box allows the user to name the hair or accept a default name. A subsequent performance warning appears, offering "Normal" or "Low" settings for preview density, with "Low" recommended for systems without newer graphics cards.
Editor Interface
Once created, the Strand-Based Hair editor opens. The interface consists of: - Preview Window: Displays the character and hair. - Six Tabs: Located at the top, these are used consecutively to build the hair: Setup, Paint, Distribute, Style, Clump, and Tweak. - Settings Panel: Located to the right, containing workspace and global settings.
The source mentions that the viewport may load entirely black in some instances, though it does not provide a solution for this issue.
Look at My Hair (LAMH) Free Player
The "Look at My Hair" (LAMH) plugin is a tool for creating and editing hair within Daz Studio. While the full version is a paid product, a free player is available.
Free Player Features
The free player allows users to load and apply most "Look at my Hair" presets or .DUF files that contain LAMH nodes. It provides a limited set of editing capabilities compared to the full version. Users can edit the following properties: - Preview density - Complexity - Shader - Quantity - Root, tip, and specular colors - Root and tip thickness
Additionally, material editing can be performed directly from the Daz Studio Surface Pane.
Full Version
The source distinguishes the free player from the full version, which offers "more control" and is described as necessary for users who want to "be the barber and play with all the tools and features." The full version is accessible at www.daz3d.com/look-at-my-hair.
Human Hair Shader
The "Look at My Hair" product features a "Human Hair Shader" designed to add a higher degree of realism to human figures. This shader is included in the full version and is intended to improve the visual quality of hair renders.
Theory and Best Practices
While the primary focus of the sources is on specific assets and tools, there is mention of theoretical concepts useful for 3D hair creation.
Hair Section Theory
Source [2] references "Hair Section Theory," a concept used by cosmetologists and hairstylists. This theory involves splitting a head of hair into sections to understand how to style it naturally. The source suggests that 3D artists can use this theory to recreate realistic hair styles. It notes that many YouTube videos explain the location of these sections on the head, though specific videos are not cited in the source material.
Realism and Difficulty
The sources acknowledge that creating realistic hair is notoriously difficult due to the complexity of natural hair, which consists of approximately 100,000 individual strands. Factors such as color, texture, and curl pattern contribute to the difficulty. Many artists spend a significant amount of time on hair creation, often comparable to the time spent on the character figure itself. While the built-in Strand-Based Hair tool is accessible, the sources imply that pre-made assets or more advanced tools like the full "Look at My Hair" plugin may be necessary for highly detailed results.