[BY]
Dmytro Kremeznyi
[Category]
CGI
[DATE]
Nov 21, 2024
Ornatrix 3 brings new hair grooming tools and workflow improvements to Cinema 4D
Ephere has released Ornatrix 3 for Cinema 4D, the latest update to its plugin for creating dynamic hair, fur, and feathers in Maxon’s 3D software. This version adds the new Graft Grooms system, which lets users place pre-made procedural hair setups directly onto a character’s surface. It’s a quick and intuitive way to create detailed hair, using simple drag-and-drop tools. Users can choose from ready-made presets or design their own styles, which can be reused or shared across projects.
Another major addition is the option to “box” grooming operators. This combines multiple steps into a single Groom modifier, keeping workflows clean while staying editable. Operators can be unboxed anytime to make individual changes. There’s also a new baking system for modifiers, which caches their output. This speeds up performance and reduces artifacts, although it trades off some procedural accuracy.
The update also improves existing features, like Edit Guides, Guides from Guide Mesh, Clump, Surface Comb, Noise, and Mesh from Strands modifiers. Performance has been significantly optimized, with tasks like mirroring brushes up to 90% faster and some workflows seeing a 100x speed increase. These changes help artists work more efficiently, especially on complex projects.
Ornatrix for Cinema 4D first launched in 2020, bringing its advanced tools for creating hair to Maxon’s platform. It includes brush-based grooming and parametric workflows, along with physics-driven dynamics using Ephere’s Moov physics engine. Hair integrates well with Cinema 4D’s deformer and tag systems, working seamlessly with native forces. Artists can render hair natively in Arnold, Redshift, and Corona, or convert it to meshes or splines for OctaneRender and V-Ray. The plugin also supports importing and exporting hair in Alembic format and converting mesh strips to Ornatrix hair.
Even though the update came out last month, it hasn’t received much attention online. With its focus on improving speed and simplifying workflows, this release is a solid upgrade for animators and VFX artists.
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