Kristinka Hair 3.0 released

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Kristinka Hair 3.2Author: Anto Matkovic
The July 2014 update is another big one introducing new nodes like »Fit NURBS«, »Curls advanced«, »Curvature Amplifier«, »Grouping in Form« »Follow CurveList« »Stretch Hair« »Hair Filler Rounded« — for a full description see the si-community thread and the updated documentation.

The Kristinka Hair toolset is a new and unique way to set up, style and simulate hair using ICE nodes. A set of fully customizable ICE nodes Scalable, from only a few basic compounds for building basic hair, to very complex structures. Hair styling that always considers the whole shape of the hair. Styling works well for short and for long hair. Unlimited hair length, unlimited number of hair segments. Automatic, procedural generation of details - always with full control. Locks, clumps, curls, turbulence, are created by ICE compounds Additional modifiers, like cutting hairs by external geometry, constant strand length for key frame animation, resampling and subdividing strands, morphing with another hair, modulating hair's distribution over emitter, so user can increase density on most visible areas Full support for the Sofimage's built-in Strand Dynamics Framework simulation engine. Only factory ICE nodes were used, it should work nicely with any Softimage version from 7.01 on.

Other media available: Version 3.1's online 'first steps' tutorial. si-community user Bronco67 has created a video introduction for an earlier version available here. Also: A rendering tests thread, a TV ad by PsyOp featuring Kristinka Hair.

In case you want to apply kH3 nodes and dynamics on top of strands that were not generated by kH3 itself, here is a setup to enable that.

local backup: kristinka_hair_32_02july2014.rar

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Mathaeus
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Re: Kristinka Hair 3.0 released

Post by Mathaeus » 22 Oct 2014, 23:03

izze wrote: As far as the dreadlocks go. The only thing I really "modified", was adding modifiers to only the strands effected by follow curves node. It got pretty difficult to see clearly the results of Curve Adv when it was applied to the whole pointcloud.

I had difficulty getting the curls to start close to the start of the curve. I had to put two points very close together to eliminate the InBlend. But if I knew ICE better, I could probably have modified that compound.

I am also duplicating the pointcloud to get the proper look for "loose" strands. Using Hair Tips node in combination with the very old Hair Length node. The one with Factor and Factor Minus. But this is still very much WIP and I will probably be able to eliminate the second pointcloud.

The last thing I am trying to accomplish is colored thread to wrap a few of the locks. Using Curl Adv again. It would be amazing if there was a way to push strands outside of strands. Maybe there already is :)
I hope I'll post some improvements, this weekend, here. Here's short plan:
1: a bit better visualizing. I know you already know, it's possible to get strand color per 'form' node, 'chunk' and so on, using 'kH randomize node;. Anyway wouldn't hurt to add a sort of 'diagnostic mode' to 'kh point color" node.
2: will add a few options to 'kH Curls Advanced' to enable it to start directly from hair root.
3: there is 'kh Follow CurveList' node in latest download, geometry input is curve with many sub-curves - this should save you from so many inputs, if you merge these curves, using some script or add on. However it seems it didn't worked in some mixes of situations and SI versions. Will try to make this node as much 'ordinary' under the hood - there is a chance it will work, in any situation.

i.animator
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Re: Kristinka Hair 3.0 released

Post by i.animator » 22 Oct 2014, 23:43

Thanks for showing my otto|rig work Izze :) i've been on the fence for a while now whether or not to share it.

@FXDude:

I'm really glad you liked what you saw of otto|rig :ymblushing: I made those videos back in March of 2012 and otto|rig has evolved quite a bit since then (I really need to get new videos out there). I would have loved to see how the community would have run with this. Unfortunately, at this time, there are not any plans to make it public (the tool is jointly owned and so not entirely mine to open source or monetize.)

We have been using, refining and adding to the otto|rig system since its inital completion in 2011. Gears, piston/shocks, suspension, wings, 3 & 4 joint IK/FK systems, squash & stretch FX rigs, etc. were all originally planned to be added until we got the gut-wrenching news about Softimage's untimely retirement. For instance, this one (based on the work that I did making rigs for the feature film "Werner - Eiskalt! (2011)") was almost "otto|mated":
http://www.screencast.com/t/E1xt4W2z6

Cheers,
-=Eric

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Draise
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Re: Kristinka Hair 3.0 released

Post by Draise » 23 Oct 2014, 18:47

That Otto|rig looks amazing... man I'd love to have that, personally!

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Re: Kristinka Hair 3.0 released

Post by Mathaeus » 25 Oct 2014, 00:02

Mathaeus wrote: I hope I'll post some improvements, this weekend, here. Here's short plan:
1: a bit better visualizing. I know you already know, it's possible to get strand color per 'form' node, 'chunk' and so on, using 'kH randomize node;. Anyway wouldn't hurt to add a sort of 'diagnostic mode' to 'kh point color" node.
2: will add a few options to 'kH Curls Advanced' to enable it to start directly from hair root.
3: there is 'kh Follow CurveList' node in latest download, geometry input is curve with many sub-curves - this should save you from so many inputs, if you merge these curves, using some script or add on. However it seems it didn't worked in some mixes of situations and SI versions. Will try to make this node as much 'ordinary' under the hood - there is a chance it will work, in any situation.
Here are these small improvements. There are three kh compounds in rar. As it is mentioned:
1:"kH Point Color 2" has an "diagnostic" option, to display strands in random colors, relative to kH chunk, guide, group or form node.
2:"kH Curls Adv" now has "enable in blend" switch - if this is off, curling start from hair root. Global blend, called "root to curls blend" is still present, but it's possible to set it to some very small value.
3:"kH3 Follow CurveList 2" uses curvelist as an input, so, no need for tons of references to curves, in ICE tree. Also, it distributes properly to closest sub curve - while with "kH Follow Curve" each curve input overrides the previous influence. Should work flawlessly with any version of SI. Just for info, from my experience, usual cause of problems belongs to filtering related to 'filtered' arrays. Select in array > if > distance is smaller than something > disable node, or like. My wild guess, in case of "if" ICE removes more data than it's expected, sometimes. This node is much much more 'ordinary' than one in download.

Get it here.

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Re: Kristinka Hair 3.0 released

Post by izze » 27 Oct 2014, 13:57

Image

Thank you !

sheerkohf
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Re: Kristinka Hair 3.0 released

Post by sheerkohf » 17 Nov 2014, 05:58

Great Work Sir !

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Re: Kristinka Hair 3.0 released

Post by sarah » 26 Jan 2015, 22:22

Hi guys,
I'm wondering if there is a way to prevent hair strand interpenetration when styling using the curl or advanced curl node. Even when I open the sample models, they all have that problem but from the renders I have seen on here, everything seems fine.

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Re: Kristinka Hair 3.0 released

Post by Mathaeus » 27 Jan 2015, 00:55

Hello
Unfortunately there's nothing, able to do that automatically. If there is, it will be really really slow to calculate in case of curls or similar. I'd believe the overlaps are just not so noticeable in final render. Note, that strands are displayed in SI viewport with around 1 pixel width, which is much more than you'll be using in render, anytime. Default for 'kh point color' node is no alpha (transparency), because this is a faster to display. By putting some transparency, you'll probably get something closer to final look - but, final reference should be a final render, I think.

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Re: Kristinka Hair 3.0 released

Post by sarah » 28 Jan 2015, 23:08

Thank you for your answer. If you don't mind I have another problem. I had decided to just go ahead and start shading my hair and testing renders but I get an unexpected result when I switch to 3Delight. Im no expert using the renderer but I did at least up the shading rate and yet I get this.

I tried it with the sample models to see if maybe it was my ice tree that was messed up but it looks the same...
Any ideas on what causes that?

Im using Softimage 2014 with the latest from 3Delight
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3delight.jpg

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Mathaeus
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Re: Kristinka Hair 3.0 released

Post by Mathaeus » 29 Jan 2015, 09:55

sarah wrote:I had decided to just go ahead and start shading my hair and testing renders but I get an unexpected result when I switch to 3Delight. Im no expert using the renderer but I did at least up the shading rate and yet I get this.

I tried it with the sample models to see if maybe it was my ice tree that was messed up but it looks the same...
Any ideas on what causes that?

Im using Softimage 2014 with the latest from 3Delight
In 3delight and other Renderman complaints, lower value for shading rate = better quality and a little bit more expensive. For hair let's say it's OK to keep the shading rate value around 1 or 2. Also, anti-aliasing to something else than Box filter. For example, Mitchell filter, oversampling to 6, width to 4. Try to keep the strand size to higher than 0.2, for start. Smaller strand size asks for more samples and higher quality settings.
By the way, 3delight automatically takes care about sampling of contours (hair is just contour and nothing else, here), so it should render OK even with high shading rates like 10 or 20 (which is a really low quality), but at this point, it won't be able to draw properly a nice, curved interpolation.

If nothing of that helps, then I missed the point, probably....

julius
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Re: Kristinka Hair 3.0 released

Post by julius » 12 Feb 2015, 16:13

hello,

I would like to start learning Kh3 with my basic ICE knowledge, but I already have a problem :

- is kH3 compatible with 2015_SP1 version of softimage ? I have a crash when I open any of the sample models provided.
- is there any other detailed tutorial than the area one ?

Thanks for your answer ! ;)

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Re: Kristinka Hair 3.0 released

Post by Mathaeus » 12 Feb 2015, 21:23

julius wrote:hello,

- is kH3 compatible with 2015_SP1 version of softimage ? I have a crash when I open any of the sample models provided.
- is there any other detailed tutorial than the area one ?
It's based solely on ICE factory nodes, there is no any external code involved, so 'compatibility' should be out of question. However samples were created in XSI 7.01. That I know, last version where it worked, it is first SI 2015. Have no idea what happens - maybe - you can get it to work by exporting models from some just a bit older version than 2015 SP1.

There's tutorial and docs on my site too, but both of them covers only the stuff, specific to kH system. For example, it won't tell anything about getting the hair color from texture map and such tasks, because method is same as with factory particles - strands.

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Tekano
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Re: Kristinka Hair 3.0 released

Post by Tekano » 12 Feb 2015, 22:10

ah whilst I saw this thread, just wanted to post a wip from a previous job which can be seen here http://www.glassworks.co.uk/video/eurom ... %20lottery where the hair was entirely styled with curves in KH3. thanks again Mathaeus
hair_wip_pose.jpg
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Re: Kristinka Hair 3.0 released

Post by julius » 12 Feb 2015, 22:32

thanks for your reply,

I made some tests on a new sphere, and it works well.
I'll try to export some models to see what happen.

ok, I'll have to achieve a character with medium hair lenght and beard. I think it should be ok, but I think the main problem for me will be the dynamic part (yes ! hair and beard will have to react to collisions and wind !)
It should be possible with syflex : https://vimeo.com/20112098
As I'm a beginner with ICE, I may comeback with some questions if I don't bothers you.

Thanks again for all the great work !

Very nice work from glassworks. (rendered with redshift)

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Re: Kristinka Hair 3.0 released

Post by Mathaeus » 13 Feb 2015, 12:38

julius wrote:
ok, I'll have to achieve a character with medium hair lenght and beard. I think it should be ok, but I think the main problem for me will be the dynamic part (yes ! hair and beard will have to react to collisions and wind !)
It should be possible with syflex : https://vimeo.com/20112098
As I'm a beginner with ICE, I may comeback with some questions if I don't bothers you.
(rendered with redshift)
Well this video is really old. While Syflex connection seems to be popular method, unfortunately, everything related to simulation is not really streamlined, at least not as styling part. Kristinka Hair is mainly focused to long hair styling. Generally it is based on old, well known concepts, of using the external geometry as envelope for hair. First time I sow something similar in some old example of Maya Paint Effects.
Around 2010 - 2011, kH system, as something based on visual programming system like ICE, perhaps it was one of strongest refinement of mentioned 'hair enveloping'. 2011 it was a last significant change in structure, by the way.
Today, it seems that 'compact' solutions are more popular, things like Maya Geo to Hair (GMH) , there are some solutions for Blender and Modo, too. Without too much refinement, but also much easier to use than system, completely based on ICE.
There are some experiments with Houdini, here in thread. But, even in v14, I think Houdini is still too weak for direct manipulation and rendering of complex hair. Direct manipulation and rendering = ability to do what is supposed to do, without going into complex, very unpleasant workarounds (and flexibility killers 'by self'), just to get the basic thing to work.
So long story short, if entire target is to create and move some hairs, there are many shortest paths these days, instead kH. Starting form mentioned Maya plugin.

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Re: Kristinka Hair 3.0 released

Post by julius » 13 Feb 2015, 14:01

thank you for these precisions Mathaeus,

the first thing is that I don't want to use maya. I very don't like the soft and have no money to give to autodesk anymore.

I'm looking into blender tools for some weeks, and it's thrue that some of them are very nice ! But the problem is to export the resulting data into softimage : I would like to model, animate and render my project with softimage and redshift...

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