XGen Modifiers

Use XGen modifiers to change the appearance and behavior of Spline primitives. For example, you can create hair clumps and coils for hair and fur as well as generate force and wind effects.

You can add multiple modifiers to a Description. XGen processes multiple modifiers as a stack, so their effect on the splines is additive. The modifier at the bottom of the stack gets computed first. XGen uses its output as the input for the modifier above it in the stack and so on. Stacking modifiers lets you create numerous unique effects for grooms or instanced splines.

You can save modifier attribute settings, to a modifier XGFX file. Use XGFX files to transfer or reuse a modifier in the same Description or other Descriptions. Modifier files only contain information about the modifier's attributes. They do not save information that the modifier uses by referencing it from other locations.

Important: Loading a modifier to a Description that is bound to polygon mesh with different topology than the one you saved it from may not produce the same results.

For information about adding and working with modifiers, see Shape and control primitives using XGen modifiers.

Using XGen modifiers you can:

Animate primitives using Maya curves or a NURBS surfaces. See AnimWires modifier options and Block Animation.
Bake information about the primitives in a Description to XPD files. See Groom Bake modifier and Snapshot.
Create forces such as wind and directional forces. See Wind and Force modifiers.
Modify the shape of Splines using a coil, control wires, or collision object. See Coil, Control Wires, and Collision.
Control the placement using clumping and noise vectors. See Clumping, Preserve Clumps, and Noise.
Cut Splines at specified locations or at intersections with geometry. See Cut Mesh Cut.