MetaHuman Groom Workspaces

MH_Guides_Scalp

• MH_guides_scalp workspace contains all the guide data that is created for the groom. In this case the Guide Groom tool is used for generating and shaping the guides. Guides workspace is referencing Out Head and Out Skin VDB nodes from the Skin geo node. Input Skin and Skin VDB Nulls are connected to Guide Groom, and its outputs are connected to the MH Groom Doctor to ensure outputs to workspace are compliant with Unreal Engine.

Strand workspaces contain strands groom graphs, MH Groom Builder nodes being responsible for scattering and generating interpolated hair using guide curves, skin geometry , and skin VDB inputs. Resample nodes are used for adjusting the number of points per curve and Guide Process nodes for styling guides and interpolated hair. Final outputs are run through the MH Groom Doctor to identify or repair possible issues when connecting to the workspace outputs.

MH_Scalp_Top

• The MH_scalp_top workspace incorporates several Split nodes to isolate guide inputs relevant to this layer, along with a Masks section for applying additional density and region-based masks. The strand grooming network leverages multiple MH Groom Builder nodes for hairline, pulled back region, and braids. For the braids region, the MH Groom Builder operates in Use Strand Input mode, referencing curves generated via MH Tube Fill node. The MH Groom Braid system utilizes MH Guide to Tube, MH Tube Fill, Guide Skin Attrib Lookup, and Hair Clump 2.0 nodes to construct the braids. Resample nodes are included for optimization, while Guide Process nodes handle additional guide and interpolated hair refinement.

MH_Scalp_Top_Knot

• The MH_scalp_top_knot workspace uses three Split nodes to isolate incoming guides specific to this layer, defining three distinct regions for the strays and the knot. The Masks section includes multiple density masks, while MH Groom Attribute UV Jitter nodes introduce controlled noise along the edges of the masked regions. The strand grooming portion of the graph combines several MH Groom Builder nodes to scatter and generate interpolated hair from the guide curves, with Guide Process nodes applied to refine and style both the guides and the resulting interpolated strands.

MH_Scalp_Braids_Cornrows

• The MH_scalp_braids_cornrows workspace isolates the braid curves that form the foundation for the braids and cornrows. A Masks section includes additional hairline density masks to refine coverage along the hairline areas of the cornrows. The strand grooming portion of the graph contains dedicated MH Groom Builder nodes for each braid and cornrow, using Use Strand Input mode for curves generated with MH Tube Fill nodes. An MH Groom Braid setup integrates MH Guide to Tube, MH Tube Fill, Guide Skin Attrib Lookup, Hair Clump 2.0, MH Groom Cornrows, and MH Groom Rooter nodes to construct a complete braided and cornrow structure. Separate MH Groom Width nodes define the final strand width output and introduce randomized variation along the curves. Resample nodes are used to control point count per curve, while Guide Process nodes handle the final styling guides.

MH_Scalp_Short_Sides

• The MH_scalp_short_sides workspace uses the Split node to isolate the hairline, short sides, neck and specific clumping guides. In the Masks section additional density masks define the hairlines and clump specific region of the short sides.  MH Groom Attribute UV Jitter nodes add noise along the edges of the density mask regions of the hairline and short sides. The strand groom part of the graph includes a MH Groom Builder node for each region defined by the density masks. These being responsible for scattering and generating interpolated hair using guide curves.

MH_Scalp_Sideburns

• The MH_scalp_sideburns workspace includes a single Split node to isolate the incoming left and right sideburn guides. Within the Masks section, a dedicated density mask is painted for each sideburn region to control strand placement. The interpolated hair portion of the graph features two MH Groom Builder nodes, one generating clumped strands and the other producing non-clumped strands which are then combined using an MH Groom Merge node for the final output.

MH_Scalp_Pulledback_Ponytail

• The MH_scalp_pulledback_ponytail workspace includes a Split node to isolate the guide curves for the ponytail and braid tie regions, along with separate stray guides. Additional density masks for the strays and underlying hairline are defined within the Masks section of the graph. The strand grooming portion includes dedicated MH Groom Builder nodes for clumped strands, fill regions, hairline, braid ties, and strays used to generate interpolated hair. For the braid hair ties, an MH Groom Braid setup incorporating MH Guide to Tube, MH Tube Fill, Guide Skin Attrib Lookup, and Hair Clump 2.0 nodes is used to create the final braid structure.

MH_Scalp_Ponytail

• The MH_scalp_ponytail workspace isolates guides specific to this layer using a Split node to separate clump, short, braid, and stray guides. Within the Masks section, additional density masks define the ponytail’s distribution and region-specific detail.  The strand grooming portion of the graph utilizes multiple MH Groom Builder nodes to scatter and generate interpolated hair based on guide curves, skin geometry, and skin VDB inputs, organizing the ponytail into distinct regions for short, clumping, stray, and braided strands. An MH Groom Braid setup incorporating MH Guide to Tube, MH Tube Fill, Guide Skin Attrib Lookup, and Hair Clump 2.0 nodes is used to construct a complete braid set. MH Groom Width nodes control the final strand width output of the braids and introduce randomized variation along the curves, while Guide Process nodes provide additional styling for both guides and interpolated hair.

MH_Assembly Groom

• The MH_assembly_groom workspace is used to combine multiple groom graphs created in separate workspaces prior to export. Name nodes are used to define the Group and exported Name of each layer. When exporting both Strands and Guides, the names must match to ensure the corresponding guides properly drive the strand layer in Unreal Engine.

  In this Advanced Groom Template, five group_ids are defined, group_id 0 for the scalp, group_id 1 for the ponytail, group_id 2 for the ponytail braids, group_id 3 for the fan strays, and group_id 4 for the sideburns. This separation allows for individual group_ids to be simulated independently from each other when setting up the groom in Unreal Engine.

  As an example of optimization within this graph, MH Groom Cull and MH Groom Width nodes are used to reduce strand and guide counts while simultaneously increasing strand thickness. Further adjustments can be made on these nodes to reduce or increase the values.