XGen Guides Hidden After Normalize

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/maya-forum/xgen-guide-turn-into-curves-after-rebuild/m-p/9284457#M78731

This solution "half fixed?" the problem.  I followed his instruction to turned the utilities off, but the problem remains.

When I looked into my Outliner, there are a lot of empty groups in "xgGroom".  I deleted the "xgGroom" group, the problem gone.

Our Own Bowtruckle

It's a gift for my husband.  Needle wool felt.  Emmm... I may accidentally mixed my hairs in it because I didn't have black wool when I need it.

My New Reel

Finally, I have a new reel to conclude my 4 years of work in Oriental DreamWorks.

17th Century Men's Clothes For Steward

I downloaded a Steward's rig from Animation Mentor, and found some references online.

It's a book called

17th-Century Men's Dress Patterns, 1600 - 1630

by Jenny Tiramani and Susan North

Making clothes on Marvelous Designer is quite a lot of fun.

Qualoth Simulation Crashes Maya

This only happens on some machines. My machine at work was HP Z820, now it's Z840. They may have threading issues(?)
Maya crashes when Qualoth is running simulation.

First:

DG MODE IS A MUST!! Not Parallel!!

Second:

Do all qualoth simulation work in Legacy Default Viewport. Do not use Viewport 2.0

Notes: 小问题Creating nHair Dynamic Curves on A Skinned Scalp

pic1 correct

困扰：
Want to create nHair with selected curves on a skinned scalp, the follicles may be connected to scalp's "ShapeOrig" node instead of "Shape" node. This happens randomly. Because ShapeOrig node doesn't move, so the follicles won't follow scalp's movement.
To fix that, just need to reconnect them to scalpShape node, as pic1.

上图是follicleShape应该连在“头皮“上面的样子，现在发根可跟随“头皮”挪动了。但之前在创建时，它们的input Mesh和input World Matrix被连在了braidEnd_geoShapeOrig的out Mesh和World Matrix上面。

创建HairSystem时是选择线+面后用“Make Selected Curves dynamic”来创建的。


在帮助中搜索"shapeOrig",只有这一条出现。

Delete a blend shape deformer

When you delete a blend shape deformer (blendShape node), it and all its target shapes are removed from the base object. However, the base object retains the Tweak node as an Input node, so any tweaks you might have made on the base object are preserved.

Note: The base shape's ShapeOrig node is not deleted when you delete a blendShape node, but you can delete it manually or delete the object's history (choose Edit > Delete by Type > History or press Alt + Shift + D) if you don't want it in the scene.

 其他带有tweak node的模型也都有ShapeOrig node，这是和其他变形节点同时产生的。

https://forums.autodesk.com/t5/maya-dynamics/xgen-create-hair-system-nhair-not-all-curves-follow-surface/td-p/7551412
一条同样问题的贴，解释了这个问题，也是要手动去解决。

XGen Tube Based Grooming

Tube Based Grooming is a function in XGen allows user to create guides from tube-shaped polygons.  这个功能允许用户使用管状的多面体模型来生成毛发guides。
The guides created by this function have many benefits: 使用这个功能生成的guides有以下好处：

• The guides perfectly match polygon's shape 能完美贴合模型的形状
• The space between guides / The number of guides is easy to adjust 非常易于调整生成guides的数量和间距
• Automatically got a guide (plus a curve) positioned in the central point of the tube, this will make forming a clump at the exact place you want a lot easier. 自动在管状模型的正中生成一条guide（外加一条曲线），这会更容易在你想要的位置形成发簇。
• Even there's a gap between your hair polygon and the scalp, the guides will be generated to fill the gap. 就算你的头发和头皮模型中间有间隙，guides也是会紧贴头皮生成的。

正常生成的guides

 Notice: 注意：
The polygon must be a tube shape, quads only. That means it can't be a close or half-closed shape, and it can't has any triangle face, otherwise, this function won't work. 用来生成guides的多边体模型必须是管状的四边面模型。这表示此模型不能是封闭或半封闭的形状， 也不能有三角面，否则这个功能就不会生效。

模型必须是管状

• The polygon must be freeze before applying the function, otherwise the guide/curve in the center will be created at wrong place. 用来生成的多面体模型在生成guides前必须先被freeze过，否则生成在正中的guide和曲线位置会出现错误。
• !!! The polygon's direction matters.  多面体模型的方向会产生影响。

1. A polygon doesn't have a direction, you may say, but if the polygon was converted from a nurbs surface, and nurbs surfaces do have directions (UV points). These direction information somehow being memorized by the model even it was converted.  This causes the guides are coming out from the wrong side. 可能你认为多面体不具有模型方向，但如果此多面体是由曲面模型转换而成，曲面模型是具有方向性的（标明U/V的点）。这些方向信息即使在被转换成多面体过 后也会被保存下来。这会导致你的guides是从模型错误的一端生成。
2. The easiest way to check the polygon's direction is click on "Test" button next to "Guide Spacing", it will create some locators at the ROOT of the polygon. If the locators showed up at the tip of the model, means it needs to be reversed direction. 最简易的检查多面体模型的方法是点击“Guide Spacing” 后面的测试按钮，它会在模型的根部创建一些locator，如果locator在模型发尖的位置生成，就表示需要把这个模型的方向反转一下。
3. The easiest way to correct this is open UV Editor, select the geometry, flip its UVs in V direction first then test the locators again. If flipping it in V direction didn't work, try U direction. 最简单纠正这个的方法是打开UV编辑界面，选择模型，在V方向先翻转一下之后测试一下locator的位置。如果V方向翻转不生效，则在U方向尝试。

点击Test会出现表示根部的Locator

A modeler may start modeling from a Nurbs cylinder, and the bottom loop will be the starting point of the shape (has the square point).  And he/she moved this cylinder near the head and change the shape to become a bunch of hair, so the starting point will be at the tip when the model is done. 模型组极有可能会使用曲面圆柱开始建模，模型的最底一圈为起始。他直接把圆柱移动到头部附近开始调整形状来建成一束头发，所以起始点会最终在头发模型的尖端。

Other Tips：

• Guide Spacing, default=1, if you want the tool generate more guides, decrease this number. 引导线间距，此项默认为1，如果你想要生成更多的guides，降低此项数值。
• Cut Param, default=1, set to 0 if you want the guides length follow the polygon perfectly. 剪切值？默认为1，如果想要完美贴合模型的线就设为0，否则会根据发尖弯曲角度生成一些较短的。
• CV Frequency, default=1, set to higher value(5 maybe) to get more vertex on one guide, and the guide will follow the polygon better. 线段(点)频率，默认为1，设到5的话可以得到更贴合模型形状的guides。

Yeti - Character Scaling

1. Add a Transform Node at the end of the graph


2. In Attribute Editor, Under Graph-- User Variables, create a Vector named "scale"(or any other name).


3. Double click Transform Node and put "scale" (the vector's name) in Scale.
Set Detail as "Element" .


4. Change the number in the blanks see if they are working.


5. Add an attribute on a group or whatever so the vector values can be connected to.


6. Connect this attribute to every pgy's every "scale" vector value.


7. Now we can animate this attribute to follow character's scaling.
 

8. (problem)scaled-up character's fur looks thinner than before?
 Connect every pgy's Render Density to an added attributes to allow it render denser while the character scaling. Can also do the same thing for Render Width, but only a subtle amount, otherwise the fur will look too thick and rough.

9. Arnold  no longer support Maya Lights(probably). Especially yeti fur illuminated by Maya Lights, they look very odd in the render result.