Hair Meshes in the Game Industry: A Proposal for a New Hair Creation Pipeline

Abstract:

This thesis questions the overlooked nature of Hair Meshes (Bhokare et al., 2024) in the context of the hair creation pipeline for the video game industry. Dr. Cem Yuksel provides a novel hair creation technique which could be a breakthrough for a more efficient pipeline for artists, specifically in the light of the performance advancements which makes it relevant again to the game industry. In this research project, I attempt to gauge how useful this technology could be for the hair artist’s pipeline. I explain what the current state-of-the-art hair pipelines look like currently and why they might need improvements or adjustments. I give context to hair design principles, and present research papers that contextualise what makes hair so hard to get right. To review Hair Meshes, I make a complex groom in HairFarm, the only consumer implementation of the Bhokare et al. (2024) technology. I take note of the limitations between HairFarm and the custom solutions that were provided in Bhokare et al. (2024). Firstly, I perform a Pipeline Analysis within HairFarm, where I create both a complex and simple groom, and give a step-by-step guide to make a groom in HairFarm. Secondly, I provide a Theoretical Proposal of a Hair Creation Pipeline using Hair Meshes, where I propose two different research directions, and round out these pipelines with comments of hair professionals in the field and the developers of Hair Meshes. I also present the considerations that were brought up in the interview of Pipeline Supervisor Matthew Aitchison.