hair cards for videogames

Learn how to create game-ready hair cards that look great and perform well. Master modern workflows for shaping, texturing, and optimizing hair for real-time engines — clean, efficient, and production-ready.

Course overview

Skill level
Intermediate
Software used
Software 1 Software 2 Software 3 Software 5
Number of lessons
5 Modules - 26 Lessons
Duration
6+ (Lifetime)
Teacher
Annabelle Sémaan
Course format
Pre-recorded (Access anytime)

course by

Program Overview

  • Create game-ready hair for 3D characters using ZBrush, XGen, FiberShop, and Maya
  • Generate hair splines in XGen and convert them into optimized hair cards
  • Adapt the workflow to your preferred software using solid, transferable theory
  • Analyze real references to identify hair clumps and sculpt strong hair silhouettes in ZBrush
  • Navigate Maya’s grooming tools and build a clean, functional hair base
  • Render realistic hair using two different methods, including materials and final presentation

Course schedule

Module 1 - Searching for references and analyzing them

  • Gather real hair images
  • Gather 3D references of hair goal
  • Identify the different clumps
  • Getting familiar with the hair scalp
  • Blocking out the hair in Zbrush
  • Use Zbrush to create the silouette of the hair
  • Introduction to Maya
  • Get familiar with the UI
  • Create Layers
  • Work with live
  • Set up short cut for shelf
  • Creating the scalp

Module 2 - Creating the hair spline for Xgen

  • Using the paint effect
  • Convert paint effect to curve
  • Smooth curves
  • Snap to scalpIntroduction to XGen
  • Setting up the project
  • Scale the head
  • Making the hair descriptions in XGen
  • Create a description
  • Description vs Collection
  • Setting up the hairs visuals

Module 3 - Adding modifiers to the hair

  • Defining the clumps; cut; curl; noise etc
  • Converting the hair spline to curves / introducing curves to card mesh
  • Downloading free Maya plugin
  • Convert splines to curves (2 methods)
  • Show different modifiers
  • Creating the hair cards
  • Using fibershop

Module 4 - Hair base (cards) in Maya

  • Starting the hair base(cards) in Maya*
  • Continuing hair base*
  • Adding direction of hair*
  • Fly away hair*

Module 5 - Rendering methods and presentation

  • Setting up materials and presentation
  • Two methods of rendering: Unreal Engine and Marmoset
  • Project wrap-up

Understanding Hair Types & Structure

Learn how to identify different hair types, clump patterns, and flow directions. Understand how real hair behaves so you can translate it into believable, game-ready hair.

Hair Blocking in ZBrush

Block out the hairstyle in ZBrush using clean silhouettes and strong volume. Focus on shape, flow, and readability before moving into production.

Hair Card Creation in FiberShop & Maya

Create optimized hair cards using FiberShop and assemble them in Maya. Learn efficient workflows for building clean, flexible, and engine-ready hair.

LookDev & Presentation in Marmoset

Set up materials, lighting, and cameras in Marmoset Toolbag to showcase your hair with modern, real-time rendering techniques.

Final Game-Ready Result

Finish with a polished, optimized hairstyle ready for game engines and portfolio presentation, following professional production standards.
Annabelle Sémaan

Annabelle Sémaan

Senior Character Artist @ Panache Digital Games.

Learn from an industry expert

Annabelle is a character artist working at Reflector Entertainment (Bandai Namco). She studied 3D animation in college, allowing her to get familiar with every aspect of a game pipeline (from modeling, to rigging, to animation, etc). Aiming for new heights is always top priority when working on a new portfolio piece. She hopes to share her passion with her students!
Four views of a woman's head with brown hair styled in a bun, on a gray background.
Four views of a knitted hat on a gray background with 'Awakening' branding.
Illustrations of a man with different hairstyles on a gray background

Select the perfect plan for your needs

Choose your plan

Popular

PRO

$ 99
One time payment
  • Full access to the complete course
  • Download all course files and materials
  • Access to the private Discord community
  • Learn at your own pace
  • LIFETIME access!
Get started

Frequently asked questions

Find answers to common questions below

  • The bulk of the program is offered as pre-recorded HD-quality videos. In addition to pre-recorded content, you will have access to live Q&A sessions, forum feedback, and small group peer-to-peer feedback.

  • Yes. You will get an invoice as soon as you complete the checkout, and if you need a business invoice for reimbursement, email us and we'll be happy to provide this too

  • We estimate about 3-4 hours of work per week during 12 weeks.
    If you're a beginner artist, plan extra time to master your sculpting skills

  • The program is beginner-friendly because we all start with a sphere. You need to know ZBrush fundamentals, to be successful, but we don't have any further requirements.

  • You can pick any human face, better if it's a recognizable celebrity. No limitations here.

  • ZBrush is the main tool. We use Marmoset and Marvelous Designer for presentation and a couple of other plugins that you will get access to as a student.

  • This course is designed to be fully self-paced, so you can learn and progress at your own speed, on your own schedule.

    If you’d like feedback or have questions along the way, you can always join our Discord community, where you can share your work, get guidance, and connect with other students.

  • You can always access the course anytime. Is life time access

What our students say

Real reviews from real students

Marlon gave very good advice and the pace of the course was just right. I learned lots and faster way to learn than just looking around random Youtube by myself.
Momoko Okabe
Canada
The best part is the simple way that Marlon approaches a difficult character, and the way he breaks it into simple steps to achieve an awesome character! Because the course gives you exactly what it offers, you can learn a cool workflow and how to tackle a character from point A to Z.
Martin Carrillo
Ecuador
I learned a lot, so I think it is super recommendable. The workflow and the constant correction of the mentor has given me another view of my work process.
Julio Padula
Argentina
The feeling of improvement the course gives to you - it's the best thing for me. Thanks to the overall organization and Marlon's human and technical skill the process of trial and error was not frustrating but funny and challenging. I've never stayed up so long at night having so much fun in "making 3D".
Francesco Gianfreda
Italy
I loved the length of the videos, it covered enough for me and then let me go off and figure stuff out for myself. The character I had was not the same as in the videos and there was a lot of room to go my own way. For me that was good as I had done enough step by step courses and some things don't stick that way. But using what I was taught in the videos on my own character brought up new challenges and locked a few things into place.
Sean Olsen
Ireland
Outstanding quality and value. The instructors are experts in their field and make complex topics accessible to everyone.
Michael Chen
Singapore

Stylized characters


Learn how to create stylized characters that feel alive. Master shape language, anatomy, and design through a clear, start-to-finish workflow that takes you from sculpt to final render

 check now
Close-up of Michael Jordan in 3D wearing a red sports jersey with a dark background

Likeness Course

Learn how to sculpt accurate, believable likeness with confidence. Master facial anatomy, structure, and a proven likeness workflow that takes you from a simple sphere to a production-ready digital portrait — no guessing, just results.

 check now

hair for videogames

Learn how to create game-ready hair cards that look great and perform well. Master modern workflows for shaping, texturing, and optimizing hair for real-time engines — clean, efficient, and production-ready.

 check now