Watch Eyebrow Grooming Process in XGen in This Time-Lapse

Dominique Gagné explained his workflow.

Hair grooming is not an easy task if done right, and Dominique Gagné definitely has it figured out. If you want to see how professionals deal with 3D eyebrows, you're in the right place.

Gagné shared a time-lapse of this eyebrow grooming process done in Maya's XGen, explaining every step of the way.

To make realistic brows, the artist gathers references and projects them on the model's texture in Substance 3D Painter.

"This helps me quickly test my character’s look before jumping into grooming. Eyebrow placement can completely change a character’s expression, so being able to visualize that early on saves a lot of time."

He then applies the new texture in Maya and starts grooming. He places guides to match the reference, paints the density mask, uses Clump, Cut, and Noise modifiers, and then fine-tunes the width and length masks.

"I like to keep the center of the brow hair thicker and longer, and the edges thinner and shorter. It gives a more natural feel."

If you're wondering why Gagné didn't just mirror one eyebrow and then change it, it's because he believes that making them individually adds realism to the model.

You can see his other works, including a reimagining of the Baldur's Gate 3 character creator, made together with Louis-Alexandre Louchard, on LinkedIn.