Ornatrix App Beta Groom Panel Tutorial: Parameters, Python Script and Export to 3ds Max

A hand built Ornatrix groom is usually a stack of operators only the artist who created it fully understands. This tutorial shows how to turn that groom into a reusable, parameter driven asset that any artist on the team can safely adjust, using the Groom panel in Ornatrix App Beta.

The problem: grooms that only the original artist can touch

A groom built from many operators and parameters gives full creative control, but it is fragile to hand off. If someone else needs to reuse or adjust it, they either have to understand the entire operator stack or risk breaking the look. The Groom panel in Ornatrix App Beta solves this by letting the artist expose only the parameters that matter.

The solution: the Groom panel

By default the Groom panel is empty. Pressing Edit opens a mode where parameters can be added in two ways: Auto Generate, which exposes every parameter of every operator in the groom, or picking specific parameters by hand. Auto Generate is fast but defeats the purpose of simplifying the groom, so the tutorial focuses on selecting individual parameters instead.

Exposing Length, Frizz and Curl

• The Length parameter is exposed from the length operator, with a usable range set between 0 and 2.
• The Frizz parameter is added from the frizz operator, exposing both amount and scale, renamed to Frizz Size and Frizziness.
• The Curl parameter is added from the curl operator, exposing magnitude and phase, renamed to Curl Size and Curliness.

Once accepted, the groom keeps just these few adjustable values instead of the full list of operators and parameters, which makes it far more intuitive for another artist to use.

Editing parameters through the Python script

Every parameter exposed in the Groom panel is backed by a Python script, accessible through the Edit Script button. Each parameter is defined with a name, a type and a lambda function that operates on the groom graph, along with minimum, maximum and default values. The script can be edited directly and reloaded with Update From Script.

Exporting as a Graft Groom into 3ds Max

Once the parameters are set up, the groom can be exported as a Graft Groom in OXE format directly into the Ornatrix 3ds Max Grooms folder. Opening the groom inside 3ds Max preserves every exposed parameter and the full procedural behavior of the original groom.

Random Seed for variation across a crowd

The Random Seed parameter, available at the top of every operator, randomizes the seed of every operator in the groom that supports it. This produces a completely different result for curls, texture map shapes and other randomized elements, which is useful for generating variation across a crowd of characters.

Unboxing a Graft Groom back into editable modifiers

The Unbox Groom button in 3ds Max takes all the original operators used to build the groom and recreates them as individual modifiers, including the texture maps used for effects like clumping. This means the groom can be edited freely again, then re-boxed or exported as a Graft Groom once more. The same Graft Groom workflow also works in Maya, Cinema 4D and Unreal Engine.

Watch the full tutorial

See every step in the full video: Ornatrix App Beta Groom Panel Tutorial.

Apply for Ornatrix App Beta access through the official Ephere website.