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Free and open source, for any use: every feature and every export. Source on GitHub
GroomLab for Maya
v0.35.2Maya 2022 (2023 to 2027 in beta) · Windows (64-bit)
The plugin: Groom Tools, the Graph Editor, painting, cards and exports, rendered with Arnold or RenderMan.
Download138.6 MB · October 29, 2026
Includes
- Arnold and RenderMan procedurals for render farms
- groomlab-cli for caches and farms
- Check for Updates in the GroomLab menu
Requires
- Maya 2022 (2023 to 2027 in beta)
- Arnold renders: MtoA 5.x
- Microsoft Visual C++ Redistributable 2015-2022 (x64)
What's new in 0.35.2
- Fixes: a scene saved by a newer GroomLab no longer fills the Script Editor with a Graph Editor traceback (the editor says to update GroomLab and leaves the graph as it is); a scene saved from a renamed copy of the plugin (a development build) opens with its grooms when double-clicked.
Previous versions (51)
- Download v0.35.1
v0.35.1
138.5 MB · October 29, 2026
- Changed: with a guide brush, Shift selects (drag paints guides into the selection, click adds the guides in the ring; on bare scalp, deselects and unfreezes all), and Ctrl does every brush's opposite (Length shortens, Lift lays down, Shape shrinks, painting goes toward 0). The brush lasso is gone (the Select tool keeps its own); painting maps or Freeze, Shift+drag still smooths.
- Blender: Help > Check for Updates installs the newest version in place, and a daily startup check says when one is out (needs Blender's Allow Online Access).
SHA-256 711339ded719b1fb4bf8a2f38bd469a77856661d30f58fae99036aadc73ea406
- Download v0.35.0
v0.35.0
138.6 MB · October 29, 2026
- Brush alphas: the Paint brush on a vertex or texture map stamps a grayscale image in the brush (eight shipped, add your own to Documents/GroomLab/alphas, shared by Maya, Blender and the app), with rotation (fixed, along the stroke, random), spacing and invert; symmetry mirrors it.
- Segments per group and per guide: groups keep a segment count their new guides take; the Segments slider rebuilds the selected guides, else the picked group, else all; guides resampled on their own keep their count (right-click a group > Reset Segments); frozen guides are left alone.
- Changed: the Display Segments setting is gone; guide dots sit on the guides' own points.
- Blender: Create Groom starts from the default graph, no preset dialog.
- Fixes: the Groom Tools and Graph Editor docked beside Maya's Toolbox resize again.
SHA-256 05bd2795662e8de0569322169a0d8f19cd874fc880e84a44067f98c4cea2e5b9
- Download v0.34.0
v0.34.0
137.6 MB · October 28, 2026
- Interpolate: strands between parted guides keep their length (blend directions, the default for new nodes); one smoothness slider; Keep Clearance checks every point.
- Guide weight: paint how strongly each guide pulls the strands around it (Paint > + New Map > Guide weight).
- Cards along the guides; flat feather cards for new Cards nodes. Linking a Guides node into Clump's centers sets inputCurves.
- Collide: one softness, a length along the strand (replaces softness and smoothing; set it again where you used either).
- Scatter: even roots that hold at any scale; an edit moves roots only near it.
- Fixes: Wind and Part no longer flip segments; Instance leaves no longer jump; Mirror flips feather vanes; Scatter densities above 1 no longer cut off; Clump locks and negative Clump; Bend, Displace.
- Simpler nodes: rare params under Advanced; renames (Length trimMax -> randomness, Clump flatten -> flatAlong, Bands randomness -> melaninRandom, Tangle sameClump -> clumpChannel, Merge match -> strength) and removals: see What's new. Saved nodes keep their old defaults.
SHA-256 aa63a4a1795348a6abd3fe9f00ea7803fdce468014f20bcb5973210c47181716
- Download v0.33.0
v0.33.0
137.3 MB · October 27, 2026
- Faster grooming on dense grooms: combing a 181,000-strand wolf takes about 14 ms a dab (it took 44), and opening it evaluates in under a second (it took three). Every look node runs one set of math on the CPU and in the GPU preview. Instances a dab leaves alone are no longer rebuilt; combing no longer nudges guide roots.
- Faster previews of Cull, Split and Mirror: dragging a param before them stays in the GPU preview.
- Braid: a paths output (its braid paths as guides), box braids at 0.3 crossings, round braids however few points the strands bring.
- Changed: Curl adds its points along the strand's smooth curve first; tight curls on sparse strands can look slightly different.
- Removed: the Tie node. Make ponytails with Braid (a large region, alongScalp on); a groom saved with a Tie node no longer loads: delete its Tie nodes in 0.32 before updating.
SHA-256 72abaf2c3f49dfc2f6ab6042ff65ba247ed25c0d99e139491ac030944bd1aa43
- Download v0.32.1
v0.32.1
134.8 MB · October 26, 2026
- Changed: Ctrl selects guides. With a guide brush, Ctrl+click selects every guide inside the brush ring, Ctrl+drag paints guides into the selection, and Ctrl+Shift+drag draws a lasso; the rest freeze (one undo step). Ctrl+click where the ring holds no guide deselects and unfreezes all. Ctrl no longer reverses a guide brush (use a negative strength); painting maps and Freeze keep Ctrl as the opposite.
- Fixed: feather cards shearing at the tip on tightly curled feathers.
SHA-256 f2c523280803d680bbe11e73e50559e500c5170c258f86880c7b1858350a246f
- Download v0.32.0
v0.32.0
134.5 MB · October 25, 2026
- Ctrl+Shift+drag paints the guide selection (the rest frozen); Ctrl+Shift+click adds a guide, off a guide clears
- Changed: Shift+click no longer solos (Shift is smoothing alone)
- Selection only takes visible guides (nothing behind the head)
- Compounds preview on the GPU (their nodes run inline)
- Drags stay on the GPU past a Subdivide at the end of the graph
SHA-256 819cf6a210d7ba3e5cf012111144171ee858de77d57588343ee27c3e2914ec30
- Download v0.31.2
v0.31.2
133.9 MB · October 25, 2026
- Fixed: stair-stepped strands in card bakes (bent, wide cards)
- Fixed: hair cards with wide tips
- Flyaway node strays get one-strand cards of their own (Flyaway Cards budget)
SHA-256 3f8667d24c133ff841a3c1fe7c60e584d4d385dc96b3f8c21110fcdd23bc8c03
- Download v0.31.1
v0.31.1
133.8 MB · October 25, 2026
- Fixed: card Separation could shear cards or push them far from their strands in dense grooms
- Fixed: a new guide group is highlighted in the Groom Tools list right away
SHA-256 7cd9180352315e817a8a1cc557a9092aecb3573f76002aac440d5bee76fe3e7b
- Download v0.31.0
v0.31.0
134.7 MB · October 25, 2026
- Cards: Separation keeps cards from passing through each other (on by default for feathers)
- Small values keep two significant digits (a fitted Scatter density no longer reads 0)
- App: Alt+right-drag zooms as in Maya; the GroomLab icon
- Blender: picking a Blender tool leaves the GroomLab brush; samples framed on import
SHA-256 064b8375ef38ce81e357e46ecebc8bf46e16f55d1dd84f05fbd3090ecb2f71b1
- Download v0.30.0
v0.30.0
133.7 MB · October 24, 2026
- GroomLab files in Maya's File Path Editor (repath there, the groom follows)
- groomlab.file_dependencies / repath_file for farm, publish and archive scripts
- Collect Files: everything a groom uses into the scene's folder
- Fixed: Save As now takes Simulate bakes and the graph's images and Alembic files along
SHA-256 4dc66a8487b268e8d69759ba22223ab3005c421e93a0567f177add0d4e5b7f75
- Download v0.29.0
v0.29.0
133.4 MB · October 24, 2026
- Pins in the Graph Editor: double-click a link, drag to route it, bundle links through one pin (Maya, app, Blender reroutes)
- Snap toggle in the Graph Editor's top bar
- Cut links with Alt+Shift+drag (thanks to Omar Hesham)
- Normal map for game cards (thanks to Omar Hesham)
- Wireframe on shaded for the cards view in Maya
- Clump: Strand Strength Random
SHA-256 45d0031bd6ff14e422679a527de488f4e2ef70574b8e33754db6a0f6debf018f
- Download v0.28.0
v0.28.0
133.4 MB · October 23, 2026
- Align Photo: line a photo up in the Photos window, the photo and the mesh side by side
- Photos tab: picking another photo while looking through one switches to it
- Subdivide node: smooth strands from few points (put it last)
- Expand Inputs on graph nodes (thanks to Omar Hesham)
- The viewport's point budget starts at no limit
SHA-256 1964faae0fb4c01fbb1238eefa20d02489e03f6a4ba366d7626657e4fbb4270c
- Download v0.27.0
v0.27.0
133.1 MB · October 23, 2026
- Display Ribbons shows the strands at their true width: ribbons facing the camera, at least a pixel wide
- Paint modes: Replace, Add, Subtract, Clamp Maximum for the Paint brush and Fill (thanks to Omar Hesham)
- Cards: Thinnest Strand, the narrowest a strand bakes (0: to scale, for blended or dithered cards)
- Photos tab: a Focal Length slider
- About 6% faster operators and 15-20% faster brush dabs, same results
SHA-256 513015b205bcdb83fef4b317d6a39d2f073488a5dd8795c26a6aac0a62c6f8f8
- Download v0.26.0
v0.26.0
129.1 MB · October 23, 2026
- Only a Resample on the way to the Output sets the strands' resolution (wire a loose Resample into the chain)
- Feather shafts drawn and rendered as their rachis tube; presets offer Vane width and Barb width
- Smooth card edges under Maya's viewport anti-aliasing, card-shaped shadows, no AO boxes
- Guide dots behind the scalp stay hidden with Keep Shaft on
- Merge, Smooth and Clump faster, same results
SHA-256 eb061951ae37b7f5824e7a56100e2bedef963bf3e9c7fbd975f5c2ed4e17ec05
- Download v0.25.0
v0.25.0
128.7 MB · October 22, 2026
- Isolate keeps the picked guide group and its child groups at full color (it dimmed by level)
- Scatter: density expressions keep roots inside the mask, also on subdivided scalps
- Curl about 1.8x faster; smoother orbiting with the level of detail
- Keep Clearance's distance field takes a quarter of the memory
SHA-256 fae8aa0ed569e78caf6ad2758d2694def3e01cc00974b593fb0ef07fe7b686f5
- Download v0.24.0
v0.24.0
128.4 MB · October 22, 2026
- Every guide group gets its own color (Group or Painted Layer; the by-level mode is gone)
- Hand-placed flight feathers: one feather per guide of a group, and a preset that draws them
- App: the scalp hides the hair behind it in lookdev on Direct3D 11
- Developed in the open: github.com/thekesslereffect/groomlab takes pull requests
SHA-256 68f68c89ecec7ae99c1a8337821a5e21de1f22240a7bc898b52719fab2c49917
- Download v0.23.0
v0.23.0
128.9 MB · October 21, 2026
- One current groom for the Groom Tools and the Graph Editor (pin the Graph Editor to keep it on one)
- Two eyes: hide the hair alone or the guides alone, Shift+click for every groom; Display menu
- Guide colors differ per groom; Delete All Flow Arrows; node actions at the top of their settings
- Groom Tools sections follow the tool at hand
- App: Properties tabs, Scalp Subdivision, Studio keeps Groom mode, swatch fixes
SHA-256 1a8b302d54af04c4553690fcb8b500a358fd3d62c7a2434209d0957ac6e1b12e
- Download v0.22.0
v0.22.0
128.6 MB · October 21, 2026
- The app: rebuilt to match GroomLab in Maya (menu bar, docked Groom Tools, Properties, Graph Editor), Charcoal theme, live themes
- The app: list menus, Tubes panel, Graph Editor menus and presets, photos, sample meshes, marking menu, Open Recent, autosave
- Unreal groom export lands on the head with Unreal's default import settings
- Blend mix defaults to 1, so a plugged mask alone sets the blend
- Flow with guide tufts preset: flow fur blended into your guides where you paint guideAreas
SHA-256 a4a2f307628bfa0bdfa496b5fc7de3af9a4415fe530a5e71abb01d8d6f46ce96
- Download v0.21.0
v0.21.0
128.0 MB · October 21, 2026
- V-Ray: native V-Ray scenes from Maya, Blender, the app and the CLI; render in V-Ray Standalone from any Maya, V-Ray for Blender, the app; V-Ray for Maya 2024+ hook (experimental)
- RenderMan: render in prman from any Maya and the app
- Maya Hardware 2.0: render grooms with no renderer installed
- Buddy: a posable sample character rig (Maya, Blender) and its body mesh (app, AI tools)
- Posing a rig keeps the groom's scale; exports read the current pose; steady render progress window
SHA-256 bf322395deb7a4227cb55fea4d4c7aac5b36862ac6c7f47062072607cd4a544b
- Download v0.20.0
v0.20.0
127.4 MB · October 20, 2026
- Blender now matches Maya: Groom Tools, menus and pie built from the same definitions as Maya's
- Blender: tubes, full map management, guide groups, correctives, Graph Editor authoring (compounds, sliders, expressions, backdrops, node library, script nodes)
- Blender: engine exports, Simulate, Add (colliders, feathers, braids, cards, sample meshes), Transfer, Photos and Guides from Photos
- Blender fixes: Shift+drag smoothing, tubes visible, hair color in Solid view
SHA-256 245ce553c5071a19a753802e1f284d0132c78228f085c9ea3d2c49cb35116aee
- Download v0.19.6
v0.19.6
127.4 MB · October 20, 2026
- Graph Editor: Alt+right-drag zoom draws cleanly on scaled (150%) displays and shows the whole graph while zooming
SHA-256 58fa465d7e7ca6442e2a6108c01dc10f13736f13920a6b71a08bbdbb781da756
- Download v0.19.5
v0.19.5
127.4 MB · October 20, 2026
- Select tool: every pick, Shift-pick and marquee shows at once
- Smoother Graph Editor panning and zooming
- Opening a scene picks its groom; Graph Editor clears with the scene
- GroomLab windows keep their place and monitor across restarts and updates
- Twist is symmetric; wider scroll bars
SHA-256 36d87e5e632c77036f0b5d19482fc6d20be8f70b7b0eae5eb6a4f4b0e382d750
- Download v0.19.4
v0.19.4
127.3 MB · October 19, 2026
- Guide colors are automatic: guides use the theme's level colors unless their group has its own color (Guide Color and Theme Guide Colors removed)
SHA-256 8da7ecd422e50ea1d1447bafe9876eab316dffb7a9035a830da341626d7e1bd8
- Download v0.19.3
v0.19.3
127.3 MB · October 19, 2026
- Graph Editor: drop a node on a wire (or Tab over one) to insert it
- Graph Editor: Tab search lists your painted maps as Map nodes
- Graph Editor: undo after moving a node shows at once
- Leaving the Paint tab ends painting; guide selection redraws at once
SHA-256 f321badfbaab48f9c9308fe08938a5cf1416159a538fad29a9ab74d9679fbf6b
- Download v0.19.2
v0.19.2
127.3 MB · October 19, 2026
- Graph Editor: Alt+right-drag zooms, as in Maya's viewports
- Deleting a map unlinks it: params go back to their own values instead of erroring
- Deleting a texture map deletes its image too (GroomLab's own files only; undo puts it back)
SHA-256 68acb43634498c2d0dd1e9d510664cca837c3a8de543c942429c10d26f2ae910
- Download v0.19.1
v0.19.1
127.3 MB · October 19, 2026
- Manny: a new sample head (GroomLab > Add Sample Mesh > Manny), free to use with credit (CC BY 4.0)
SHA-256 96fc11b7b395fa005b4ff204df326c1a5cf2c7742c78b2c643b2712ab86e1a37
- Download v0.19.0
v0.19.0
127.3 MB · October 19, 2026
- Use GroomLab from AI agents: groomlab-cli mcp is an MCP server for Claude, Cursor, VS Code and other AI apps
- Card map exports: Unreal, Unity HDRP or custom packing; normal, seed, ID, root, flow, specular and translucency maps; PNG/TGA/TIFF/EXR up to 8K
- Studio lighting: GroomLab > Studio puts a lit photo studio round the groom (Portrait, Beauty, Rim Drama, High Key, Turntable)
SHA-256 4543162e7555b6803b22ed61dc3ccfc304bd57e49b7d3ad37efa83ea050ed829
- Download v0.18.0
v0.18.0
125.7 MB · October 19, 2026
- Custom nodes: save a compound as your own node (Save as Node), share it as one .glnode file
- Script nodes: write your own node logic in GroomLab's expression language, with a live editor
- Shipped examples: Soft Frizz, Grey Streaks, Wind-swept Ends, Wave, Kink, Taper by Channel, Random Length
SHA-256 d2dde05b30f51b9d7dc0f3251ed4343bbdda60949a64e4fa639d3ec80ec87371
- Download v0.17.1
v0.17.1
121.7 MB · October 19, 2026
- Tubes has its own section in Groom Tools
- Fix: round tubes fill Scatter's guide radius footprint
- Fix: a groom with one guide can change its tube shape
- Tube locks preset grows hair only on the tubes
SHA-256 dc5a7b707bc2b897263c0bac6c08600c8b27b4a84f57f1850efa4bb06add862a
- Download v0.17.0
v0.17.0
121.7 MB · October 18, 2026
- Tube guides: shape hair as whole locks (round, ribbon, teardrop, blade or your own shapes)
- The Shape brush paints tube width, flatness and twist; custom shape editor in Groom Tools
- Fill Tubes in Interpolate, clumps that follow the tubes, a Tube locks (anime) preset
- Join the GroomLab Discord: Help > Discord
SHA-256 6460b8de495d0e2d10dc07a6eeee6428d295ad2d6fa279785d7412b2aa5dc493
- Download v0.16.1
v0.16.1
119.8 MB · October 18, 2026
- Fix: no scriptJob error when leaving the Paint brush
- Fix: no repeated 'Invalid flag pressed' error in Maya 2022's Graph Editor
SHA-256 b2c6134ee1cf37ecb1d064286351c0d5e2d48f1c937a7952a107b131509ee335
- Download v0.16.0
v0.16.0
119.8 MB · October 18, 2026
- Hair drapes over ears: Keep Clearance lifts strands just out of the skin and lets them come back
- Simulation nearly 3x faster, and a bake matches what played
- A wolf sample mesh beside Nika (GroomLab > Add Sample Mesh)
- More drags preview live on the GPU (Merge's second input, Collide offset)
- A documented, versioned USD export layout
- Fixes: sculpt edits survive grouping, painted maps on vertices, Blender map reload
SHA-256 09a4a196701d4116551c61acb40fab1170f6bdddf2c6f467e82ebc32f4dd2af0
- Download v0.15.0
v0.15.0
118.8 MB · October 17, 2026
- Simulated hair no longer flips at the ends in fast head motion (new rod solver)
- Simulated hair keeps its groom by default (Groomed Under Gravity on)
- Nika, a sample head to start from (GroomLab > Add Sample Head)
- Arnold rendering in Maya 2024
- Painting no longer leaves the map showing after you switch tools
- For developers: one-command new nodes, shared CPU/GPU math, contributor docs
SHA-256 6d8207cc9da567717d8ccbe4d8e970783407781833bf7df7107d77310aad0c97
- Download v0.14.0
v0.14.0
113.5 MB · October 17, 2026
- Each branch sets its own strand resolution: fur no longer carries whisker resolution
- Much faster brushing, Keep Clearance, Instance, Merge, Follow playback and exports
- Clearer feedback: export progress, busy states, plain-word errors
- Easier to find nodes and tools: labels, descriptions, Output section, Common tasks docs
- One shortcut table for Maya, the app and Blender
- App: unsaved-changes guard, compounds, backdrops, multi-select, copy/paste, Save Image
SHA-256 abe3f7a6de883d3278c0ae465badafa1b971c569faefc48f31c8e2bf20e2350f
- Download v0.13.0
v0.13.0
111.5 MB · October 17, 2026
- Scale with scalp: the groom scales with its mesh (Surface Area survives Freeze Transformations; Transform Only survives remodels)
- A notice when a remodel rescales the groom; Set Scale Reference
- Transfer: Fit groom to the new scalp's size
- Viewport: self-shadowing stays right after scaling
SHA-256 b480617f2ec3d8a9d581bef2bf8cb5f41cb47f4a8fa827d18618926c79608962
- Download v0.12.0
v0.12.0
111.2 MB · October 16, 2026
- Expose any parameter as an input: Value ports and the Value node
- Strand Mesh node: a live tube or ribbon mesh that follows animation and simulation
- Charcoal theme and a theme picker in Maya and the app
- App: the cards preview shows the right textures
SHA-256 0e058219cf53f614f085ed879651e6c7c4c4f9ed1ce6212f135e763ac94d63c7
- Download v0.11.0
v0.11.0
109.9 MB · October 16, 2026
- GroomLab is open source (Apache-2.0): github.com/thekesslereffect/groomlab
- Import XGen (Interactive and Core) and Yeti grooms, textures included; Yeti needs no plugin
- Guides from reference photos (experimental): two-view window, landmarks, flow arrows, Measured Look
- The same strands on every machine (portable math); Linux builds from source
SHA-256 a40e6392e7d82a61933079b5b6efd8f7e275fbed7cffebf73fe58126e67c86b9
- Download v0.10.0
v0.10.0
108.1 MB · October 14, 2026
- HairColor rebuilt after PxrHairColor: hue, saturation and clump randomness work everywhere; color swatches
- Map node rgb output drives color params; Import an image as a map in one step
- One painting flow: + New Map for a setting replaces the Width and Density brushes
- Preview density 1 and lighter Scatter defaults and presets
- Arnold IPR safety fix and clearer crash logs; GPU fix for very dense grooms
SHA-256 0c9c68929fe6000810ed081b419a813c00dcd06b27cb54d7a27d26291d3e7d89
- Download v0.9.0
v0.9.0
108.2 MB · October 13, 2026
- HairColor Color (RGB) mode, tip colors, Hair Color section in the Attribute Editor, white_wool and two_tone_tips presets
- Arnold renders the groom's own colors; viewport RGB colors match Arnold
- Simulate: Fur preset, groomedUnderGravity, stiff guides hold and rest
- Brushes: symmetry line and Alt+Shift+X; Ctrl on Density/Width paints toward 0
- Windows fit small screens and 125-150% UI scaling
SHA-256 9b22b6dd1a315a8f0cdd6f738515fa10250ba4f1f6be41f46cdbef25726c4948
- Download v0.8.0
v0.8.0
108.1 MB · October 13, 2026
- Expressions follow SeExpr (as in XGen): ->, if/else, SeExpr builtins, XGen variables and map()
- Simulate: hair comes to rest on a still head; fast colliders no longer pass through the hair
- Docs rewritten, with strand attribute, guide influence and guide group references
SHA-256 664aa151907b4598beebeee099c1511e943524af420cb54a119ae51dfb220c44
- Download v0.7.0
v0.7.0
106.7 MB · October 13, 2026
- GroomLab is free for everyone: every feature and export, any use, no key or watermark (support it on Ko-fi)
- Native RenderMan 27 procedural, with RenderMan for Maya setup (experimental)
- HairColor gains a Highlight section: specular, roughness (moved from RenderData) and cuticle tilt
- New docs page for Redshift, V-Ray and others through Alembic and USD
SHA-256 31ca4f1d81d37aca55d0230e1e97c7a310cde69ad29bbcf6dd9f9b30ce09a8d3
- Download v0.6.0
v0.6.0
103.2 MB · October 13, 2026
- Sculpt node: brush guides the graph generated (ToGuides); edits keep their form when anything upstream changes
- Tie node: ponytails and hair ties; hair runs along the scalp into a tie and fans into a tail
- ToGuides color: generated guides draw in their own color when brushed
- Bake Node to Guides can bake the groom's output
- App: fixed stale self-shadowing and an occasional crash in the lookdev view
- Nearly every node now drags and brushes on the GPU, including Affect-masked nodes, Jiggle with motion, MeshCut, Tie and Sculpt
SHA-256 c80ce60e0facbd5df223529a19e102c22b932c17a49a1db9f68c25ad8e1107dd
- Download v0.5.1
v0.5.1
100.5 MB · October 13, 2026
- Fixed: a node off to the side (output unplugged, or a copy with a free input) no longer stops the Graph Editor applying edits, so the viewport shows the current graph
SHA-256 3e703d4dd54f12693625b5bec22a95b66de586ebcd9198a5853bd6cefeff1ba8
- Download v0.5.0
v0.5.0
100.5 MB · October 12, 2026
- Transfer Groom: a two-view window; click matching marker pairs on both heads (Wrap-style)
- Methods: markers warp (other proportions), markers align, UV, closest point, fit bounds
- Guides turn and scale with the head; parts, flow and painted maps follow; pairs saved with the groom
- A transfer undoes in one step and the window follows
- The app has the same transfer window
SHA-256 b8e2933ab729b460ce7577e633bb8ec34bb1c8302219e7fbc8f395bd56a35012
- Download v0.4.0
v0.4.0
99.1 MB · October 12, 2026
- SelfCollide node: hair no longer passes through itself; layers rest on one another and build volume
- Static node: charged hair puffs out, tips lift and clumped locks fray into single strands
- Part partsFrom auto: parts found where you combed the hair apart, no drawing needed
- Attribute params say Writes or Reads; reading lists only what reaches the node; overwrites warned
- The new nodes drag and brush on the GPU in Maya and the app
SHA-256 53deb0bcb0a149e1c4c2ebeb2424779295425afa24db7472680ce584ea12c6f5
- Download v0.3.0
v0.3.0
95.8 MB · October 12, 2026
- Wet node: wet-hair clumping in one slider, small clumps near the root merging into bigger ones toward the tip; the wet add-on preset uses it
- Wet hair shades darker and glossier in the viewport, the app and Arnold (from Wet, a wet Simulate, or an Attribute named wetness)
- Curl weight: curls hang under their own weight, loose at the root and tight at the tip
- Dragging wetness and weight, and brushing under Wet or a weighted Curl, run on the GPU
- Comb merged into Bend and Straighten into Smooth (Smooth's scale replaces iterations); grooms with Comb or Straighten nodes need them rebuilt (see What's new)
- Light hair tips now match Arnold
- Several scalps: each subdivides at its own level, Jiggle follows moving ones, scripted strokes reach them
- Blend accepts a side whose Curl added points
SHA-256 afbfa41b21f3cb35c57f1cce9cb700327e1d5b7456387ba2de3eff50af133e29
- Download v0.2.2
v0.2.2
95.2 MB · October 11, 2026
- Brushing creature grooms on the GPU: clumps whose centers come from a second Interpolate, and keep-clearance on an animated scalp (a wolf groom: ~220 ms -> ~35 ms a dab)
- Collide: softness and smoothing, so hair curves onto a floor and slides along it instead of folding flat
- OpenGL: no more long freeze on the first GPU stroke after an update (kernels compile in the background and are cached)
- Placing a guide no longer freezes the others (Solo new guides is now an option, off by default)
- App: much smoother (overlay redraws only on change, commits and CPU dabs off the UI thread, first frame 3.9 s -> 0.26 s); click a tool's name as well as its icon
SHA-256 2228ac8570838e6d20822230176e9608b025f88348b7af319a03882bccf59142
- Download v0.2.1
v0.2.1
94.9 MB · October 11, 2026
- Brush pack: Direction, Noise, Width and Density brushes; Root to tip strength and Falloff curves; topology symmetry
- Solo guides: a placed guide stays live and the rest freeze; Shift+click a guide to solo it, off a guide to unfreeze all; Select freezes what isn't selected; Unfreeze All beside Freeze
- Several scalps on one groom, the Reference node (library grooms), render overrides (density, width, length)
- Cards shaded like their strands; light hair no longer goes dark at rims and between clumps
- Fixed: the first groom of a session no longer hangs Maya (hair shader compiles in 0.24 s, was ~8 s)
- Fixed: black hair with MSAA off; a Map node into Scatter density on a subdivided scalp
- Docs rewritten to lead with steps
SHA-256 3518d9e56cad2d406ad124a3faed5e29ff6c812d61c262a41e70caddeb8417ff
- Download v0.2.0
v0.2.0
93.0 MB · October 11, 2026
- Hair shading: light hair keeps the light bouncing among neighbouring hairs, so rims, clump gaps and strands facing the camera no longer go dark (blonde ~0.5 -> 0.9 of Arnold's brightness; dark hair unchanged)
- Fixed: with MSAA off, blended strands drew black (after a color mode change, a resize or a zoom); MSAA on/off now redraws right away
- Website: early access note, What's new page, examples from a real creature groom
SHA-256 15282fa5c022407e15cd972723011715ee82e9a1548a37084f354fbbae92dda6
- Download v0.1.1
v0.1.1
22.3 MB · October 8, 2026
- Strand lines show their width (Width node) as coverage: tapered tips fade, thin hair reads lighter (displayWidthCoverage, on). Preview density only changes how many strands show. Smooth randomness with overdrive. Interpolate keeps strands out of the scalp. Region maps.
SHA-256 64b5c14468618147dd033bbba858fe50e8396d8e49b313adc706de7443b32b09
- Download v0.1.0
v0.1.0
20.4 MB · October 5, 2026
- First release: GroomLab for Maya 2022, with Learning mode and licensing.
SHA-256 08476ff48e5f672ffeeb9710c5e28b1c138667efcca74b98be03c9026625ed03
Older versions are as they were released: they don't get fixes. Check for Updates in the GroomLab menu offers the latest.
Install guideSHA-256 cd26a874770afea86250c0bde8dccb29fca96f1335ab29081f8d5bcd083d665e
GroomLab for Blender
v0.35.2BetaBlender 5.2 LTS · Windows (64-bit)
GroomLab’s tools and Graph Editor inside Blender, rendered in Cycles and EEVEE. Opens the same .groom files as Maya.
Download8.2 MB · October 29, 2026
Includes
- A Blender extension: install the zip from disk
- Updates through Blender’s extension repositories
Requires
- Blender 5.2 LTS
- Windows (64-bit)
What's new in 0.35.2
- Fixes: a scene saved by a newer GroomLab no longer fills the Script Editor with a Graph Editor traceback (the editor says to update GroomLab and leaves the graph as it is); a scene saved from a renamed copy of the plugin (a development build) opens with its grooms when double-clicked.
Previous versions (50)
- Download v0.35.1
v0.35.1
8.2 MB · October 29, 2026
- Changed: with a guide brush, Shift selects (drag paints guides into the selection, click adds the guides in the ring; on bare scalp, deselects and unfreezes all), and Ctrl does every brush's opposite (Length shortens, Lift lays down, Shape shrinks, painting goes toward 0). The brush lasso is gone (the Select tool keeps its own); painting maps or Freeze, Shift+drag still smooths.
- Blender: Help > Check for Updates installs the newest version in place, and a daily startup check says when one is out (needs Blender's Allow Online Access).
SHA-256 e0a9af15ad8e955c6379de7f5b5d3ea6525e913dab39e6896f734d9ff5e42b75
- Download v0.35.0
v0.35.0
8.2 MB · October 29, 2026
- Brush alphas: the Paint brush on a vertex or texture map stamps a grayscale image in the brush (eight shipped, add your own to Documents/GroomLab/alphas, shared by Maya, Blender and the app), with rotation (fixed, along the stroke, random), spacing and invert; symmetry mirrors it.
- Segments per group and per guide: groups keep a segment count their new guides take; the Segments slider rebuilds the selected guides, else the picked group, else all; guides resampled on their own keep their count (right-click a group > Reset Segments); frozen guides are left alone.
- Changed: the Display Segments setting is gone; guide dots sit on the guides' own points.
- Blender: Create Groom starts from the default graph, no preset dialog.
- Fixes: the Groom Tools and Graph Editor docked beside Maya's Toolbox resize again.
SHA-256 186095587cd68c87e8774788ef5e9a3b6d36e4a7845e1b00d7fb5f3c19a773b2
- Download v0.34.0
v0.34.0
8.0 MB · October 28, 2026
- Interpolate: strands between parted guides keep their length (blend directions, the default for new nodes); one smoothness slider; Keep Clearance checks every point.
- Guide weight: paint how strongly each guide pulls the strands around it (Paint > + New Map > Guide weight).
- Cards along the guides; flat feather cards for new Cards nodes. Linking a Guides node into Clump's centers sets inputCurves.
- Collide: one softness, a length along the strand (replaces softness and smoothing; set it again where you used either).
- Scatter: even roots that hold at any scale; an edit moves roots only near it.
- Fixes: Wind and Part no longer flip segments; Instance leaves no longer jump; Mirror flips feather vanes; Scatter densities above 1 no longer cut off; Clump locks and negative Clump; Bend, Displace.
- Simpler nodes: rare params under Advanced; renames (Length trimMax -> randomness, Clump flatten -> flatAlong, Bands randomness -> melaninRandom, Tangle sameClump -> clumpChannel, Merge match -> strength) and removals: see What's new. Saved nodes keep their old defaults.
SHA-256 72127d549b74537bcb8fc3c8cd7c75a773c304dd7c3f19f18678f188d125de9b
- Download v0.33.0
v0.33.0
8.0 MB · October 27, 2026
- Faster grooming on dense grooms: combing a 181,000-strand wolf takes about 14 ms a dab (it took 44), and opening it evaluates in under a second (it took three). Every look node runs one set of math on the CPU and in the GPU preview. Instances a dab leaves alone are no longer rebuilt; combing no longer nudges guide roots.
- Faster previews of Cull, Split and Mirror: dragging a param before them stays in the GPU preview.
- Braid: a paths output (its braid paths as guides), box braids at 0.3 crossings, round braids however few points the strands bring.
- Changed: Curl adds its points along the strand's smooth curve first; tight curls on sparse strands can look slightly different.
- Removed: the Tie node. Make ponytails with Braid (a large region, alongScalp on); a groom saved with a Tie node no longer loads: delete its Tie nodes in 0.32 before updating.
SHA-256 72f1c1934d7768d35b467d41969fca39c66d8609083214676eb4e5c254e188fd
- Download v0.32.1
v0.32.1
7.8 MB · October 26, 2026
- Changed: Ctrl selects guides. With a guide brush, Ctrl+click selects every guide inside the brush ring, Ctrl+drag paints guides into the selection, and Ctrl+Shift+drag draws a lasso; the rest freeze (one undo step). Ctrl+click where the ring holds no guide deselects and unfreezes all. Ctrl no longer reverses a guide brush (use a negative strength); painting maps and Freeze keep Ctrl as the opposite.
- Fixed: feather cards shearing at the tip on tightly curled feathers.
SHA-256 2b3bf4e4a28afe92df701cdefcbcae0c53cbc43a9ede6f185955a70952d197e0
- Download v0.32.0
v0.32.0
7.8 MB · October 25, 2026
- Ctrl+Shift+drag paints the guide selection (the rest frozen); Ctrl+Shift+click adds a guide, off a guide clears
- Changed: Shift+click no longer solos (Shift is smoothing alone)
- Selection only takes visible guides (nothing behind the head)
- Compounds preview on the GPU (their nodes run inline)
- Drags stay on the GPU past a Subdivide at the end of the graph
SHA-256 66d4354e7852c3dc442d6dfc5cc738e3cfb37cf76dd0c5df77c761e92467cc46
- Download v0.31.2
v0.31.2
7.8 MB · October 25, 2026
- Fixed: stair-stepped strands in card bakes (bent, wide cards)
- Fixed: hair cards with wide tips
- Flyaway node strays get one-strand cards of their own (Flyaway Cards budget)
SHA-256 45c077f345ff3179fd35e17afac262ca7e148e61da728fe794b20f7a49725388
- Download v0.31.1
v0.31.1
7.8 MB · October 25, 2026
- Fixed: card Separation could shear cards or push them far from their strands in dense grooms
- Fixed: a new guide group is highlighted in the Groom Tools list right away
SHA-256 2b5a766637f78f4e49cd65e71b1d370fb7b3d542b5a2eb3477e531f0ad43a373
- Download v0.31.0
v0.31.0
7.9 MB · October 25, 2026
- Cards: Separation keeps cards from passing through each other (on by default for feathers)
- Small values keep two significant digits (a fitted Scatter density no longer reads 0)
- App: Alt+right-drag zooms as in Maya; the GroomLab icon
- Blender: picking a Blender tool leaves the GroomLab brush; samples framed on import
SHA-256 31fef47a208f010f167b241bfeee10fdf97a3b9f09677d004e03ffd5ef93947e
- Download v0.30.0
v0.30.0
7.7 MB · October 24, 2026
- GroomLab files in Maya's File Path Editor (repath there, the groom follows)
- groomlab.file_dependencies / repath_file for farm, publish and archive scripts
- Collect Files: everything a groom uses into the scene's folder
- Fixed: Save As now takes Simulate bakes and the graph's images and Alembic files along
SHA-256 68c369fc160e5369d47e771c44656532f4ad5826ba4179ca171d809fe06fbfa8
- Download v0.29.0
v0.29.0
7.8 MB · October 24, 2026
- Pins in the Graph Editor: double-click a link, drag to route it, bundle links through one pin (Maya, app, Blender reroutes)
- Snap toggle in the Graph Editor's top bar
- Cut links with Alt+Shift+drag (thanks to Omar Hesham)
- Normal map for game cards (thanks to Omar Hesham)
- Wireframe on shaded for the cards view in Maya
- Clump: Strand Strength Random
SHA-256 bb50298451f2aaaccab60c48d6b2dab810739a100e66e47092b0a5b656682ba3
- Download v0.28.0
v0.28.0
7.7 MB · October 23, 2026
- Align Photo: line a photo up in the Photos window, the photo and the mesh side by side
- Photos tab: picking another photo while looking through one switches to it
- Subdivide node: smooth strands from few points (put it last)
- Expand Inputs on graph nodes (thanks to Omar Hesham)
- The viewport's point budget starts at no limit
SHA-256 253ed1c06496ff8bf579e597581e103cc4576aea95d3f386f86d6f4c22cae9f0
- Download v0.27.0
v0.27.0
7.7 MB · October 23, 2026
- Display Ribbons shows the strands at their true width: ribbons facing the camera, at least a pixel wide
- Paint modes: Replace, Add, Subtract, Clamp Maximum for the Paint brush and Fill (thanks to Omar Hesham)
- Cards: Thinnest Strand, the narrowest a strand bakes (0: to scale, for blended or dithered cards)
- Photos tab: a Focal Length slider
- About 6% faster operators and 15-20% faster brush dabs, same results
SHA-256 c3a894482645a003bd3bec546da018252d32b7668d5aedd4ec998a26b247a5d7
- Download v0.26.0
v0.26.0
7.5 MB · October 23, 2026
- Only a Resample on the way to the Output sets the strands' resolution (wire a loose Resample into the chain)
- Feather shafts drawn and rendered as their rachis tube; presets offer Vane width and Barb width
- Smooth card edges under Maya's viewport anti-aliasing, card-shaped shadows, no AO boxes
- Guide dots behind the scalp stay hidden with Keep Shaft on
- Merge, Smooth and Clump faster, same results
SHA-256 3f5723101a34abf3886a92250401fab8f93f617a63c593caefee09095626b377
- Download v0.25.0
v0.25.0
7.5 MB · October 22, 2026
- Isolate keeps the picked guide group and its child groups at full color (it dimmed by level)
- Scatter: density expressions keep roots inside the mask, also on subdivided scalps
- Curl about 1.8x faster; smoother orbiting with the level of detail
- Keep Clearance's distance field takes a quarter of the memory
SHA-256 ad0f1c9c3607cade57d8c3272f104731e3aaa2c7663e896ef2a6e953c8513b09
- Download v0.24.0
v0.24.0
7.5 MB · October 22, 2026
- Every guide group gets its own color (Group or Painted Layer; the by-level mode is gone)
- Hand-placed flight feathers: one feather per guide of a group, and a preset that draws them
- App: the scalp hides the hair behind it in lookdev on Direct3D 11
- Developed in the open: github.com/thekesslereffect/groomlab takes pull requests
SHA-256 843bac3855d8b9839e685936062f6872a5103ae5e0e621f0004c5acd9a580c98
- Download v0.23.0
v0.23.0
7.5 MB · October 21, 2026
- One current groom for the Groom Tools and the Graph Editor (pin the Graph Editor to keep it on one)
- Two eyes: hide the hair alone or the guides alone, Shift+click for every groom; Display menu
- Guide colors differ per groom; Delete All Flow Arrows; node actions at the top of their settings
- Groom Tools sections follow the tool at hand
- App: Properties tabs, Scalp Subdivision, Studio keeps Groom mode, swatch fixes
SHA-256 841bc690e5ac4add7f16e9b91100804a66a0624f757cd2c55ba9c5fef46ed5cf
- Download v0.22.0
v0.22.0
7.5 MB · October 21, 2026
- The app: rebuilt to match GroomLab in Maya (menu bar, docked Groom Tools, Properties, Graph Editor), Charcoal theme, live themes
- The app: list menus, Tubes panel, Graph Editor menus and presets, photos, sample meshes, marking menu, Open Recent, autosave
- Unreal groom export lands on the head with Unreal's default import settings
- Blend mix defaults to 1, so a plugged mask alone sets the blend
- Flow with guide tufts preset: flow fur blended into your guides where you paint guideAreas
SHA-256 793d3fa503d1e7b3e5bd43483c4e1ac64a107ed7a2a6d0e6e52fb704f63f2747
- Download v0.21.0
v0.21.0
7.4 MB · October 21, 2026
- V-Ray: native V-Ray scenes from Maya, Blender, the app and the CLI; render in V-Ray Standalone from any Maya, V-Ray for Blender, the app; V-Ray for Maya 2024+ hook (experimental)
- RenderMan: render in prman from any Maya and the app
- Maya Hardware 2.0: render grooms with no renderer installed
- Buddy: a posable sample character rig (Maya, Blender) and its body mesh (app, AI tools)
- Posing a rig keeps the groom's scale; exports read the current pose; steady render progress window
SHA-256 3ebdb487c8dbe8cbd7f693366c229f7791352d27051e6d0538cbb24fce3f9d37
- Download v0.20.0
v0.20.0
7.2 MB · October 20, 2026
- Blender now matches Maya: Groom Tools, menus and pie built from the same definitions as Maya's
- Blender: tubes, full map management, guide groups, correctives, Graph Editor authoring (compounds, sliders, expressions, backdrops, node library, script nodes)
- Blender: engine exports, Simulate, Add (colliders, feathers, braids, cards, sample meshes), Transfer, Photos and Guides from Photos
- Blender fixes: Shift+drag smoothing, tubes visible, hair color in Solid view
SHA-256 8545e081ae1a0665c0aa1010cd3a01d564b566713c8065618d87eb2a1055ac46
- Download v0.19.6
v0.19.6
5.9 MB · October 20, 2026
- Graph Editor: Alt+right-drag zoom draws cleanly on scaled (150%) displays and shows the whole graph while zooming
SHA-256 3c78954eed5a3c3c3c2448b61c7f9473468fdcd71c46634c79b70534e05a80ff
- Download v0.19.5
v0.19.5
5.9 MB · October 20, 2026
- Select tool: every pick, Shift-pick and marquee shows at once
- Smoother Graph Editor panning and zooming
- Opening a scene picks its groom; Graph Editor clears with the scene
- GroomLab windows keep their place and monitor across restarts and updates
- Twist is symmetric; wider scroll bars
SHA-256 d350f8d12f56523794866cfe7636a7292b1172c6928c60bda444139d742707f2
- Download v0.19.4
v0.19.4
5.7 MB · October 19, 2026
- Guide colors are automatic: guides use the theme's level colors unless their group has its own color (Guide Color and Theme Guide Colors removed)
SHA-256 9d068554e5f49e03d23e6ef0c71a0b019252a0f92be20ad389d3c0ad00f88ada
- Download v0.19.3
v0.19.3
5.7 MB · October 19, 2026
- Graph Editor: drop a node on a wire (or Tab over one) to insert it
- Graph Editor: Tab search lists your painted maps as Map nodes
- Graph Editor: undo after moving a node shows at once
- Leaving the Paint tab ends painting; guide selection redraws at once
SHA-256 d5452272f10299059e4221f58cc808dc2b2c150af8b5498071b26c706a3c4632
- Download v0.19.2
v0.19.2
5.7 MB · October 19, 2026
- Graph Editor: Alt+right-drag zooms, as in Maya's viewports
- Deleting a map unlinks it: params go back to their own values instead of erroring
- Deleting a texture map deletes its image too (GroomLab's own files only; undo puts it back)
SHA-256 7a9feecd138b4746e582f30648a883c7269a1d9331c08b60060129201aaaefd4
- Download v0.19.1
v0.19.1
5.7 MB · October 19, 2026
- Manny: a new sample head (GroomLab > Add Sample Mesh > Manny), free to use with credit (CC BY 4.0)
SHA-256 637929fa561aa9bb6f1b2690808f59a5175296becd943a85adec80e07a104bbc
- Download v0.19.0
v0.19.0
5.7 MB · October 19, 2026
- Use GroomLab from AI agents: groomlab-cli mcp is an MCP server for Claude, Cursor, VS Code and other AI apps
- Card map exports: Unreal, Unity HDRP or custom packing; normal, seed, ID, root, flow, specular and translucency maps; PNG/TGA/TIFF/EXR up to 8K
- Studio lighting: GroomLab > Studio puts a lit photo studio round the groom (Portrait, Beauty, Rim Drama, High Key, Turntable)
SHA-256 a2124553b8e8a18cb335f51600bfe694c4e71b13de47bbbee021ed8995f778d2
- Download v0.18.0
v0.18.0
5.5 MB · October 19, 2026
- Custom nodes: save a compound as your own node (Save as Node), share it as one .glnode file
- Script nodes: write your own node logic in GroomLab's expression language, with a live editor
- Shipped examples: Soft Frizz, Grey Streaks, Wind-swept Ends, Wave, Kink, Taper by Channel, Random Length
SHA-256 f9658f63e772d9d48b0bdee244665c5c88605efe5e0daea1a7fd4a549ae07ed7
- Download v0.17.1
v0.17.1
5.3 MB · October 19, 2026
- Tubes has its own section in Groom Tools
- Fix: round tubes fill Scatter's guide radius footprint
- Fix: a groom with one guide can change its tube shape
- Tube locks preset grows hair only on the tubes
SHA-256 64a3607ecac6f84b7575ab8a5be4c212bb4a06048fdc5d6c6aceb03227212bb9
- Download v0.17.0
v0.17.0
5.3 MB · October 18, 2026
- Tube guides: shape hair as whole locks (round, ribbon, teardrop, blade or your own shapes)
- The Shape brush paints tube width, flatness and twist; custom shape editor in Groom Tools
- Fill Tubes in Interpolate, clumps that follow the tubes, a Tube locks (anime) preset
- Join the GroomLab Discord: Help > Discord
SHA-256 cb8728f5e8c5069d18838c445519afd7e20df94498b240096e43e4bcad5074b7
- Download v0.16.1
v0.16.1
5.3 MB · October 18, 2026
- Fix: no scriptJob error when leaving the Paint brush
- Fix: no repeated 'Invalid flag pressed' error in Maya 2022's Graph Editor
SHA-256 a98eca65a54788ba4dde7ce9b39314bf0482c8ea5707aa5c0ad0436cc3d95bfa
- Download v0.16.0
v0.16.0
5.3 MB · October 18, 2026
- Hair drapes over ears: Keep Clearance lifts strands just out of the skin and lets them come back
- Simulation nearly 3x faster, and a bake matches what played
- A wolf sample mesh beside Nika (GroomLab > Add Sample Mesh)
- More drags preview live on the GPU (Merge's second input, Collide offset)
- A documented, versioned USD export layout
- Fixes: sculpt edits survive grouping, painted maps on vertices, Blender map reload
SHA-256 de9fc21cda6bddd670c8e46f05687cd6e3b3a28b14882b2f76194363ce3e2558
- Download v0.15.0
v0.15.0
5.3 MB · October 17, 2026
- Simulated hair no longer flips at the ends in fast head motion (new rod solver)
- Simulated hair keeps its groom by default (Groomed Under Gravity on)
- Nika, a sample head to start from (GroomLab > Add Sample Head)
- Arnold rendering in Maya 2024
- Painting no longer leaves the map showing after you switch tools
- For developers: one-command new nodes, shared CPU/GPU math, contributor docs
SHA-256 84e8bd20ccc73cff523d245b6e162522e58e11795b97d6f9d15a8be11577f381
- Download v0.14.0
v0.14.0
5.2 MB · October 17, 2026
- Each branch sets its own strand resolution: fur no longer carries whisker resolution
- Much faster brushing, Keep Clearance, Instance, Merge, Follow playback and exports
- Clearer feedback: export progress, busy states, plain-word errors
- Easier to find nodes and tools: labels, descriptions, Output section, Common tasks docs
- One shortcut table for Maya, the app and Blender
- App: unsaved-changes guard, compounds, backdrops, multi-select, copy/paste, Save Image
SHA-256 1681e98402e32b5bb78a41836950eb1ea2a40487a8477c3d55e2c1cdc50d14ff
- Download v0.13.0
v0.13.0
5.1 MB · October 17, 2026
- Scale with scalp: the groom scales with its mesh (Surface Area survives Freeze Transformations; Transform Only survives remodels)
- A notice when a remodel rescales the groom; Set Scale Reference
- Transfer: Fit groom to the new scalp's size
- Viewport: self-shadowing stays right after scaling
SHA-256 fb0f266e127792da58cbff151a1a0f7bc0a541f8ebcdfe72aa199a050b867a1f
- Download v0.12.0
v0.12.0
5.1 MB · October 16, 2026
- Expose any parameter as an input: Value ports and the Value node
- Strand Mesh node: a live tube or ribbon mesh that follows animation and simulation
- Charcoal theme and a theme picker in Maya and the app
- App: the cards preview shows the right textures
SHA-256 66f1267807f2dab06b1f9f5f0165904d1cb1a515d4c1dfadfd430834ff5c79a3
- Download v0.11.0
v0.11.0
5.1 MB · October 16, 2026
- GroomLab is open source (Apache-2.0): github.com/thekesslereffect/groomlab
- Import XGen (Interactive and Core) and Yeti grooms, textures included; Yeti needs no plugin
- Guides from reference photos (experimental): two-view window, landmarks, flow arrows, Measured Look
- The same strands on every machine (portable math); Linux builds from source
SHA-256 572f1452c72737db074d13becf9c7726da61674130d367fdce835e278f5bf95c
- Download v0.10.0
v0.10.0
5.0 MB · October 14, 2026
- HairColor rebuilt after PxrHairColor: hue, saturation and clump randomness work everywhere; color swatches
- Map node rgb output drives color params; Import an image as a map in one step
- One painting flow: + New Map for a setting replaces the Width and Density brushes
- Preview density 1 and lighter Scatter defaults and presets
- Arnold IPR safety fix and clearer crash logs; GPU fix for very dense grooms
SHA-256 637846a6f7f4f056d54c0ff6eb5d8c4b4c79db5017102c7e59fde1d033a449c7
- Download v0.9.0
v0.9.0
5.1 MB · October 13, 2026
- HairColor Color (RGB) mode, tip colors, Hair Color section in the Attribute Editor, white_wool and two_tone_tips presets
- Arnold renders the groom's own colors; viewport RGB colors match Arnold
- Simulate: Fur preset, groomedUnderGravity, stiff guides hold and rest
- Brushes: symmetry line and Alt+Shift+X; Ctrl on Density/Width paints toward 0
- Windows fit small screens and 125-150% UI scaling
SHA-256 5bf309ee55dcfae02bd1176055b008dc6aff30b2f1be18689dad8e82ed5e7dac
- Download v0.8.0
v0.8.0
5.1 MB · October 13, 2026
- Expressions follow SeExpr (as in XGen): ->, if/else, SeExpr builtins, XGen variables and map()
- Simulate: hair comes to rest on a still head; fast colliders no longer pass through the hair
- Docs rewritten, with strand attribute, guide influence and guide group references
SHA-256 e6328336c45db6acebeeaec8707c59f4dfbb61bc6da6a572420e54b1160b76b5
- Download v0.7.0
v0.7.0
5.0 MB · October 13, 2026
- GroomLab is free for everyone: every feature and export, any use, no key or watermark (support it on Ko-fi)
- Native RenderMan 27 procedural, with RenderMan for Maya setup (experimental)
- HairColor gains a Highlight section: specular, roughness (moved from RenderData) and cuticle tilt
- New docs page for Redshift, V-Ray and others through Alembic and USD
SHA-256 5edada7f12ed6529ea9ab22173534a85bd069ae26feb3f5d4e825d1e31377dfd
- Download v0.6.0
v0.6.0
5.0 MB · October 13, 2026
- Sculpt node: brush guides the graph generated (ToGuides); edits keep their form when anything upstream changes
- Tie node: ponytails and hair ties; hair runs along the scalp into a tie and fans into a tail
- ToGuides color: generated guides draw in their own color when brushed
- Bake Node to Guides can bake the groom's output
- App: fixed stale self-shadowing and an occasional crash in the lookdev view
- Nearly every node now drags and brushes on the GPU, including Affect-masked nodes, Jiggle with motion, MeshCut, Tie and Sculpt
SHA-256 19fe6f22e06f6fc4f2b0a7f85a0291cbc9f613eef531f894d45fd83d8af1566b
- Download v0.5.1
v0.5.1
5.0 MB · October 13, 2026
- Fixed: a node off to the side (output unplugged, or a copy with a free input) no longer stops the Graph Editor applying edits, so the viewport shows the current graph
SHA-256 1bba74a83d4910be4a0430ca120692c808681d487751ffcbaa89d504c488eff9
- Download v0.5.0
v0.5.0
5.0 MB · October 12, 2026
- Transfer Groom: a two-view window; click matching marker pairs on both heads (Wrap-style)
- Methods: markers warp (other proportions), markers align, UV, closest point, fit bounds
- Guides turn and scale with the head; parts, flow and painted maps follow; pairs saved with the groom
- A transfer undoes in one step and the window follows
- The app has the same transfer window
SHA-256 4ea759a730bbe68b1cfad1f615280669d03395e66e74844443fc2f4cacb7c906
- Download v0.4.0
v0.4.0
4.9 MB · October 12, 2026
- SelfCollide node: hair no longer passes through itself; layers rest on one another and build volume
- Static node: charged hair puffs out, tips lift and clumped locks fray into single strands
- Part partsFrom auto: parts found where you combed the hair apart, no drawing needed
- Attribute params say Writes or Reads; reading lists only what reaches the node; overwrites warned
- The new nodes drag and brush on the GPU in Maya and the app
SHA-256 ccc712a36589230d0cb7e88c0f78c633344d4f5abb435b4376f53e8b45e21095
- Download v0.3.0
v0.3.0
4.8 MB · October 12, 2026
- Wet node: wet-hair clumping in one slider, small clumps near the root merging into bigger ones toward the tip; the wet add-on preset uses it
- Wet hair shades darker and glossier in the viewport, the app and Arnold (from Wet, a wet Simulate, or an Attribute named wetness)
- Curl weight: curls hang under their own weight, loose at the root and tight at the tip
- Dragging wetness and weight, and brushing under Wet or a weighted Curl, run on the GPU
- Comb merged into Bend and Straighten into Smooth (Smooth's scale replaces iterations); grooms with Comb or Straighten nodes need them rebuilt (see What's new)
- Light hair tips now match Arnold
- Several scalps: each subdivides at its own level, Jiggle follows moving ones, scripted strokes reach them
- Blend accepts a side whose Curl added points
SHA-256 ec1d58201d6dc7f7a902284eab47c7c54b8839f52afef22f0971ba093f306da9
- Download v0.2.2
v0.2.2
4.8 MB · October 11, 2026
- Brushing creature grooms on the GPU: clumps whose centers come from a second Interpolate, and keep-clearance on an animated scalp (a wolf groom: ~220 ms -> ~35 ms a dab)
- Collide: softness and smoothing, so hair curves onto a floor and slides along it instead of folding flat
- OpenGL: no more long freeze on the first GPU stroke after an update (kernels compile in the background and are cached)
- Placing a guide no longer freezes the others (Solo new guides is now an option, off by default)
- App: much smoother (overlay redraws only on change, commits and CPU dabs off the UI thread, first frame 3.9 s -> 0.26 s); click a tool's name as well as its icon
SHA-256 73b30bb16235d3c0af3159613ca826dc602c12256278e351c4b199e3a18055b2
- Download v0.2.1
v0.2.1
4.7 MB · October 11, 2026
- Brush pack: Direction, Noise, Width and Density brushes; Root to tip strength and Falloff curves; topology symmetry
- Solo guides: a placed guide stays live and the rest freeze; Shift+click a guide to solo it, off a guide to unfreeze all; Select freezes what isn't selected; Unfreeze All beside Freeze
- Several scalps on one groom, the Reference node (library grooms), render overrides (density, width, length)
- Cards shaded like their strands; light hair no longer goes dark at rims and between clumps
- Fixed: the first groom of a session no longer hangs Maya (hair shader compiles in 0.24 s, was ~8 s)
- Fixed: black hair with MSAA off; a Map node into Scatter density on a subdivided scalp
- Docs rewritten to lead with steps
SHA-256 723b3b4abd1eebd8b056ba36c6e4b6779a8c700ea2ef97d138f5ac7d2d61bae8
- Download v0.2.0
v0.2.0
4.5 MB · October 8, 2026
- 0.2.0: faster grooming (lighter preview, point budget, smaller saved state).
SHA-256 436ec713eecc141103e89a1d8e5a85f3edaca392a50ddcbe003d7d4fe1862b26
- Download v0.1.1
v0.1.1
4.5 MB · October 8, 2026
- First beta: groom with Blender's own curve brushes, GroomLab's node graph grows the hair, Cycles/EEVEE renders. No Jiggle/Simulate, painting, parts or flow yet.
SHA-256 484265656ea0c7b02d58ff7eb473da98300e6761210b1d66dfb1f1aba3a6689b
Older versions are as they were released: they don't get fixes. Blender offers the latest once the GroomLab repository is added (see the install guide).
Install guideSHA-256 233854e303705546650d5bc85ddd770f36b75d32d7dc2c10193b541df31fe9b1
GroomLab app
v0.35.2BetaWindows 10 and 11 (64-bit)
GroomLab on its own: open a scalp, groom, look-dev and export without a 3D package. Opens the same .groom files as Maya and Blender.
Download27.9 MB · October 29, 2026
Includes
- No installer: unzip and run GroomLab.exe
- Check for Updates in the Help menu
Requires
- Windows 10 or 11 (64-bit)
- A graphics card with Direct3D 11
What's new in 0.35.2
- Fixes: a scene saved by a newer GroomLab no longer fills the Script Editor with a Graph Editor traceback (the editor says to update GroomLab and leaves the graph as it is); a scene saved from a renamed copy of the plugin (a development build) opens with its grooms when double-clicked.
Previous versions (50)
- Download v0.35.1
v0.35.1
27.9 MB · October 29, 2026
- Changed: with a guide brush, Shift selects (drag paints guides into the selection, click adds the guides in the ring; on bare scalp, deselects and unfreezes all), and Ctrl does every brush's opposite (Length shortens, Lift lays down, Shape shrinks, painting goes toward 0). The brush lasso is gone (the Select tool keeps its own); painting maps or Freeze, Shift+drag still smooths.
- Blender: Help > Check for Updates installs the newest version in place, and a daily startup check says when one is out (needs Blender's Allow Online Access).
SHA-256 a12d9bb230eb6f511e225281cb097d26ef42bae64df99b3ddcb60b93ec1bf547
- Download v0.35.0
v0.35.0
27.9 MB · October 29, 2026
- Brush alphas: the Paint brush on a vertex or texture map stamps a grayscale image in the brush (eight shipped, add your own to Documents/GroomLab/alphas, shared by Maya, Blender and the app), with rotation (fixed, along the stroke, random), spacing and invert; symmetry mirrors it.
- Segments per group and per guide: groups keep a segment count their new guides take; the Segments slider rebuilds the selected guides, else the picked group, else all; guides resampled on their own keep their count (right-click a group > Reset Segments); frozen guides are left alone.
- Changed: the Display Segments setting is gone; guide dots sit on the guides' own points.
- Blender: Create Groom starts from the default graph, no preset dialog.
- Fixes: the Groom Tools and Graph Editor docked beside Maya's Toolbox resize again.
SHA-256 70c597a380ec5067036769d367e2a738440f687ae0b91ff2a06cf0c6adcfb582
- Download v0.34.0
v0.34.0
27.8 MB · October 28, 2026
- Interpolate: strands between parted guides keep their length (blend directions, the default for new nodes); one smoothness slider; Keep Clearance checks every point.
- Guide weight: paint how strongly each guide pulls the strands around it (Paint > + New Map > Guide weight).
- Cards along the guides; flat feather cards for new Cards nodes. Linking a Guides node into Clump's centers sets inputCurves.
- Collide: one softness, a length along the strand (replaces softness and smoothing; set it again where you used either).
- Scatter: even roots that hold at any scale; an edit moves roots only near it.
- Fixes: Wind and Part no longer flip segments; Instance leaves no longer jump; Mirror flips feather vanes; Scatter densities above 1 no longer cut off; Clump locks and negative Clump; Bend, Displace.
- Simpler nodes: rare params under Advanced; renames (Length trimMax -> randomness, Clump flatten -> flatAlong, Bands randomness -> melaninRandom, Tangle sameClump -> clumpChannel, Merge match -> strength) and removals: see What's new. Saved nodes keep their old defaults.
SHA-256 50768d6de0177d6ee06e0868bcd0bea0f09320764a6f579bf27c67e2853906c1
- Download v0.33.0
v0.33.0
27.6 MB · October 27, 2026
- Faster grooming on dense grooms: combing a 181,000-strand wolf takes about 14 ms a dab (it took 44), and opening it evaluates in under a second (it took three). Every look node runs one set of math on the CPU and in the GPU preview. Instances a dab leaves alone are no longer rebuilt; combing no longer nudges guide roots.
- Faster previews of Cull, Split and Mirror: dragging a param before them stays in the GPU preview.
- Braid: a paths output (its braid paths as guides), box braids at 0.3 crossings, round braids however few points the strands bring.
- Changed: Curl adds its points along the strand's smooth curve first; tight curls on sparse strands can look slightly different.
- Removed: the Tie node. Make ponytails with Braid (a large region, alongScalp on); a groom saved with a Tie node no longer loads: delete its Tie nodes in 0.32 before updating.
SHA-256 f7b2aba39f0548b775dad65b43734e4727b1da6c67acbb992defe8b10f0ff7fc
- Download v0.32.1
v0.32.1
27.4 MB · October 26, 2026
- Changed: Ctrl selects guides. With a guide brush, Ctrl+click selects every guide inside the brush ring, Ctrl+drag paints guides into the selection, and Ctrl+Shift+drag draws a lasso; the rest freeze (one undo step). Ctrl+click where the ring holds no guide deselects and unfreezes all. Ctrl no longer reverses a guide brush (use a negative strength); painting maps and Freeze keep Ctrl as the opposite.
- Fixed: feather cards shearing at the tip on tightly curled feathers.
SHA-256 f32ffbac7c0a7bbd89605bd6422970c27f282e8fbe7587b65f3278338052079a
- Download v0.32.0
v0.32.0
27.4 MB · October 25, 2026
- Ctrl+Shift+drag paints the guide selection (the rest frozen); Ctrl+Shift+click adds a guide, off a guide clears
- Changed: Shift+click no longer solos (Shift is smoothing alone)
- Selection only takes visible guides (nothing behind the head)
- Compounds preview on the GPU (their nodes run inline)
- Drags stay on the GPU past a Subdivide at the end of the graph
SHA-256 d8256f3bd492990620fb98613f5985d72abb3650c480eceada9bf538e28f0ec6
- Download v0.31.2
v0.31.2
27.3 MB · October 25, 2026
- Fixed: stair-stepped strands in card bakes (bent, wide cards)
- Fixed: hair cards with wide tips
- Flyaway node strays get one-strand cards of their own (Flyaway Cards budget)
SHA-256 15de342cd65abb1953ab8f44fad7898e25ae1c7d6d682d5502d3d640dd935cf5
- Download v0.31.1
v0.31.1
27.3 MB · October 25, 2026
- Fixed: card Separation could shear cards or push them far from their strands in dense grooms
- Fixed: a new guide group is highlighted in the Groom Tools list right away
SHA-256 40a2338d9eb2659cb6b2b5b825ae100e61d5dc53d06751f6c50409ee82d8c993
- Download v0.31.0
v0.31.0
27.3 MB · October 25, 2026
- Cards: Separation keeps cards from passing through each other (on by default for feathers)
- Small values keep two significant digits (a fitted Scatter density no longer reads 0)
- App: Alt+right-drag zooms as in Maya; the GroomLab icon
- Blender: picking a Blender tool leaves the GroomLab brush; samples framed on import
SHA-256 ce6d91880dc172b61ade6b3d63829a6cb5ea7709f4d86040cb862f0768254421
- Download v0.30.0
v0.30.0
27.3 MB · October 24, 2026
- GroomLab files in Maya's File Path Editor (repath there, the groom follows)
- groomlab.file_dependencies / repath_file for farm, publish and archive scripts
- Collect Files: everything a groom uses into the scene's folder
- Fixed: Save As now takes Simulate bakes and the graph's images and Alembic files along
SHA-256 4516ecd2428750032fa3a18e50595a0e00cb1b5d768261e74522e74f22febeb4
- Download v0.29.0
v0.29.0
27.3 MB · October 24, 2026
- Pins in the Graph Editor: double-click a link, drag to route it, bundle links through one pin (Maya, app, Blender reroutes)
- Snap toggle in the Graph Editor's top bar
- Cut links with Alt+Shift+drag (thanks to Omar Hesham)
- Normal map for game cards (thanks to Omar Hesham)
- Wireframe on shaded for the cards view in Maya
- Clump: Strand Strength Random
SHA-256 a50e50ed6941bb645a8ba8ba67176def6b7aeb1c2b149fee0da30cdbeb29a07f
- Download v0.28.0
v0.28.0
27.4 MB · October 23, 2026
- Align Photo: line a photo up in the Photos window, the photo and the mesh side by side
- Photos tab: picking another photo while looking through one switches to it
- Subdivide node: smooth strands from few points (put it last)
- Expand Inputs on graph nodes (thanks to Omar Hesham)
- The viewport's point budget starts at no limit
SHA-256 50f4ce6fbb3ccf98c7362dda4fc12648c220ad7b76f96448aafcd63af12acd12
- Download v0.27.0
v0.27.0
27.2 MB · October 23, 2026
- Display Ribbons shows the strands at their true width: ribbons facing the camera, at least a pixel wide
- Paint modes: Replace, Add, Subtract, Clamp Maximum for the Paint brush and Fill (thanks to Omar Hesham)
- Cards: Thinnest Strand, the narrowest a strand bakes (0: to scale, for blended or dithered cards)
- Photos tab: a Focal Length slider
- About 6% faster operators and 15-20% faster brush dabs, same results
SHA-256 807533fef150c5e782eb216a3263f04109aeab1a08317ebb478e675b78a1aeb7
- Download v0.26.0
v0.26.0
26.8 MB · October 23, 2026
- Only a Resample on the way to the Output sets the strands' resolution (wire a loose Resample into the chain)
- Feather shafts drawn and rendered as their rachis tube; presets offer Vane width and Barb width
- Smooth card edges under Maya's viewport anti-aliasing, card-shaped shadows, no AO boxes
- Guide dots behind the scalp stay hidden with Keep Shaft on
- Merge, Smooth and Clump faster, same results
SHA-256 7c8037b7b023af02ae6af67958203fc84896e271f8d2c9d9a099a6a201bb86c3
- Download v0.25.0
v0.25.0
26.8 MB · October 22, 2026
- Isolate keeps the picked guide group and its child groups at full color (it dimmed by level)
- Scatter: density expressions keep roots inside the mask, also on subdivided scalps
- Curl about 1.8x faster; smoother orbiting with the level of detail
- Keep Clearance's distance field takes a quarter of the memory
SHA-256 dc850d72e50d0f5ae8e4c8772ae875b50553e36289a91e812a6b7c6898451b59
- Download v0.24.0
v0.24.0
26.7 MB · October 22, 2026
- Every guide group gets its own color (Group or Painted Layer; the by-level mode is gone)
- Hand-placed flight feathers: one feather per guide of a group, and a preset that draws them
- App: the scalp hides the hair behind it in lookdev on Direct3D 11
- Developed in the open: github.com/thekesslereffect/groomlab takes pull requests
SHA-256 1e9c27bd78391ee9fb03e4b9f22fecd3832bed905493e17245fb1eba925480fe
- Download v0.23.0
v0.23.0
26.7 MB · October 21, 2026
- One current groom for the Groom Tools and the Graph Editor (pin the Graph Editor to keep it on one)
- Two eyes: hide the hair alone or the guides alone, Shift+click for every groom; Display menu
- Guide colors differ per groom; Delete All Flow Arrows; node actions at the top of their settings
- Groom Tools sections follow the tool at hand
- App: Properties tabs, Scalp Subdivision, Studio keeps Groom mode, swatch fixes
SHA-256 868c2b5ab2c16659da3027f539e4311659d6c81ba4e7dbdd47506599a1ac9add
- Download v0.22.0
v0.22.0
26.7 MB · October 21, 2026
- The app: rebuilt to match GroomLab in Maya (menu bar, docked Groom Tools, Properties, Graph Editor), Charcoal theme, live themes
- The app: list menus, Tubes panel, Graph Editor menus and presets, photos, sample meshes, marking menu, Open Recent, autosave
- Unreal groom export lands on the head with Unreal's default import settings
- Blend mix defaults to 1, so a plugged mask alone sets the blend
- Flow with guide tufts preset: flow fur blended into your guides where you paint guideAreas
SHA-256 44bc0a908a8d5ada3eb4958b4832b8a503476e5a6d840dbfe95913ef518bddce
- Download v0.21.0
v0.21.0
25.1 MB · October 21, 2026
- V-Ray: native V-Ray scenes from Maya, Blender, the app and the CLI; render in V-Ray Standalone from any Maya, V-Ray for Blender, the app; V-Ray for Maya 2024+ hook (experimental)
- RenderMan: render in prman from any Maya and the app
- Maya Hardware 2.0: render grooms with no renderer installed
- Buddy: a posable sample character rig (Maya, Blender) and its body mesh (app, AI tools)
- Posing a rig keeps the groom's scale; exports read the current pose; steady render progress window
SHA-256 c188513cf95f6758f86383a0550bc9a363c6ea5ceab0ca198f9989be99ba1485
- Download v0.20.0
v0.20.0
20.3 MB · October 20, 2026
- Blender now matches Maya: Groom Tools, menus and pie built from the same definitions as Maya's
- Blender: tubes, full map management, guide groups, correctives, Graph Editor authoring (compounds, sliders, expressions, backdrops, node library, script nodes)
- Blender: engine exports, Simulate, Add (colliders, feathers, braids, cards, sample meshes), Transfer, Photos and Guides from Photos
- Blender fixes: Shift+drag smoothing, tubes visible, hair color in Solid view
SHA-256 a96f5590a283419b91fdb6f457909d53d03e64ab8edd9edcb7b7093aaddb0bbd
- Download v0.19.6
v0.19.6
20.3 MB · October 20, 2026
- Graph Editor: Alt+right-drag zoom draws cleanly on scaled (150%) displays and shows the whole graph while zooming
SHA-256 6354ba48cc62fe62c20de115aa92b07e8e56ca872ffbd60aa52cfc671eaefb28
- Download v0.19.5
v0.19.5
20.3 MB · October 20, 2026
- Select tool: every pick, Shift-pick and marquee shows at once
- Smoother Graph Editor panning and zooming
- Opening a scene picks its groom; Graph Editor clears with the scene
- GroomLab windows keep their place and monitor across restarts and updates
- Twist is symmetric; wider scroll bars
SHA-256 28ca9cc532c5dd4ebcc0d5f6af35bd093f5d4b0187bcc62c629d1b988e0a7766
- Download v0.19.4
v0.19.4
20.3 MB · October 19, 2026
- Guide colors are automatic: guides use the theme's level colors unless their group has its own color (Guide Color and Theme Guide Colors removed)
SHA-256 1c9b4f940a4a6024a8fd34a6edc4642c2360bf06fdcfde99f330b1012eacd19c
- Download v0.19.3
v0.19.3
20.3 MB · October 19, 2026
- Graph Editor: drop a node on a wire (or Tab over one) to insert it
- Graph Editor: Tab search lists your painted maps as Map nodes
- Graph Editor: undo after moving a node shows at once
- Leaving the Paint tab ends painting; guide selection redraws at once
SHA-256 167b853f8e07121b7c3e982f8bba024cee6a9cc7c1527424cc6e12a14f117ea6
- Download v0.19.2
v0.19.2
20.3 MB · October 19, 2026
- Graph Editor: Alt+right-drag zooms, as in Maya's viewports
- Deleting a map unlinks it: params go back to their own values instead of erroring
- Deleting a texture map deletes its image too (GroomLab's own files only; undo puts it back)
SHA-256 a32a8f0ec661de3f003d794621964cfc05b03349f9ff73ba9682347496c0df6a
- Download v0.19.1
v0.19.1
20.3 MB · October 19, 2026
- Manny: a new sample head (GroomLab > Add Sample Mesh > Manny), free to use with credit (CC BY 4.0)
SHA-256 a3d355261043659bcdc031bd994183befb6f6b3bca131849d3ed596709e8cb72
- Download v0.19.0
v0.19.0
20.3 MB · October 19, 2026
- Use GroomLab from AI agents: groomlab-cli mcp is an MCP server for Claude, Cursor, VS Code and other AI apps
- Card map exports: Unreal, Unity HDRP or custom packing; normal, seed, ID, root, flow, specular and translucency maps; PNG/TGA/TIFF/EXR up to 8K
- Studio lighting: GroomLab > Studio puts a lit photo studio round the groom (Portrait, Beauty, Rim Drama, High Key, Turntable)
SHA-256 67fdad46f3b234d469fc16cb906f346a1c869f64f0436f0cd30fceae8428d5da
- Download v0.18.0
v0.18.0
20.1 MB · October 19, 2026
- Custom nodes: save a compound as your own node (Save as Node), share it as one .glnode file
- Script nodes: write your own node logic in GroomLab's expression language, with a live editor
- Shipped examples: Soft Frizz, Grey Streaks, Wind-swept Ends, Wave, Kink, Taper by Channel, Random Length
SHA-256 d0dc64a1365b0f86fd005ab1a2fa69a02ee712a88a818201d0b52b2e017d5345
- Download v0.17.1
v0.17.1
19.9 MB · October 19, 2026
- Tubes has its own section in Groom Tools
- Fix: round tubes fill Scatter's guide radius footprint
- Fix: a groom with one guide can change its tube shape
- Tube locks preset grows hair only on the tubes
SHA-256 5f63a3be49fa77ec4b08bec457d5c6b798faa4cab6fce8302de04dcaf0dd6d71
- Download v0.17.0
v0.17.0
19.9 MB · October 18, 2026
- Tube guides: shape hair as whole locks (round, ribbon, teardrop, blade or your own shapes)
- The Shape brush paints tube width, flatness and twist; custom shape editor in Groom Tools
- Fill Tubes in Interpolate, clumps that follow the tubes, a Tube locks (anime) preset
- Join the GroomLab Discord: Help > Discord
SHA-256 df0ab4083cf53f2282a1b296d367d3ab2c5da302c9a63e3d1571f7a3f098e159
- Download v0.16.1
v0.16.1
19.8 MB · October 18, 2026
- Fix: no scriptJob error when leaving the Paint brush
- Fix: no repeated 'Invalid flag pressed' error in Maya 2022's Graph Editor
SHA-256 a6ee94c7d8fe3111f77cda527ee3488d5f9def1c39fdff59128e0188fa911a50
- Download v0.16.0
v0.16.0
19.8 MB · October 18, 2026
- Hair drapes over ears: Keep Clearance lifts strands just out of the skin and lets them come back
- Simulation nearly 3x faster, and a bake matches what played
- A wolf sample mesh beside Nika (GroomLab > Add Sample Mesh)
- More drags preview live on the GPU (Merge's second input, Collide offset)
- A documented, versioned USD export layout
- Fixes: sculpt edits survive grouping, painted maps on vertices, Blender map reload
SHA-256 d54d96c3c90c3367af313a2eb909ad47a96d38cf256a1b59af3d597b034d1418
- Download v0.15.0
v0.15.0
19.8 MB · October 17, 2026
- Simulated hair no longer flips at the ends in fast head motion (new rod solver)
- Simulated hair keeps its groom by default (Groomed Under Gravity on)
- Nika, a sample head to start from (GroomLab > Add Sample Head)
- Arnold rendering in Maya 2024
- Painting no longer leaves the map showing after you switch tools
- For developers: one-command new nodes, shared CPU/GPU math, contributor docs
SHA-256 41a23acdba2443cae14f2f91618ded27bac6dff29bb85905a55d531be61b3b49
- Download v0.14.0
v0.14.0
19.8 MB · October 17, 2026
- Each branch sets its own strand resolution: fur no longer carries whisker resolution
- Much faster brushing, Keep Clearance, Instance, Merge, Follow playback and exports
- Clearer feedback: export progress, busy states, plain-word errors
- Easier to find nodes and tools: labels, descriptions, Output section, Common tasks docs
- One shortcut table for Maya, the app and Blender
- App: unsaved-changes guard, compounds, backdrops, multi-select, copy/paste, Save Image
SHA-256 d157efacad0264bcfc9b2c35e123ef22ff8854f0d0a59d5a0fc9cc49cf8844ac
- Download v0.13.0
v0.13.0
19.5 MB · October 17, 2026
- Scale with scalp: the groom scales with its mesh (Surface Area survives Freeze Transformations; Transform Only survives remodels)
- A notice when a remodel rescales the groom; Set Scale Reference
- Transfer: Fit groom to the new scalp's size
- Viewport: self-shadowing stays right after scaling
SHA-256 cea8213af907076ed7c8a161551acd7f594842c8b527d03997a05232233a882f
- Download v0.12.0
v0.12.0
19.5 MB · October 16, 2026
- Expose any parameter as an input: Value ports and the Value node
- Strand Mesh node: a live tube or ribbon mesh that follows animation and simulation
- Charcoal theme and a theme picker in Maya and the app
- App: the cards preview shows the right textures
SHA-256 70bea71010d970ac1295c5304f88ea427281f78bbcd434f75ec5eefe8f134176
- Download v0.11.0
v0.11.0
19.4 MB · October 16, 2026
- GroomLab is open source (Apache-2.0): github.com/thekesslereffect/groomlab
- Import XGen (Interactive and Core) and Yeti grooms, textures included; Yeti needs no plugin
- Guides from reference photos (experimental): two-view window, landmarks, flow arrows, Measured Look
- The same strands on every machine (portable math); Linux builds from source
SHA-256 a8d2c8cecf95fa3ebae71e41873086ae12f557263281c93cf04e0b2c2deed8d5
- Download v0.10.0
v0.10.0
19.2 MB · October 14, 2026
- HairColor rebuilt after PxrHairColor: hue, saturation and clump randomness work everywhere; color swatches
- Map node rgb output drives color params; Import an image as a map in one step
- One painting flow: + New Map for a setting replaces the Width and Density brushes
- Preview density 1 and lighter Scatter defaults and presets
- Arnold IPR safety fix and clearer crash logs; GPU fix for very dense grooms
SHA-256 f0221ac584550d857078c3431721933d3198ce7d714c8dd2230c1edfe4cf30a6
- Download v0.9.0
v0.9.0
19.2 MB · October 13, 2026
- HairColor Color (RGB) mode, tip colors, Hair Color section in the Attribute Editor, white_wool and two_tone_tips presets
- Arnold renders the groom's own colors; viewport RGB colors match Arnold
- Simulate: Fur preset, groomedUnderGravity, stiff guides hold and rest
- Brushes: symmetry line and Alt+Shift+X; Ctrl on Density/Width paints toward 0
- Windows fit small screens and 125-150% UI scaling
SHA-256 faea4c098a519fe265990821c3212e1c57b4713bd90d07c20c48e187359f05b9
- Download v0.8.0
v0.8.0
19.1 MB · October 13, 2026
- Expressions follow SeExpr (as in XGen): ->, if/else, SeExpr builtins, XGen variables and map()
- Simulate: hair comes to rest on a still head; fast colliders no longer pass through the hair
- Docs rewritten, with strand attribute, guide influence and guide group references
SHA-256 50bd779241f906bb50f341eebcdd656eb14fe5c61d7de625fcd659ea939ad1a7
- Download v0.7.0
v0.7.0
19.1 MB · October 13, 2026
- GroomLab is free for everyone: every feature and export, any use, no key or watermark (support it on Ko-fi)
- Native RenderMan 27 procedural, with RenderMan for Maya setup (experimental)
- HairColor gains a Highlight section: specular, roughness (moved from RenderData) and cuticle tilt
- New docs page for Redshift, V-Ray and others through Alembic and USD
SHA-256 ed8699defb925f744786e2d2e3e44338eb1a0fe4acfaf0211322ffc7ec674c0e
- Download v0.6.0
v0.6.0
19.2 MB · October 13, 2026
- Sculpt node: brush guides the graph generated (ToGuides); edits keep their form when anything upstream changes
- Tie node: ponytails and hair ties; hair runs along the scalp into a tie and fans into a tail
- ToGuides color: generated guides draw in their own color when brushed
- Bake Node to Guides can bake the groom's output
- App: fixed stale self-shadowing and an occasional crash in the lookdev view
- Nearly every node now drags and brushes on the GPU, including Affect-masked nodes, Jiggle with motion, MeshCut, Tie and Sculpt
SHA-256 8738b112e2d9cb6536935112b37c4191afc06cd4a44f91d305733e74d94358ee
- Download v0.5.1
v0.5.1
18.9 MB · October 13, 2026
- Fixed: a node off to the side (output unplugged, or a copy with a free input) no longer stops the Graph Editor applying edits, so the viewport shows the current graph
SHA-256 5fbf201bcfb4a44f6c2a6b9008864769288b1cc721e18a4ce4a44f335cb7ec3b
- Download v0.5.0
v0.5.0
18.9 MB · October 12, 2026
- Transfer Groom: a two-view window; click matching marker pairs on both heads (Wrap-style)
- Methods: markers warp (other proportions), markers align, UV, closest point, fit bounds
- Guides turn and scale with the head; parts, flow and painted maps follow; pairs saved with the groom
- A transfer undoes in one step and the window follows
- The app has the same transfer window
SHA-256 e4ae3e94fe403f7e591fbc9468a96d1a22626cfb69f5b09dedf68e5eeb01a40b
- Download v0.4.0
v0.4.0
18.8 MB · October 12, 2026
- SelfCollide node: hair no longer passes through itself; layers rest on one another and build volume
- Static node: charged hair puffs out, tips lift and clumped locks fray into single strands
- Part partsFrom auto: parts found where you combed the hair apart, no drawing needed
- Attribute params say Writes or Reads; reading lists only what reaches the node; overwrites warned
- The new nodes drag and brush on the GPU in Maya and the app
SHA-256 950120f763d03dbda8d8c2b9f637583c0b9ff0574497cbb31b85b69adc7351c1
- Download v0.3.0
v0.3.0
18.6 MB · October 12, 2026
- Wet node: wet-hair clumping in one slider, small clumps near the root merging into bigger ones toward the tip; the wet add-on preset uses it
- Wet hair shades darker and glossier in the viewport, the app and Arnold (from Wet, a wet Simulate, or an Attribute named wetness)
- Curl weight: curls hang under their own weight, loose at the root and tight at the tip
- Dragging wetness and weight, and brushing under Wet or a weighted Curl, run on the GPU
- Comb merged into Bend and Straighten into Smooth (Smooth's scale replaces iterations); grooms with Comb or Straighten nodes need them rebuilt (see What's new)
- Light hair tips now match Arnold
- Several scalps: each subdivides at its own level, Jiggle follows moving ones, scripted strokes reach them
- Blend accepts a side whose Curl added points
SHA-256 094ff44b9dda15e89238b5b1d936afb17f9693497a85ce93bbecd882464572fd
- Download v0.2.2
v0.2.2
18.5 MB · October 11, 2026
- Brushing creature grooms on the GPU: clumps whose centers come from a second Interpolate, and keep-clearance on an animated scalp (a wolf groom: ~220 ms -> ~35 ms a dab)
- Collide: softness and smoothing, so hair curves onto a floor and slides along it instead of folding flat
- OpenGL: no more long freeze on the first GPU stroke after an update (kernels compile in the background and are cached)
- Placing a guide no longer freezes the others (Solo new guides is now an option, off by default)
- App: much smoother (overlay redraws only on change, commits and CPU dabs off the UI thread, first frame 3.9 s -> 0.26 s); click a tool's name as well as its icon
SHA-256 75a065a44af7fffe134da2baa91ab8976d84ae8f9e140465824093e656a591fb
- Download v0.2.1
v0.2.1
18.4 MB · October 11, 2026
- Brush pack: Direction, Noise, Width and Density brushes; Root to tip strength and Falloff curves; topology symmetry
- Solo guides: a placed guide stays live and the rest freeze; Shift+click a guide to solo it, off a guide to unfreeze all; Select freezes what isn't selected; Unfreeze All beside Freeze
- Several scalps on one groom, the Reference node (library grooms), render overrides (density, width, length)
- Cards shaded like their strands; light hair no longer goes dark at rims and between clumps
- Fixed: the first groom of a session no longer hangs Maya (hair shader compiles in 0.24 s, was ~8 s)
- Fixed: black hair with MSAA off; a Map node into Scatter density on a subdivided scalp
- Docs rewritten to lead with steps
SHA-256 7b0fcd75b52b5f4b0f41416d76c3edb4e2e773e1f67bfaecebc92658f974d029
- Download v0.2.0
v0.2.0
18.3 MB · October 11, 2026
- Hair shading keeps light hair bright where strands face the light or camera (closer to Arnold); shared fixes from the Maya side
SHA-256 af3ec0b5b7bcc69d3948be48065589278cab8901c29f89b6936066a9193a8856
- Download v0.1.1
v0.1.1
17.8 MB · October 8, 2026
- First beta of the standalone GroomLab app for Windows: open and groom .groom files, GPU viewport, lookdev, cards and exports.
SHA-256 c3c108205ab1c2ae3af4917d640c078bd1b3a2e17ef7aadb028bc0b699b2f37a
Older versions are as they were released: they don't get fixes. Help > Check for Updates in the app says when a newer version is out.
App guideSHA-256 39a7b5955e9779adab2cefc7ef583053fd46360071657d9a7ca5c25eca2a15e2
The Arnold and RenderMan procedurals and groomlab-cli in the Maya download render and cache GroomLab grooms on any machine. Questions? Write to support@getgroomlab.com.