Creating a Real-Time Horse Groom for Games

Grooming Techniques using XGen, Unreal & Marmoset Toolbag with Guillermo Cortes

In this 2.5-hour workshop, Guillermo Cortés, Groom and CFX Supervisor, demonstrates the complete process for creating a realistic, optimized horse groom for real-time environments. The complete workflow utilizes Maya, Marmoset Toolbag, Substance 3D Painter, ZBrush, Unreal Engine, plus FiberShop and GS CurveTools. This intermediate- to advanced-level training is designed for artists specializing in character and creature grooming, with a focus on translating traditional grooming techniques into efficient workflows for video games. 

Over 9 lessons, Guillermo covers the entire production process, from reference gathering and planning to creating the mane, tail, and body fur using XGen, Maya’s grooming tools, GS CurveTools, FiberShop, Marmoset Toolbag, and Substance 3D Painter, before exporting and optimizing the results for Unreal Engine. He walks through how to manage density, hair cards, and texture baking, and effectively demonstrates how to achieve believable directionality, flow, and volume while maintaining performance.

Throughout the workshop, Guillermo shares valuable production insights drawn from his experience in the visual effects and video game industry, including how to balance artistic quality with technical constraints and collaborate effectively with character, lookdev, and tech art teams. By the end of this workshop, artists will have gained a solid understanding of how to create and implement high-quality real-time grooms for animals in games, and have the confidence to adapt these workflows to other characters and creatures.