Sim Hair V3 and Next Release Update

We just completed a major milestone towards custom hair. The existing V2 hair sprouts hair from a static scalp mesh. This can cause problems of hair floating above the head for many head shapes. The new V3 system now allows for hair to sprout out of a scalp that is perfectly wrapped to the body/head. This allows morphs to work seamlessly with the hair as shown here in this gif. This paves the way for body/pubic hair to work with this system as the hair can bend as the skin bends. Custom scalp import will be supported and will work a lot like the clothing import system. The scalp can be invisible, or it can be textured (the one shown here is invisible), which can help with the root appearance. 

Next up that we will be working on for custom hair is getting in-game styling (remove, grow, cut, brush, etc.) working. This is going to be a lot more work due to the complexity of the styling tools, so this part might not make the next release, depending on the timing. That leads to the next topic...

Next Release

We would like to get another release out soon that provides Valve Index support, and perhaps an early alpha of the custom hair system. Several other improvements, tweaks, and bug fixes are already completed (see https://trello.com/b/LDlEpfvk/virt-a-mate-public-plans). I have a personal constraint that I have an upcoming vacation in 2 weeks. I would like to get a release out before then, but the version number of that release is probably going to depend on how far I get with custom hair by the end of this week. If I make good progress on custom hair this week to the point that it would be useful to users, the next release will be 1.18. If I don't make good progress on custom hair, the next release will be 1.17.5, and might not include any new hair stuff. Then we would follow on with 1.18 as soon as possible after my vacation. I'll provide another update in about a week with the final determination.

Thanks again for your ongoing support!

Meshed and Team