Assets + Accessories Multi-Layer Fur Shader

LuluFurAlpha Fur Shader — User GuideLuluFurAlpha

Huge thanks to regguise for the provided tutorial, and to the community for the continuous support. It’s because of this help that I was able to make this work a reality.

Showcase
Beautiful preview model: Mio by dnaddr.



The showcase is just one example. By swapping out the mask textures and tweaking the parameters, you can create a huge variety of fur effects. I'll leave the exploration up to you. Have fun and good luck! ~

Important Requirement: ​

This shader can ONLY be used with my plugins: CustomShaderLoaderAlt or the Custom Shader Loader & Sim Proxy Combo. > Why? Because this shader requires their specific compatibility support for Texture Tiling modes.






LuluFurAlpha_V2 User Guide

Changelog

V2

• Fixed fur layers being overly transparent
• Fixed shadow rendering errors
• Fixed backlight causing incorrect anisotropic highlight behavior
• Anisotropic highlights are now affected by VaM's native Specular texture, resulting in more natural highlight distribution

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Quick Start

Step 1: Basic Setup

1. Apply the shader to the target material in VaM
2. Make sure GPU Skinning and VaM Lighting are both enabled
3. Set up your skin texture and color

Step 2: Shape the Fur

1. Load a Length Map and adjust its Tiling. Different length maps will change the base shape of the fur. A few common maps are included in the folder — try them out
2. Adjust Length Map Strength, Length, and Tip Curve to control fur length and tip fade
3. Load a Noise Texture to refine the fur detail (optional)
4. Use Density to adjust fur thickness (Note: higher values = sparser fur)
5. Use Coverage Mask to control fur length across different areas

Step 3: Control Fur Direction

1. Use Comb Direction to set the overall fur lay-down direction
2. For finer directional control, load a Flow Map and increase Flow Strength
3. For making Flow Maps, check out this tutorial: Shader Tutorial: Flow-Map (Medium)

Step 4: Adjust Lighting

1. Adjust Root Occlusion and Root Brightness for natural darkening at the fur base
2. Want fur shine? Set Intensity (anisotropic highlight) above 0, then tweak Shift for highlight position, Sharpness for clarity. Use different colors on the two layers to simulate realistic dual-tone fur luster
3. Want rim light? Set Rim Intensity above 0
4. Want glow? Set the Emission color and increase its alpha channel. Use Emission Mask to limit glow to specific areas

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Parameter Reference

System

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Shape (Fur Appearance)

These parameters control the visual shape of the fur — the most frequently adjusted settings.

Noise Textures


The two noise textures are automatically blended 50/50, producing more natural fur than a single texture.

Masks & Length Map

• Use Coverage Mask to block fur on areas like eyes or lips (paint them black)
• Length Map controls the base shape of the fur: white areas keep full fur, black areas get clipped short. Use gradients for natural contours — e.g. shorter fur at ear edges, belly shorter than the back

Fur Parameters

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Forces (Fur Direction)

Controls fur lay-down and flow direction.


Tips:

• Comb Direction is for overall direction — e.g. all fur laying downward
• Flow Map is for local detail — e.g. swirls on the head, parting lines on the forehead
• They stack: set the overall direction with Comb, then fine-tune with Flow Map

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Lighting

Root Shading


Anisotropic Highlights

Simulates the streak-like shine along fur strands seen on real hair. Intensity defaults to 0 (off) — increase it to see the effect.


Tips:

• The two layers simulate primary and secondary shine — use different colors for rich effects
• e.g. warm white for layer 1, light gold for layer 2 to mimic blonde hair luster
• Shift controls the vertical position of each highlight band — small adjustments go a long way

Rim Light

Adds a glow around the fur silhouette edges for depth and atmosphere.


Emission

Makes fur glow on its own, independent of scene lighting.

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Shadow

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VaM Native Properties

These affect the skin base layer beneath the fur, controlled by VaM's built-in material system: