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INSTALLATION
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If you're using Blender 2.23 to 2.32, you must install Eeshlo's dynoise module (included in .zip) in the same directory as Blender's executable.
If you're using Blender version 2.25 or below, move the dynoise.dll (windows) or dynoise.so(Linux) from the root directory of this zip archive to your Blender directory.
If you're using Blender version 2.26 or higher, use the dynoise.dll (windows only) from the "2.26 to 2.32" directory
If you're using any version of Blender on OSX, or 2.26 or higher on Linux, you'll need to use the dynoise.py module (slower, sorry)
If you're using 2.33 or above, the dynoise functionality is now part of Blender, so you don't need to worry about this.

I have included the neccessary Python library files in this zip file, but you may still need to download Python.
Download python 2.2 from http://www.python.org

CREATE A REFERENCE TO PYTHON-
Read the thread "How to set your PYTHONPATH 101" at http://www.elysiun.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=7723
Please read all the instructions below before running the script.

Have fun!

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FEATURES
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New Features in Fiber V2.02:
¤ Support for Blender 2.33 with the new version of Python

New Features in Fiber V2.02:
¤ Auto UV makes texturing easier, also has support for transparency, bumpmapping, ect.

New Features in Fiber V2.01:
¤ Platform independant and 100% compatable with all versions of Blender above 2.23

New Features in Fiber V2.00:
¤ Use bezier curves to 'comb' hair
¤ Integrated Wind engine allows the creation of fields of wheat, hair blowing in the wind, and many more possibilities
¤ Wind controlled dynamically through the positioning and sizing of an empty for extreme control over animation
¤ Customizable presets allow you to save your favorite configurations!
¤ Guide Fibers let you control the direction the fibers travel (See images) 
¤ Automatic detection of vertex paint, so no more errors! 
¤ All base meshes are stored in a file, so no need to have them selected anymore at runtime! 
¤ Optimized code runs faster and with fewer possible errors 
¤ Clumpy hair lets you make dreadlocks, mowhawks


Features from Fiber 1.4:
¤ A clean GUI with the ability to Load and Save custom presets
¤ Vertex colors are now affecting the fibers correctly
¤ Blue vertex paint effects density now!!!!
¤ Code optimized and now runs approximately 138% faster (note: Publisher is 10% slower than Creator)


New Features in Fiber V1.2:
¤ Animation is roughly [b]6-7[/b] times faster and with less critical memory leaks
¤ During animation, the fibers keep their material settings!
¤ The fibers conform perfectly to the mesh they're growing out of
¤ Red Vertex colors tie into the gravity effect on the fibers
¤ Green Vertex colors affect the length of the blades
¤ More functionality can be added to the Blue and Alpha channels later
¤ True global coordinate positioning allows the fibers to react more realistically to gravity
¤ Can be used on meshes with Relative Vertex Key animations and it will deform accordingly
¤ Offered in Wind and no-wind variations so you don't have to mess with the Wind empty if you don't have to

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HOW - TO
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BASIC OPERATION-

Select 1 or more meshes (one must have primary focus where it is highlighted a lighter pink).
*Place your cursor into the text window and press Alt-P to run the GUI
*Adjust the values in the interface and press the "Create" button
**Alternatively, you can load Presets with .fib extensions

*WARNING- Focus will be shifted to the fibers after you run the script for the first time- It's not fun to run the fiber generator on fibers, you'll end up generating so many faces that it might take minutes or hours to complete!  Remember that you can halt the script in progress if it's taking too long by bringing up the console window and pressing Ctrl-C

VERTEX PAINTING PROPERTIES-
Select your base mesh and press V.  This brings you into vertex paint mode.
Go into the paint buttons window (The icon of the paint brush)
Adjust the color that you're going to paint with
Red = Gravity effect
Green = length
Blue = Density

You can combine the multiple colors as well (Red [Gravity] + Green[Length] = Yellow [Gravity & Length])
Paint on your base mesh
Once finished, press V to exit paint mode
Run the script and watch the results!

MAKING AN ANIMATION-
The code has not yet been added to handle Armatures.  This will be in the next release (2.50).  However, you can use Relative Vertex Keys to do animation, as well as regular location, rotation, and size keyframes.

Click the Script Window button (Just to the left of the Display Buttons) and press the "New" button.
Make sure "FrameChanged" is selected and type in "FiberAnim" or "FiberAnim.py".
Now, whenever you change your frame, the fibers will be recalculated and be effected by gravity, wind, control fibers, etc.

USING WIND-
In the GUI press the "Use Wind" button.  If you don't already have an empty named "Wind", it will create one for you.
Wind moves in relation to the origin.  So moving the empty to the south west will have the wind blow to the south west.
The size of the empty relates to how large each 'gust' is
The moving the empty on the Z-axis adjusts how powerfull the wind is.

Refer to "MAKING AN ANIMATION" for help on using wind in an animation

USING FIBER GUIDES-
In the GUI, select the number of Fiber Guides you want to generate (This can be updated manually later).
Select 3 or 4 segments (3 is faster, but doesn't give you as much flexability as 4). *This will be updated soon so you can have up to 100 segments*
Be sure to select the base mesh and press the "Make" button.
Select the Fiber Guides and go into edit mode.
Move the verts around so that they go in the direction you want them to.
You can delete Fiber Guides, but you must have at least 3 per base mesh.
You can also add new Fiber Guides by pressing Ctrl+Left-mouse-click.
Make sure you have "Use Guides" selected in the GUI and press Create.

USING THE AUTO UV FEATURE (CARDS)-
When fibers are created, they automatically generate UV texture coordinates.  This allows you to use 1 texture across multiple fibers.  For example, you have 1 texture of a single wheat stalk, this will let you make each fiber have that wheat texture.
In your material settings, add a new texture.
Back in material settings, select the green 'UV' button instead of the 'Orco' button.
You may set up multiple textures this way (for example, 1 being the color map, another being the transparency, another being bump, etc)
Note that if you use Alpha(transparency) maps, this will increase rendering time.
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CONTACT
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If you have any questions or comments, you can email Alan Dennis (RipSting) at dennisa@onid.orst.edu
