Q. How can I do hair in XSI without the hair/fur plugin? I am running essentials/foundation and that is not part of the package.
A. The fur in Advanced is best. But.... there is an old fur output
shader that comes with XSI and works in essentials. Here is how it
works:
Pass>Edit>Current Pass
Output Shaders Tab>Add>2d Fur
Select Shader>Inspect
Add objects to the object list and lights to the light list.
Render.
That should be enough to get you going.
This old fur is OK for grass and things that don't move much. But I would not use it on a character.