You can use masks to control various attributes when grooming. For example, if you have a more realistic character, such as an animal, you can control the length of fur around the face, ears, and feet by painting on the mesh.

Once you have a piece of geometry, you can create fur by using the Add Fur tool on the Hair Utils shelf. Next you can use the Initialize Guides tool on the Guide Process tab to set the direction of the fur, which is necessary when styling the fur to ensure predictable results.

The Set Guide Length tool will allow you to control the length of the coat, as well as paint areas where you don’t want fur.

Using the Length parameter dropdown menu, select Skin Attribute and click the button below to interactively paint the areas where you don’t want fur in the viewport.