sventro / autoRigger

Procedural rigging tool for Maya

AutoRigger 2.0

AutoRigger is an automated rig builder used in Maya. It currently supports procedural rigging based on modules as well as pre-made template for biped, quadruped and chain.
Chain Demo | Quadruped Demo | Biped Demo

About The Project

The AutoRigger tool started out as my practice for maya scripting back in late 2018. But Little by little, I started to implement new rigging knowledge on to it. After years of expansion, it became my rigging tool kit which handles a lot of the automation in general rigging process.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• enum34 package for Python 2.7

  pip install enum34

Launch

1. Unzip the autoRigger.zip package under %USERPROFILE%/Documents/maya/[current maya version]/scripts/ or a custom directory under PYTHONPATH env variable.

2. Run through script editor:

   from autoRigger import autoRigger
   autoRigger.show()

Usage

The autoRigger is modular and very straight forward to use; Each item on the left is referred as a rig object, you create them in the scene individually and piece together to build the final rig; there are also pre-made template for standard characters like biped and quadruped.

note: autoRigger isn't a skinning tool

Create Guide

• choose a rig object, and then enter specific properties on the right-side field, finally click guide.

• this creates a guided locators or the rough joint placement of the rig. you are now free to move, rotate, scale the locators around to better match the target mesh.

Build Rig

• when you are satisfied with the guide placement, click build. it will generate all the joints, controllers and constraints.
• The next step if for you to skin your character/creature using anything you prefer

Scripting Example

the rig object and all of its components can be accessed through scripting with ease, as each rig object is a class inheriting the abstract bone class.

To instantiate a rig object, build guide and rig

from autoRigger.constant import Side
from autoRigger.chain import chainEP

test_chain = chainEP.ChainEP(
   name='rope',
   side=Side.LEFT,
   segment=20,
   curve='curve1',
   cv=10
)

test_chain.build_guide()
test_chain.build_rig()

Access rig object properties:

>>> test_chain.name
output: rope

>>> test_chain.side
output: Side.LEFT

>>> test_chain.type
output: chain

>>> test_chain.scale
output: 1

>>> test_chain.components

# this is used mostly in template such as biped or quadruped
# which will yield all rig sub-components
output: []

Access rig object nodes in maya scene

# shared maya nodes
jnts = test_chain.jnts
root_jnt = jnts[0]
top_jnt = jnts[-1]

"""
subsequently:
['chain_l_rope0_jnt']
['chain_l_rope19_jnt']
"""

ctrls = test_chain.ctrls
locators = test_chain.locs
offset_group = test_chain.offsets

# chain specific maya nodes
test_chain.clusters
test_chain.guide_curve
test_chain.curve
test_chain.cvs

Roadmap

• integrate facial rigging
• bird template
• vehicle template
• refactor quadruped leg modules

Versions

Update 2.0 (current)

• rig object abstraction
• added chain modular rigging package
• added dynamic property widget

Update 1.2 (01/05/2021)

• PEP8 code re-formatting
• updated naming convention
• updated user-interface

Update 1.1 (04/08/2020)

• added quadruped template rigging
• added biped template rigging

Update 1.0 (10/19/2019)

• re-built autoRigger as a modular rig system
• updated user-interface

Update 0.4 (04/21/2019)

• integrated body and face rigging
• added face picker

Update 0.2 (03/22/2019)

• added FK/IK to limb
• added flexible spine control

Update 0.1 (12/29/2018)

• initial release of the autoRigger tool
• included one-click rig building
• included default skin binding