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

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

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

sventro/autoRigger