Interface

This section will address each item in the interface individually and explain its use.

Markers Rollout:

Create Markers: This button creates the dummies that serve as the location markers for the joints in your skeleton. The markers are only created for the right side, and the left side is mirrored when you create the rig. The button will always create the markers in the default positions. If any markers are missing and you press the button, it will give you the option of creating only the missing ones. This means that if you accidentally delete a marker, or move them out of alignment, you can get the default ones back.

Delete Markers: This button deletes all the markers in the scene. It is recommended to save their locations beforehand.

Save Marker Locations: This button will open a “Save As” dialog, which will allow you to save a file with the locations of your markers. The file is a simple text file with a list of x, y, and z coordinates. You can save it as a .txt file or simply save it with no extension. It is a good idea to always save your marker locations before you delete them, so that you can re-create the skeleton for your character without having to place the markers again. Also, this allows you to have other people to create animations for your character, because they can use the locations to re-create the same skeleton and then export DSQs that will be suited for your character's proportions.

Load Marker Locations: This button opens an “Open File” dialog so that you can load your previously saved locations. You must have all the markers in the scene already to load their locations.

Rigger Rollout:

FK Arms/IK Arms: Choose between Inverse Kinematics or Forwards Kinematics for the arm bones.

If you choose IK, dummies (NURBS circles in Maya) will be created at the wrist positions that serve as handles for the IK effectors. The script also creates an Elbow Swivel attribute, which controls the swivel angle of the IK solver. The IK chain only controls from the shoulder to the wrist.

Prop Control Object: (currently only available in Max) This option creates a dummy and several custom constraints and attributes. It is useful when animating a character holding an object with both hands, e.g. a gun or a broom.

FK Legs/ IK Legs: Choose between Inverse Kinematics or Forwards Kinematics for the leg bones.

Choosing IK creates two attributes. The first is the Knee Swivel attribute, which functions the same as the Elbow Swivel as mentioned above. The second is the Foot Roll attribute, which controls the foot IK structure. There are 3 IK chains created and together they control the entire leg, from the thighs to the toes.

Spine Attributes: This creates three attributes: Twist, Bend, and Lean. These control the rotations of all three spine bones at once, making the animation process go faster. If you prefer to rotate your spine bones individually, you must leave this unchecked, as you will be unable to manually override the custom controls once they are in place.

Mount Point: If you check the box labeled Create, a weapon mount point will be created and linked to the left or right hand, depending on which radio button you choose.

Key All Animatables at 0f: Just what it says: It selects the "All Animatables" selection set and sets a key at frame 0. I found myself forgetting to do this before starting to animate, so I made it automatic.

Create Rig: This button creates the bones, the control rig, and the named selection set for your character, based on the options selected in the panel above.

Utilities Rollout :

(Currently available in Max version 1.5 or higher only. Note that these functions are available as macroscripts as well, so you can make buttons on your main UI or put them in menus, hotkeys, etc.)

Prop Control Utility: Launch the Prop Control Utility.

Reset Rig: Reset the rig to its creation pose. The rig now "knows" its own proportions, so it simply resets to the original values. I found this helpful because I like to have the base pose at the beginning of every animation file, and sometimes it would get messed up while animating.