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03 ‐ Guides

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Danilo Pinheiro edited this page Dec 15, 2025 · 1 revision

Rigging tab

We find many types of module guides in the Rigging tab.

dpAR_Doc5_wiki_01_Rigging_Tab

To create a guide, we can use the left buttons.

It'll create all the necessary nodes in the viewport as a GuideBase nurbsCurve, a radius-circle guide, and locators to define the joints' positions. Also, it'll mount a new module instance in the UI, making configuration easy.

Hierarchy

  • We need to parent guides together to mount one hierarchy of controllers in the built rig setup.
  • Also, if the rig is already generated, we can parent new guides to any existing controller, and if we use the main green rig button "RIG (all existing modules)", the created modules will be automatically integrated into the existing rig setup.

Setup Guides

  • When we select one module guide base, by viewport, outliner, or using the Select button "S" (Selection) in the UI, we can have access to some options in the Edit Selected Module UI layout.
  • We need to choose the attribute values that we want for each module to define the setup behavior that will be created.
    • Segments: the number of joints/articulations will be created in the setup.
    • Mirror: if we want to create the mirrored guide to the chosen side, usually left/right (X axis = L --> R).
    • Flip: if we need to invert the mirrored guide orientation as well.
    • Curve Degree: the draw of the nurbsCurve
      • 0 - Preset = defined by the chosen preset [Classic (old style), Cubic (good for testing), Default (current style)]
      • 1 - Linear
      • 2 - Cubic
    • Articulation: create a joint in the same position as the original joint but with half of its rotation, getting a better deformation (_Jar).
    • Corrective: add new joints with corrective setup using the CorrectiveManager setup (_Jcr).
    • Main controls: it'll create extra controllers as the main rotation parent of the ordinary line controllers. They'll have an attribute named subControlDisplay to change the segment controllers' visibility.
    • Deformed by: useful to integrate with the headDeformers.
    • reOrient button: tries to align the guides correctly.
  • If we want to delete a module, the best way is to use the red button "Delete" in the UI.
  • If we want to duplicate a module guide, we can use the violet button "Duplicate" in UI or use the Maya shortcut Ctrl + D.
  • Also, if we want to create the rig of just one module, but nothing more, we can use the yellow button "Rig" in UI.

Here is an example of the guides created using the Biped button, where we can see attributes to configure by selecting the Limb module named Arm:

dpAR_Doc5_wiki_07_BipedGuideExample

Edit Modules

  • When we create a guide, we're instancing a module, and we can edit it using the UI.
    • We can write a guide name in the text field.
    • By clicking on the "+" sign, we can open the Guide Info window to edit some attributes of the current selected guides.
      • Display annotation: change visibility of the annotated name in the viewport.
      • Radius: same as using the radius guide to define the size of the controllers' shape.
      • Shape Size: change the size of the current guide shapes.
      • Color button: allows us to select the color of the nurbsCurve guide locator objects in the viewport.
    • We also have some attributes to edit in the ChannelBox of the selected GuideBase node.
      • Pin Guide: It's handy to pin the selected guide node when we need to move its parent. The pinned guide becomes red. It'll be free again if we change the attribute to off (zero).
      • World Size: scale the guide from the original world zero coordinates or from its parent pivot.

dpAR_Doc5_wiki_08_GuideInfo

Rigging Options

  • We have some options at the bottom of the Rigging tab to allow us to edit the preferences for building the guides, including:
    • Prefix for all nodes.
    • Display joints after creating the rig.
    • Hide guide groups in the Outliner (dpAR_Temp_Grp and dpAR_GuideMirror_Grp).
    • Integrate all modules, rigging them together. If not active, the yellow rig button will be called for all modules individually.
    • Use Default Render Layer (masterLayer). Obsolete.
    • Colorize controllers (Left = Red, Blue = Right, Yellow/Cian = Middle).
    • Use the curve degree presets [0 - Preset, 1 - Linear, 3 - Cubic].
  • If we import some guides from a file, we need to remove the namespace (keeping just the original namespace of ModuleType__dpAR_###: because it's the way of the script to find the instanced modules in the scene. So, we need to reload the script to load the imported guides as well.

Doc5: Options - Import

Creating the Rig

  • When everything is right about the guides, that means:
    • The guides are well placed, with respective positions and orientation for the joints.
    • The options and attributes are well configured.
    • The hierarchy of parented guides is done.
  • We can create the complete rig setup using the main rig green button RIG (all existing modules), so the modules will be created and automatically integrated.

Modules

There are 2 kinds of guides in the dpAutoRigSystem:

  • Standard: base modules of specific setups.
  • Integrated: templates of combined standard modules with proper parenting and configuration to build desired complex rigs.

Standard

Chain Chain

It will create a chain of joints with ik spline and FK, and a dynamic setup if we want.

  • Built:
    • The first and last ik controllers have auto-orient attributes.
    • The ToParent controller has attributes to set the stretchable and volume variation behaviors.

Doc5: Chain

Eye Eye

It will create an eye setup with FK and a look at controllers as well. We can choose whether to generate the eyelid setup and whether to include iris, pupils, and specular controllers. The pivot guide option activates a locator to set the rotation center point for the eyelids, which is useful for creating oval cartoony eyes. It's designed to be integrated with the Head module, being a child of the UpperHead locator guide.

  • Built:
    • There are 2 FK controllers, a main and a sub controller. The main one is designed to activate the eyelids' auto-rotate.
    • Eyelid controllers have a follow attribute to set up the intensity of the auto eyelid rotation following the look at controller or the main FK controller as well.
    • Eyelid controllers also have a lot of calibration attributes to adjust the setup to the character rig.
    • The look at controller has a follow attribute to set up the isolation from the eye's parent node.
    • The Base controller can change the eye size. The EyeScale joint is designed for this purpose and should be skinned to the character's face.

Doc5: Eye

Finger Finger

This module creates a rig for fingers. We can choose the number of phalanges. That will work in ik and FK mode.

  • Built:
    • When rigged, the main controller will have attributes to display the phalange controllers, and also to rotate them.
    • It will work well when using the corrective joints to keep the fingers' deformation volume.

Doc5: Finger

FkLine Fk Line

This module creates a joint chain with the number of desired joints. There's a joint at the end of the chain named with the (_JEnd) suffix that shows us the last joint rotation. They can be deleted when the rig is finished, since the purpose is to help the rigger visualize the setup correctly. This module is handy for creating tails, ears, hair, or simple controllers of objects like props.

  • Built:
    • The controllers will be in FK (forward kinematics).

Doc5: FkLine

Foot Foot

This module creates a foot rig with a reverse foot setup. It works fine when integrated with a Limb leg type.

  • Built:
    • There'll be many reverse foot attributes in the main controller to roll and spin the pivots.
    • The foot roll angle attribute is designed to set the angle at which the foot will start rolling the middle joint articulation when passing.
    • Also, we can find the foot roll plant attribute to set the angle at which the point of the foot touches the ground.
    • We have a show controls attribute to change the visibility of the reverse foot controllers.

Doc5: Foot

Head Head

This module creates a head with a neck setup. We can choose to include the jaw, chin, lips, or upper-head features by selecting checkboxes for each. Also, we can add a Deformer that shows the box and locator center nodes to be positioned as needed. There is a great integration with facial using the Facial checkbox, which allows us to choose the facial controllers we want in the rig (brow, eyelid, mouth, lips, sneer, grimace, face) as blendShape or facial joints.

  • Built:
    • There is a functionality of the head to follow the chest or not, making it with isolated rotation.
    • We have calibration attributes for these controllers: [Jaw, UpperLip, LowerLip].
    • The jaw controller automatically moves when we rotate it after a set angle. It's nice to have realistic results.
    • Lip corner controllers can follow or not follow the jaw, so the animators can work better with the poses.
    • If we use the Deformer behavior, it'll create the HeadDeformer automatically for us.
    • If we use the Facial behavior and we have the blendShape nodes with expected named targets on them, the Head will connect to them automatically.
    • For facial joints (gaming), we need to calibrate several attributes if we need to adjust the predefined poses. It needs better control in the future.

Doc5: Head

Limb Limb

This module creates a limb rig with clavicle, elbow, and wrist for an arm type or hips, knee, and ankle for a leg type. There is an option to re-orient controllers, which is useful to aim the clavicle to the shoulder and align the wrist to the elbow. The style option allows us to define the biped or quadruped setup behavior. For quadruped style, we recommend using the Quadruped Extra Control because it has more flexibility for animators. We can add bend controllers and choose the number of joints they will have [3, 5, 7]. Also, we can create additional joints and controllers for each ribbon joint (_Jad); there will be 4 new controllers. The align world option is to create the wrist setup with a local offset that animators can use to help them in polishing only one axis if they want.

  • Built:
    • This module works fine in IK or FK with stretch.
    • It has a nice soft ik setup to avoid popping during the animation.
    • We implemented a script node to do the ikFkSnap. We should set 1 to its attribute, and when we blend the ik/FK mode, the controllers will snap automatically.
    • The clavicle/hips controllers have the auto-rotate behavior depending on the follow attribute intensity value. It's zero by default.
    • Also, the clavicle/hips, and the wrist/ankle controllers have a sub control display attribute to change the visibility of their extra controllers.
    • If we have implemented bends (ribbons), we can set the corner controller (elbow, knee) auto-bend attribute to get a curved limb.
    • Limbs have volume variation attributes in the Option_Ctrl.
    • Wrist/ankle controllers have length and uniform scale features, too.
    • When in leg type, it has a good integration with the foot module.

Doc5: Limb

Nose Nose

It will create a nose setup to integrate it into the Head module. We have the option to create or not create the nostril setup.

  • Built:
    • It'll create just a simple setup of joints and controllers like fk mode.

Doc5: Nose

Single Single

It will create a simple joint position guide for only one joint in the rig. This is very useful to make an indirect skinning passing the skinCluster through a blendShape target as a tweaker additional controller.

  • Built:
    • The indirect skinning joint (_Jis) will receive direct connections to its transform attributes instead of using constraints. It allows them to be static in the world, even if the character is moving, so it's good to be part of the skinned blendShape target.
    • If the Holder option is on, the controller for this module will be inactive (hidden), so it doesn't get used during the animation, letting the holder joint static and grab all the non-deformable skinCluster weights of the blendShape target.

Doc5: Single

Spine Spine

This module creates a spine rig using a ribbon system to be more flexible. You can choose the number of middle controls. We can choose the style of Default or Biped to define the controllers' orientation. It integrates well with other modules, like limbs and head, for example.

  • Built:
    • It works in ik (ribbon) or FK (Forward Kinematics) mode with the blend attribute in the Option_Ctrl.
    • There are 2 extreme controllers (Base and Tip) that we can show using the extra Option_Ctrl attributes.
    • It has a volume variation feature, too.

Doc5: Spine

Steering Steering

It will create a steering to be integrated into the wheel modules. If this module is the father of wheel guides, it'll integrate with them automatically.

  • Built:
    • There are attributes in the Steering_Ctrl as intensity and limit, to control the rotation of the wheels related to the controller Z rotation. They are predefined to work as an ordinary vehicle.

Doc5: Steering

Suspension Suspension

It will create a suspension setup like a piston, very useful in mechanical rigs. The FatherB field receives the name of the node where we want to parent the Main_B_Ctrl of the setup after creating the rig.

  • Built:
    • The Main_A_Ctrl will follow the father node of the guide.
    • The Main_B_Ctrl will follow the chosen node on the guide option attributes.
    • We'll have some extra controllers, like the UpLoc, to animate the aim-up rotation if we want.

Doc5: Suspension

Wheel Wheel

It will create a wheel setup to be integrated into a vehicle rig. The Geometry field receives the name of the mesh used as a tire to be deformed by the lattice deformer. Using a checkbox, we can activate the steering signal reception only if this guide is parented to a steering guide. The show controls checkbox can be edited in the built rig to display the lattice sub controllers. The FrontLoc shows the direction expected for the wheel to rotate. It's important to choose a good radius from the guide to match the model, and the setup works well.

  • Built:
    • There will be created an expression to have the wheel auto-rotate feature, and the Wheel_Ctrl will have some attributes to control it.
    • The start-frame attribute sets the initial frame to reset the rotation to zero.
    • If we need to, we can change or adjust the radius created. It'll directly impact the auto-rotate, making it avoid glissing.
    • Setting the steering to 1 makes the father steering setup active.
    • The try-keep-undo attribute is designed to make the Ctrl+Z behavior ignore the auto-rotate calculus.
    • If we don't want to have the auto-rotate expression working at all, we can just set the auto-rotate attribute to zero.

Doc5: Wheel

Integrated

Arm Arm

This scripted module creates a basic arm guide, with fingers parented to an arm type of a limb module.

Doc5: Arm

Bike Bike

This scripted module creates a bike setup of combined guides of wheels and fkLines modules. There are options for simple or complete guides.

Doc5: Bike

Biped Biped

This scripted module creates a simple or complete biped setup, with all guides already parented using the correct mirror settings and a good name convention. We just need to place the guides in the correct location, set the guides' attributes, and click on the green "RIG (all existing modules)" button.

Doc5: Biped

Car Car

This scripted module creates a simple or complete car setup of combined guides with wheels, steering, and fkLines ready to build a vehicle rig.

Doc5: Car

Leg Leg

This scripted module creates a basic leg setup of combined guides with a foot parented to a leg type of a limb module. If we choose the complete mode it'll add some fkLines as toes.

Doc5: Leg

Quadruped Quadruped

This scripted module creates a basic quadruped setup of combined guides with limb guides as leg quadruped type parented to a spine guide, a head, an eye, a fkLine as a simple tail, and an ear using fkLine guides, too. By default, it'll set the limbs as quadruped-extra-control style.

Doc5: Quadruped

Tweaks Tweaks

This scripted module creates simple or complete tweak guides with single modules very useful to improve the facial rig. We can choose to use it for Animation (with blendShapes) or Gaming (with joints to skinning). It works well if integrated with a head guide.

Doc5: Tweaks

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