Rigging tools for Maya

What is Rigging Tools?

Rigging tools is a set of functionalities for Autodesk Maya that helps you speed up the rigging process.

Funcionalities

Control library

The core of the tool is a library of controls, which allows you to create controls, color, name and group them according to the naming conventions you can choose in the preferences. You can organize your controls in categories and add your custom controls to the library with a simple button (rename them in your scene before).

[Indications of how to manage the icons is described in the "README.txt" file.

Extra functions

• Merge curves: it may have happened to you that you needed to merge multiple curves in one. With a single click, you can do this, avoiding changing your outliner view and running MEL or python commands every time.
• Toggle LRA: Maya's "Local Rotation Axis" default functionality forces you to select every single joint you need. This button toggles this visualization also to the children, saving you some clicks, therefore time.
• Replace CTRL: this button allows you to change a control shape without affecting the functionalities. For instance, you created green circles for every control in your rig and you want some of them to become red cubes: just select the cube control in the window, select the controls you want to change and then click the "Replace CTRL" button. Naming conventions and constraints will remain the same.
• Create for selected joints (with auto parent constraint): select the joints you need, and click this button to create the same control for all of them at once. The parent contraint checkbox creates already a parent contraint to them, saving even more time.
• Fix selected joints names: name all your joints as you need without worrying about the suffix. After you are done naming them, just select them and click this button to add a suffix (for instance "_JNT") to all of them.
• Create joints along curve: create a curve, choose the number of joints you want and with one click they will be attached to it's motion path.
  (at first it might look like the joints are in the wrong positions, just select the curve and move it and they will go in the correct place).

Why is it useful?

• Time saving: having a control library ready to use, with automations saves a lot of time and reduces the errors.
• Customizable: the preferences allow you to adjust the tool to your workflow.
• Scalable: make the library yours, as big as you need, with all the categories you need. You're in complete control of your library.

Compatibility

Maya 2024 and newer.

Not tested on previous versions, but most of the functions should still work.