How To Draw An Oil Rig

Auto-Rig

Note

This doc is made for Blender 2.8. For Blender 2.79 users, the old dr. can be downloaded here.

Overview

Setup

Setting up the model

• The character model must be in the center of the earth (0,0,0)

• It has to face the -Y global centrality, information technology means the face and anxiety must point toward the front view (numpad 1). If information technology'due south not the example, but turn the object by 90° steps until it faces the front end view (R key, Z key, type 90 numpad keys). You can as well apply the Plough buttons of the Smart tools to rotate the model so that it faces the camera (read below).

• Initialize its transforms: Ctrl-A > Position, Ctrl-A > Rotation & Scale

Add the armature

• Printing N key to enable the properties panel in the 3d view right area.

• Expect for the ARP tab

• Press the Add Armature button in the Rig tab.

• Cull a rig preset . This part of the documentation covers the Human rig but, just the same principles utilise to the other types. The Empty preset is used to build a rig from scratch, information technology does not contain whatsoever limbs by default. Arms, legs, spine… can exist added by clicking the Add Limbs button.

Important

Do not delete any objects or bones linked to the armature, even if they're invisible, such as cs_grp and its children, cam_ui, rig_add, etc…). Exercise not rename Car-Rig Pro basic, it would break the rig.

Smart

The Smart characteristic is useful to speedily place the reference bones inside a few clicks. It only works with biped character (may be extended to quadrupeds later). Information technology has been designed to cover several cases, still in that location are few guidelines to follow:

• The character tin can exist in T-Pose or A-Pose. For the fingers detection, there must be enough spaces between fingers. The palm must face the flooring, if the hand is likewise much twisted forwards or astern, the fingers detection will neglect.

If your character's fingers don't meet these requirements, you can choose Skip Fingers above the Go button (read beneath). If the whole character it not a biped, skip this part and get straight to the adjacent affiliate to manually place the reference bones.

Limitations

Depending on the graphic symbol proportions, manual corrections later on the detection may be required. Also fingers may not detect properly if:

• There is not enough infinite between them

• They are likewise curled

• There are too many complicated shapes around the hand, such every bit large bracelets, props, for example.

• Too simple/depression-poly model, or "weird" shapes

How to apply

• Facial: if yous wish to setup the facial markers (optional), first make sure the eyeballs are a separate object

• Show the ARP addon interface: press North key to enable the backdrop panel in the 3d view right surface area, await for the ARP tab, so Auto-Rig Pro: Smart menu.

• Select all of the body objects. Avert selecting props, clothes objects if they're not necessary to define the character trunk.

• Click Get Selected Objects in the Auto-rig Pro : Smart panel

The photographic camera will frame the graphic symbol in front end view.

• If the character doesn't face up the camera, you can use the Turn buttons to rotate past 90° steps

Torso

• If the character is not symmetrical, uncheck Mirror. If enabled, the left markers/basic are mirrored to the right (right from the character's perspective, screen-left)

• Click the Add Cervix button. A new circle shaped mark is added, move the mouse cursor to position information technology at the root of the neck.

• No need to rotate the view while doing this, keeping the front end view will be fine. The solver will automatically observe the depth

• Click the side by side button Add together Chin, position it nearby the chin, and do the aforementioned for the other markers

Fingers

• Prepare the number of fingers of the character:

After pressing the "Go!" button:

The fingers detection should run fine with most of the characters, however it may fail former. In this instance, the offset affair to endeavor is to move a little the wrist marker (you lot tin click Recover Last Session to restore the previous markers positions). And so reduce or increase the Voxel Precision value, and then endeavour to increase the Finger Thickness. If information technology notwithstanding does not work, in that location's something special in the hands blueprint that prevents the detection to work. Experience complimentary to send your graphic symbol for inspection (cheque Bug Report - Back up), if the event can be fixed I'll let you know, if not, place the fingers manually: encounter the chapter Positionning the Reference Bones. The markers can be restored, to try different positions, past clicking Restore Last Session later on Become Selected Objects.

Facial

Optionally you can setup the facial markers (if you wish to rig the facial):

• Push the Facial Setup button.

• Position the markers vertices to match your graphic symbol face proportions:

• Enter the eyeball object name in the defended input field

• Press the Go! button

Subsequently a few seconds, the references bones should exist properly positionned on the model. Notation that this may require additional transmission tweaking to get a more accurate placement.

Rig Definition

Limbs Setup

Now it'southward time to configure and define the skeleton.

• Select the armature object

• If yous don't employ Car-rig Pro : Smart, get-go scale the armature in object mode and then that information technology globally fits the character height

• Evidence the ARP interface: press N primal to brandish the properties panel at the correct of the viewport, expect for the ARP tab

• Automobile Rig Pro > Rig tab > click Edit Reference Bones

Note

Reference bones can exist edited anytime after the rig completion by simply clicking Edit Reference Bones over again

• Limbs can be added 1 by one using the Add Limb button.

Biped - Multiped

For quadruped characters (dog, cat, equus caballus…) it's necessary to switch to Multi-Ped type instead of the default Biped. Every bit Biped, the spine controller shapes are oriented vertically. As Multi-Ped, their orientation is free, since a quadruped/multi-ped stands with his "hands" on the ground. Here is an example to position bones for a quadrupedal creature.

Limb Options

Limbs have various options to fit… diverse needs! To access options of a limb, select a os from it and click Limb Options. For instance, select an arm bone and click Limb Options to enable or disable the fingers, by ticking/unticking the checkboxes. To disable, add or duplicate a specific limb, encounter chapter Duplicate - Disable Limbs

Head Options

Facial

Add together facial controllers

Soft Lips

Enable lips elasticity outcome for more natural deformations

Soft Lips: Visual Only

The soft lips event will be only visual, it won't deform except the lips corner. Useful when using shape keys every bit lips deformations.

Middle Targets Distance

Accommodate the eye target distance from the head

Neck Options

Count

Number of neck basic

Twist Bones

Add together neck twist basic

Bendy Bones

Utilize multiple bendy bones segments to smoothen the neck twist deformation (warning, not export compliant, for internal Blender projects simply)

Spine Options

Count

Number of spine bones, from ane to 32. To export to Unreal Engine equally a humanoid rig, iv spine basic are required.

Bottom

Add bottom (buttock) bones

Arms Options

Twist Basic

Number of twist bones.

• If the rig is not exported to game engines, i is enough since the Blender armature modifier handles dual quaternions skinning (Preserve Volume).

• When exporting to game engines, multiple twist basic are recommended for best deformations (3-4 or more) since Preserve Book is not supported past game engines. Multiple twist basic totally solve the candy newspaper wrap issue when twisting hands/feet. Above one twist bone, below 4 twist bones in Unreal Engine:

• Nonetheless, one twist bone is required to lucifer the Unity'due south humanoid rig. Unreal's humanoid rig back up multiple twist bones.

Rotate Fingers from Scale

Fingers phalanges tin can rotate when scaling the first one. Set the Rot From Scale property above the fingers checkboxes. Set information technology to Disable to disable this feature.

Note

Only FK fingers are compliant with this setting, IKs are not

Fingers Shapes

Default shape for the fingers controllers: boxes, circles

Fingers

Add together fingers (thumb, index, middle, ring, pinky)

IK Pole Distance

Adjust the IK pole controller distance from the elbow

Fingers IK-FK

If Fingers IK-FK is enabled, IK controllers will be added to each fingers, with IK-FK switch and snap settings, and all tools dedicated to dispense IK fingers.

• IK Parent: Parent bone of the IK target controllers

• Pole Parent: Parent os of the IK pole controllers

• IK Root Shape: Custom shape used to draw the IK Root target controller, located at the root of the 3rd phalange

• IK Tip Shape: Custom shape used to draw the IK Tip target controller, located at the tip of the third phalange

• Pole Shape: Custom shape used to draw the IK Pole controller, located in a higher place the second phalange os

• IK Pole Distance: Altitude from the second phalange to the IK pole

For fingers IK to piece of work properly, it's best to brand sure that finger basic (reference basic) are slightly curved upwards. Otherwise, the IK direction volition exist inverted and fingers can fold in the wrong management:

Correct fingers curvature

Wrong fingers curvature that leads fingers to fold in the wrong direction

Wings

Add together feathers bones to the arm, forearm and paw bone with various settings.

• Arm Feathers: amount of feathers for the arm os

• Forearm Feathers: amount of feathers for the forearm os

• Manus Feathers: amount of feathers for the mitt bone

• Plume Subdivisions: amount of bones per feathers, to curve its shape (instance beneath with four subdivisions)

• Plume Layers: Amount of layers/rows of feathers, on top of each other (example below with three layers)

• Update Existing Feathers Transforms: update existing reference plumage basic transforms when clicking the OK push button (filigree marshal). If disabled, existing feathers won't move. Useful to add new feathers while preserving existing ones.

• Parent Feathers Layers: parent feathers layers. If disabled, feather layers motion independently.

• Add Wings Fold Controller: add a controller to fold the arms and feathers by scaling it. Requires an activeness containing rig_wings_fold in its name, rest pose at frame 0, folded pose at frame

Note

• Create a new action named rig_wings_fold

• Keyframe arm and plumage basic controllers in reset pose (residue pose) at frame 0, folded pose at frame 10

• Click Edit Reference Bones

• Select an arm bone and click Limb Options

• Enable Add Wings Fold Controller

• Click OK

• Click Match to Rig

• Unlink the rig_wings_fold from the rig

Naming: the plumage bones are named this way:

bone_type + 'plume' + plume number + layer number + subdivision number + side

For example: c_hand_feather_02_03_02.l

Legs Options

Twist Basic

Number of twist bones.

• If the rig is not exported to game engines, ane is enough since the Blender armature modifier handles dual quaternions skinning (Preserve Volume).

• When exporting to game engines, multiple twist bones are recommended for best deformations (3-4 or more) since Preserve Volume is not supported past game engines. Multiple twist bones totally solve the candy paper wrap issue when twisting hands/feet. To a higher place one twist os, beneath 4 twist bones in Unreal Engine:

• Withal, 1 twist bone is required to lucifer the Unity'due south humanoid rig. Unreal'due south humanoid rig support multiple twist bones.

3 Bones Leg

Add an extra os at the root of the concatenation, useful for certain creatures such as T-Rex, quadrupeds. To use full three basic IK instead of ii when posing the grapheme, meet (Legs 3 Bones)

Toes

Add toes (pollex, index, heart, band, pinky)

Toes Pin Controller

Add a controller to rotate the whole foot from the toes

IK Pole Distance

Adjust the IK pole controller altitude from the knee.

Tail Options

Count

Set the number of tail bones

Master Controller at Root

Set the tail master controller, which rotates all tail bones at once, at the root position of the tail.

Ear Options

Count

Set the number of ear bones

Spline IK options

IK Splines are useful bone chains to rig ropes, tentacles… It can likewise be used as a replacement for the default FK spine. It'due south recommended to continue 1 spine os though, to keep the c_root_master and c_root controller, and parent the root bone of the Spline IK to it.

IK Spline Count

Number of bones for the IK spline bones chain

Bendy Basic Count

Number of bendy-bones per os, for a smoother consequence.

Curve Smoothness

Increase or subtract the extra smoothing of the bend shape. Decreasing it is useful if spline bones have different locations between residual/pose position due to the curve extra smoothing.

Side

Define the side (center .x, left .l, right .r) of the concatenation, by renaming bones with the called suffix.

Deform

Enable or disable weight deformation of the spline IK bones. Disabling information technology may be useful when creating more basic (by manus) over the existing ones, to set new basic equally the deforming ones instead of the base spline IK bones.

Update Transforms

Change the existing spline reference bones position when clicking OK (filigree align). Disable it to preserve their position. If the spline count is changed, enabled automatically.

End Controller Parent

To define the parent of the final bone of the chain. By default set to the tip controller, however information technology can produces interesting furnishings for ropes when parenting to the root.

Advanced Mode

The Advanced fashion enables more options to fine tweaks the curve shape with master, inter, and individual controllers.

Controllers Frequency

The frequence defining the master controllers spacing forth the bones chain. For example, setting to 2 will add a master controller every ii bones.

Interpolation

Interpolation blazon for the inter controllers, between two master controllers. Linear produces directly lines, while Smoothen leads to curved lines.

c_spline_master parent

Parent os of the c_spline_master os. Setting information technology to None allow free parent, past manually setting information technology.

c_spline_master tip parent

Parent bone of the last c_spline_master bone (at the tip of the chain). Setting it to None permit gratuitous parent, by manually setting information technology.

c_spline_tip parent

Parent bone of the c_spline_tip parent. Setting it to None allow complimentary parent, by manually setting it.

Note

IK Splines are exportable, but os scale/stretch and bendy-bones are not supported. Using IK Splines as spine bones it non even so supported in Humanoid consign manner.

Bendy-Bones Options

Bendy-Bones bondage are useful to rig stretchy components, hair, snakes… Each bone is subdivided into multiple segments, allowing smoothen, consistent deformations.

Notation

Bendy-bones chains are not exportable to Fbx! May exist supported afterward.

Bendy Bones Count

Amount of bones in the chain

Bendy Bones Segments

Number of bendy-bones segment per os

Controller Scale

Scale of the controller shapes

Side

Define the side (eye .10, left .l, right .r) of the chain, by renaming bones with the called suffix.

Secondary Controllers

There are 3 deformation modes in pick for the secondary bones (bones used to curve the artillery, legs). To export to game engines, utilise Twist (best), or Additive fashion. If no export is required, Additive volition give skilful results, while Bendy Basic is all-time for stylized/cartoon characters.

Twist

• Twist and secondary controllers are exportable to Fbx, recommended for best export compatibility.

• Ane secondary controller per twist bone, consequently up to vi per limb.

• Bendy-basic command for easy adjustment of the global bend, while using existent (twist) bones to deform and keeping it exportable.

• Best control over the shapes, each twist bone tin be moved and rotated separately.

Condiment

• Twist and secondary controllers are exportable to Fbx. However, the exported weights may be slightly unlike since the additive weights are "baked" onto the principal weights.

• three-4 controllers per limb for precise shapes sculpting.

• Additive skinning involves more basic, so more vertex groups.

Bendy Bones

• Twist and secondary controllers are not exportable to Fbx. Must exist used for internal Blender projects only.

• Just 2 controllers per limb only very smooth command. Ideal for cartoon characters.

• Like shooting fish in a barrel skinning: only ane vertex group per limb, the secondary and twist bones are computed internally past the bendy basic system.

None

• No secondary controllers

Of import

All changes are applied when clicking Match to Rig. Irresolute secondary controllers mode after binding requires to re-demark the meshes, otherwise some bone weights volition be wrong.

Positionning the Reference Bones

The reference bones are the guides used to marshal the final rig bones position and rotations. Whether your character is non supported by the Smart function (not a biped) or if yous simply need to edit the reference basic position, here is how to:

• Conform the bones positions and so that they fit the character proportions. You can follow the guidelines below for a biped rig, and see here for a multi-ped rig.

• The foot_heel and foot_bank bones (the three little bones under the foot) should match the heel back position and the pes width. The foot_heel_ref os direction is used to align the feet rotation on the final rig, make sure to ready it properly.

IK Bondage

• In option, the IK pole management tin be drawn as a line to visualize its position in the final rig:

• Remember to go along a slight angle betwixt the arms/legs bones. It'south very important for the IK chains to work properly. They MUST NEVER exist straight, otherwise the IK management may be inverted.

• IK bondage roll can't exist manually adapted. It'southward calculated when clicking Match to Rig. Changing the bones alignment as shown beneath volition modify the curlicue. Here the arm is shown from the front view, information technology can be straight from this point of view, only must keep a slight angle backward (check from the pinnacle view):

Spine

• The root_ref bone tip should be centered at the belly button top, spine_01 at the lesser of the breast, spine_02 should attain the neck base of operations.

Facial

• The facial bones should be positionned as the following:

• The eyelids and eyes bone heads should be positionned at the eyeball center while the tail of the bones should reach the eyeglobe/eyelids mesh surface. The eye_offset_ref bone is used to align the global eyes direction, brand sure to set information technology properly. All eyelids and eye_offset bones'head should be centered at the same position, in the middle of the eyeball.

• The lips basic accept to exist very shut to the geometry, positionned all around the lips.

• The lips_roll bones have been designed to piece of work with shape keys and drivers (read beneath the Skinning chapter).

Duplicate - Disable Limbs

• To duplicate a limb, select one bone from it and click Duplicate.

• And in a like way, to disable a limb click Disable.

Only the arms, legs, cervix, head, facial, and ears can exist duplicated. It may not be possible to duplicate individual bones: for example, the arms duplication will duplicate the arm, forearm, hands and fingers as a whole, the head duplication volition indistinguishable the neck, head and linked facial if any as a whole. The fingers and spine bones cannot be duplicated yet.

Important

If disabling a limb is not precise enough to remove a specific bone, y'all should avoid deleting the bone manually. Information technology can break the rig functions when clicking Lucifer to Rig for example. Instead, consider hiding the bone. Read the Aid / FAQ to this end ("Is information technology possible to delete bones?").

Parenting Reference Bones

Reference basic tin can be parented to each others, i.e. shoulder_ref can exist parented to spine_02_ref so that the shoulders volition exist connected to the spine when clicking Match to Rig. However, parenting but works with predefined behaviors, i.eastward it'south not possible to parent leg_ref to arm_ref, it won't work.

• Only the root bone of a limb can exist parented freely

• When reference bones are parented to other reference bones, a dedicated scripted role will assign the final bone parent when clicking Match to Rig, using a default mapping.

• Information technology's possible to strength a bone parent by parenting a reference bone to a non-reference bone directly: i.e parenting shoulder_ref to the last bone of a four bones IK spline: spline_04_ref, will by default parent the shoulder to the tip controller of this IK spline, c_spline_05. To parent information technology to the previous controller c_spline_04, parent shoulder_ref to c_spline_04 directly.

Calculation Custom Bones

Adding your ain new bones (custom bones) for props, clothes, hair or annihilation required is fairly simple and straightforward. The but requirement is to add and link them to the deforming bones or controller bones, not reference basic. Meaning, basic located in the layer 31, or basic visible afterwards clicking Match to Rig. Run into Armature Layers

Example to add together a hat bone:

• Click Friction match to Rig

• Switch to Edit Mode (Tab fundamental) and add a os (Shift-A)

• Parent it to the "c_head.x" bone which is the head controller, or "head.10" bone which is the deforming bone.

Information technology won't interfere with the scripted instructions, unless these new bones have same names every bit existing ones (for case do not proper name a new bone "c_root.x" or "c_head.x" or "head.x", these bones are already part of the base rig).

To export to Fbx, they must be set as custom bones in order to tell the exporter to include them in the rig, see Custom bones

Limitations:

New basic must not be inserted betwixt bones of the same limb, for example the following basic hierarchy would intermission the rig since a custom bone is inserted betwenn spine bones:

                root     spine01         mycustom_spine_bone < incorrect!             spine02                 neck...              

Just this works:

Generate The Rig

• Click Match to Rig to generate the final rig with controllers, and all the mechanic setup.

You lot can go dorsum to edition way and make some changes someday by clicking Edit Reference Bones.

Note

Check Init Scale to brand sure the rig calibration value is initialized to one.0 (recommended)

New Auto-Rig Pro updates may sometimes alter the rig, bones constraints behaviour, bones orientations, which may suspension previously made animations. To correct this, click Legacy and run across if whatsoever options may assistance to preserve existing animations.

Bone Shapes

Y'all may want to adjust the controllers shapes. Only click the Edit Shape… push and Apply Shape once you're done. To mirror the shape to the other side, click the lilliputian push next to Edit Shape

Picker Panel

Setup

The picker addon must exist installed first. See Installing the Addons.

If you lot oasis't done it already, you might want to split the 3D viewport into ii areas, one view to display the character and ane view to display the picker console. How to practice this:

• Click at the elevation correct corner of the 3d viewport, then concur and drag it onto the left:

• In the Misc tab, Add together Picker will generate a new picker (there is none by default). It's also possible to Export or Import a picker layout file.

• Then click the Fix Picker Cam, in the view where yous want to display the os picker.

• You can adjust the colour theme here too.

If you can come across atrocious dotted lines, just uncheck the Relationship Lines pick in the Overlays panel.

You tin add together a background facial movie by framing your grapheme'southward head, and clicking Capture Facial. If y'all want to supersede this openGL screenshot by a existent render, just supplant the saved image file with your own file.

To alter the picker layout, click Edit Layout…. You're at present free to select, movement, rotate and calibration the picker bone shapes, buttons, text and background moving-picture show. One time you're done, click Apply Layout to consummate.

Remove

• If you lot don't need the picker panel, delete it with the X icon push side by side to Add Picker.

Import/Export Rig Data

Reference bones transforms and custom shapes can be exported every bit a file and imported later:

Skinning

Binding

• Select first the character meshes objects, then the armature while holding the Shift central.

• Click the Bind push button to bind.

Binding Engines

• Oestrus Maps: Default engine, works best with watertight meshes (closed mesh)

• Voxelized: If meshes are not watertight (east.one thousand. multiple layers of clothes, props, complex topology…), consider using this engine. However, this doesn't always lead to good results: this is not a true voxel skinning implementation, but an approximated method. It's not as foolproof as the Voxel Heat Diffuse Skinning addon, neither as fast.

• Voxel Oestrus Diffuse Skinning: Actress skinning addon to demark meshes with complex topology. Use pure voxel skinning algorithm.

Annotation

Voxel skinning gives best results with multiple layers of dress/props, however it's less authentic with pocket-size parts (fingers, facial…) than other methods. Information technology's useful to use it combined with Exclude Selected Verts to mix voxels skinning with surface skinning (Heat Maps). For case, use Heat Maps skinning for fingers/facial and Voxelize for the residuum of the body.

Binding Settings

• Dissever Parts (Estrus Maps): This setting tries to improve estrus maps skinning when meshes are divide in multiple pieces (clothes, props…)

• Optimize High Res (Heat Maps): Speeds up bounden of high poly meshes that contains more than faces than the given threshold beneath, by internally working on lower resolutions.

• Type (Voxelized): Voxelization blazon, switch this setting to another type if it doesn't atomic number 82 to good results

• Voxel Resolution (Voxelized-Voxel Heat): The higher this value is, the more authentic and longer to perform the voxelization volition exist. Notwithstanding, the Voxelized engine may sometimes piece of work amend with lower resolutions.

• Refine Caput Weights: Makes head weights more than consistent, based on the chin position, preventing the cervix weights to blend too far with the caput weight. Only when using the Smart feature, when facial is disabled, and for bipeds but. Alternatively if not using the Smart feature, make sure the reference jawbone is properly positionned, and disable facial later. Every bit a drawback it may lead to (as well) sharp deformations in the neck area, example below without/with:

• Polish Twist Weights: Amend twist bones skinning by applying a gradient decay to weights along the bones chain. Example below without/with:

• Improve Hips Weights: Better hips/pelvis skinning. By default, the thigh weights tend to alloy too far in the hips area. This setting prevents that.

• Improve Heel Weights: By default the heel area may exist slightly deformed by the thigh weights. This setting brand sure to solidify it, leading to more consistent weights.

• Specials: Improves optics and eyelids skinning. Set eyeball objects, i object including both left and right eyeballs or two objects for each side. Select vertices effectually the left eyelid, click Ready Left, and aforementioned for the right eyelid. Video tutorial.

• Exclude Selected Verts allows to prevent the selected vertices from existence jump.

• Scale Fix: Enable this setting if meshes are very small (in Blender units infinite) and binding doesn't piece of work

When binding, all vertex groups are cleared. To preserve existing vertex groups from being removed (e.g. when using vertex groups for hair generation) click their lock icon before binding:

Notation

Binding can have time, especially with high resolution meshes. See the Clothes chapter to peel and attach clothes to the main body mesh hands.

Important

If bounden does non work, see the Help / FAQ

Skinning: Weight Painting and Shape Keys

It's fourth dimension to carefully paint the weight vertices for each vertex group in the listing. The auto-skinning tin can be considered as a basis, automated weights are never perfect.

Facial rigging demo:

How to paint the weights?

To rapidly select the deforming basic and check the associated vertex groups in one click, you can brandish only the layer 31 of the armature, wich includes the deforming bones only:

A quick search in Google (such as "blender weight painting tutorial") will give yous the basis of the Blender'south weight painting tools if you don't know them, this is something I won't elaborate more here. Basically, information technology'south all about browsing the vertex groups listing and painting the weights. If you're new to Blender skinning, y'all can check these two videos: Rig Tips 1, Rig Tips 2

For a high quality skinning, this procedure tin take some time, don't hesitate to examination the skin accurateness by posing the character into several extreme position (arms upwards, arms downwardly, arms ahead, thighs up…)

Note

The Mike Rig is a free character rigged with Auto-Rig Pro, it tin can be used every bit a reference to understand how the weights must exist distributed for each bone.

Here are a few notes near some specific painting regions:

Clothes

If the torso is modeled and skinned nether the clothes, a adept practice is to transfer the weights from the trunk to the dress. This manner, they will perfectly stick to the body.

• Select the apparel objects, then the body (holding Shift, the target first, so the source), printing F3 > type "Transfer Mesh Information" > choose "Vertex Groups". In the tool shelf options (T key, lesser area) cull Nearest Face Interpolated instead of Nearest Vertex, All Layers instead of Active Layer, and you'll find here more options to fine-tune the transfer.

Optics

Make sure to assign the correct vertices to these bones:

• The big circle (c_eye_offset) is meant to deform both the eyes and eyelids. It simulates the muscles stretch and compression. The eyelids and eyesballs bones have their own vertex groups though (eyelid_bot, eyelid_top, c_eye and other secondaries), so this bone should but influence the external borders, gradually reduce the influence near the eyelids.

• The small circle (c_eye) is meant to rotate the eyeball only.

• The sphere circle (c_eye_ref) is meant to command the reflexion disk mesh (if whatsoever), old used to fake the eye reflexion, hands animatable.

Shape Keys

Equally explained earlier, the lips_roll bones are supposed to be used with shape keys.

Lips roll: it will exist necessary to create two shapes on your head mesh: the lesser lips kissing, and the upper lips kissing.

Note you tin can use shape keys to make the character smile too and for eyebrows deformations (os deform is less accurate), if you want to practise so select the bones that yous desire to use with shape keys, and uncheck the Deform in the bone holding console.

The addon includes a tool to quickly create the drivers betwixt a shape and a bone.

• Select the armature, then in the Shapekeys Driver Tools enter the os proper noun driving the shape primal or select it and click the footling picker icon.

• Hold Shift key and select the mesh. In the shape key list, select the one to be driven

• Dorsum in the Auto-Rig Pro tab, select the transform parameter yous want to use to bulldoze (location, rotation, calibration and the centrality)

• Click Create Driver.

If the shape key increases too slowly or also fast while the bone is moving:

• Left click on the pink shape fundamental value then multiply 'var' by any number using the * (asterisk/star) character, e.g to speed up sixty time faster, write:

• The 0, 1 and Reset buttons are optional, yous can apply them to set a key to 0 or 1 on the curve, according to the electric current bone position. Information technology's particularly useful when using multiple shape keys, such every bit the eyelid rotation that may involve several shapes for big optics.

Note

You can likewise negate the expression to switch the bone direction: "-var"

To delete a driver:

• Right click on the shape key value > Delete driver

Cosmetic Shape Keys

Sometimes, painting weights is not plenty to go correct deformations. For example, rotating the forearm or calf/leg bones at extreme positions often result in poor deformations, with penetrating faces. This is where corrective shape keys polish! They allow to fix deformations by editing the mesh manually for a given rotation. However accessing the os rotation from the transform values is but possible with FK chains. For IK-FK bondage such equally the arms and legs, it'south a more than complex to setup. This is why Auto-Rig Pro includes a convenient tool to practice this in a few clicks:

• Pose the arm, leg, manus… or any os controller in the position that leads to incorrect deformations

• Enable the layer 31 to evidence deforming bones or click Pick Selected Bone(due south) that will show an fault and brandish the layer 31 automatically.

• Select one or two deforming bones involved in the deformation that needs to be fixed. If 1 bone is selected (see gif beneath), it must be an arm or leg bone. If two bones are selected, can exist any bones (for instance the pes and leg_twist bones to correct the ankle deformation)

• Click Option Selected Bone(s). If the selection is not valid, an fault message should pop upward

• A new os is created internally, used to define the shape fundamental driver rotation. You can click the eye push button to prove the basic and angle value (in radians) that will be applied to the driver.

• Select the mesh object and the corrective shape key to be applied to this pose (create one if there is none still).

• Click Add together Corrective Driver

• Done! If necessary, you tin can use the 0 and 1 button above, to define when the shape key must start and end.

• You tin also use these buttons to create intermediate shape keys that will be triggered one after another as the bone rotates, for more accurate deformations. Merely re-create the driver (right click on the pinkish surface area > Copy) and paste it to another shape cardinal (right click > Paste), and use the 0/1/Reset buttons to define the shape key range.

Tip

Employ the Cosmetic Shape Primal addon to hands edit your corrective shape. This allows to create corrective shapes from another object/mesh, while preserving the electric current mesh deformations (modifiers + shape keys). Powerful, considering editing the shape keys direct on the main mesh can lead to "Crazy Space" issues, east.g. vertices moving to the correct whereas you lot move the cursor to the left. It comes by default with Blender, just enable it from the addons list.

Manus Fist

Optionally, you tin add together a fist controller on the hands. This controller is meant to blend the fingers into a pre-defined fist pose. This allows a ameliorate grasp than the default "Fingers Grasp" belongings since that only curls the phalanges along the 10 centrality, wich may be inacurrate.

• Create a new action, its name must include "rig_fist" (for instance "mycharacter_rig_fist")

• Keyframe the fingers controllers (rotate directly the fingers controllers, the Rotation From Scale can't be used here) this way: frame 0 = rest pose, frame 10 = fist pose. Optionally, spread the fingers and keyframe them at frame -10.

• Select the hand controller and click the Add together Manus Fist button to generate the controller. Fingers will curl into the fist pose when scaling information technology.

Changing the Rest Pose

Optionally, the rest pose can be inverse. For instance, when exporting to Unreal Engine, it'southward all-time to set up the character in A-Pose.

Set up Pose

This function will automatically gear up the character into a predefined pose.

Apply Pose as Residual Pose

To apply the current pose equally the rest pose, the Utilize Pose as Residuum Pose button must be clicked. Then click Match to Rig to apply the changes to the final rig.

Set Character Proper name

For consistency and clarity in the final scene, fix the character name used for collections and rig objects. To exercise this, click the button Prepare Character Name. E.g, naming a character "matt" volition rename the collections to "matt_rig", "matt_cs"…

Optimizing the Rig Performances

Most characters rigged with Automobile-Rig Pro, except very high poly ones or with circuitous modifiers setup, should reach lx fps in the Blender viewport. They don't? Hither are tips to drastically meliorate performances, by gaining upwards to 40 fps depending on the grapheme meshes:

Cleaning Weights

Reducing the number of bones/vertex groups influencing vertices is very efficient to better performances. 4 bones max is a good ratio to keep in mind. Some superfluous vertex groups with weight values set to 0.01 or below may be assigned to vertices, when transferring weights between meshes or smoothing weights. Blender has a i click tool to clean them up instantly!

Clearing Custom Normals and Auto-Smoothing

Custom normals and polygons motorcar-smoothing are performance consuming. Unless these features are absolutely necessary, information technology's best to remove them from meshes for optimal performances. Imported meshes from external file format oft have custom normals.

Run this script to remove these bottlenecks automatically on all meshes:

                import bpy ​ def set_active_object(object_name):     bpy.context.view_layer.objects.active = bpy.information.objects[object_name]     bpy.data.objects[object_name].select_set(state=1)  for obj in bpy.information.objects:     if obj.type != "MESH":         go on ​     try:         set_active_object(obj.name)     except:         keep ​     obj.information.use_auto_smooth = False ​     attempt:         bpy.ops.mesh.customdata_mask_clear()     except:         pass ​     bpy.ops.mesh.customdata_custom_splitnormals_clear()              

Playback Options

Playing back animation in all windows (3d viewport, blitheness editor) is more consuming than a single one. To ensure best results, in the playback options of the timeline window, disabled all just Active Editor Simply:

Meshes Hiding

Sometimes nosotros demand to hibernate meshes (clothes, hair) to output different versions of a character in a single file. Hiding skinned meshes with the eye icon in the outliner is incorrect: these meshes will be evaluated when playing the blitheness, even if they're hidden. To ensure they're excluded from the skinning evaluation, when playing the animation, hide them from a lower level using the screen icon.

Appending - Linking in a scene

There are two methods to load a rigged character in a final file. Appending will load a static copy of the rigged grapheme in the file, this means if you modify the grapheme geometry or armature in the rig file, the changes won't exist practical to the graphic symbol in the final file. It's just a copy. On the contrary, Linking will load a dynamic copy of the grapheme (case). Changes made in the rig file will automatically be applied in the final file, which is very useful!

• First make sure your rig file only contains your grapheme rig and meshes objects (no return camera, calorie-free….)

• Make sure meshes objects are parented to the armature

• By default, all rig/graphic symbol objects are grouped inside the 3 collections "charactername", "charactername_rig", "charactername_cs". Brand certain to include any new objects added by you lot likewise inside (new meshes, etc…).

Appending

• In a new scene, File > Append > Select the rigged character file > Collections > Select the 3 character collections > uncheck Agile Collection > click Append from Library

Linking

There are 2 ways to link a rig: Library Overrides or Proxies

Use Library Overrides with Blender iii.0 and higher up (no choices, proxies don't be anymore, deprecated!)

For Blender 2.93 and beneath, Library Overrides are possible, but it's recommended to employ Proxies for stability reasons.

• For Proxies Only: First, you may want to hide (in viewport manner) the armature object in the source file, to forbid the rig to be displayed 2 times once it's linked (it may atomic number 82 to overlapping glitches).

• In a new scene, File > Link > Select the rigged character file > Collections > Select the root character collection ("soldier" in the epitome above)

• For Proxies Simply: If you wish to consign later on the rig + all skinned meshes, just click the button Link from Library. Simply in case you lot demand to consign the rig + selected meshes only, disable Instance Collections on the correct, then click Link from Library. Disabling this setting allows to load individual, selectable instances of the meshes objects.

• After linking, all objects are frozen. To unfreeze them, depending if you use Library Overrides or Proxy:

• Library Overrides: Click the Object menu > Relations > Make Library Overrides…:

• Proxies: press F3 > type "brand proxy" and click it > blazon the rig object proper name and click information technology

• For Proxies Only: If the rig contains a picker: select the rig collection, and turn the "cam_ui" photographic camera into a proxy: printing F3 > type "make proxy" and click it > type "cam_ui" and click information technology. The newly created proxy camera is named "charactername_rig_proxy", select it and rename it "cam_ui", and finally parent information technology to the proxy armature (in object mode, Ctrl-P > Object (Proceed Transforms)). In a new window (3d viewport), select a os in pose mode and click Fix Picker Cam in the Rig Main Properties tab

Compatibility with other Addons

Motorcar-Rig Pro complies with other rigging related addons such as:

Cascadeur to Game Engines

Transfer the animations created in Cascadeur to the Unreal Engine, Unity and Godot forth with your characters equally rapidly as possible, with just a click of the mouse: Cascadeur to Game Engines

10-Muscles System

Muscles simulation addon: X-Muscles System

10-Pose Picker

Os picker panel addon, to select basic controller from a separate interface: X-Pose Picker

Conclusion

Make certain to bank check the other documentation capacity on the left, Rig Features, Game Engine Export and other chapters.

Feel free to get in affect for whatsoever remarks, if anythying bankrupt with a newest Blender API update or whatever… and happy blending!

Artell

Source: http://www.lucky3d.fr/auto-rig-pro/doc/auto_rig.html

Posted by: blayowle1987.blogspot.com

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