Rig-o-matic version 5.

5
by Jason Baskin
Download the MEL script here.

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Recent Updates/Fixes
Version 5.5
- UI updated for display in Maya 2011
Version 5.4
- fixed stretch bug with IK only arm/leg setup
- fixed FK back bug with IK only setup
- fixed wrist issue with IK stretchy arm and distributed rotate
Version 5.3
- fixed FK back bug
Version 5.2
- fixed global scale for elbow/knee pinning
Version 5.1
- fixed character set bug with arms and IK back
Version 5.0
- fixed bug with non-stretchy arms
- fixed FK shoulder rotation bug with IK back setup
Version 4.9
- fixed back setup bug with FK/IK arms and non-stretchy back
Version 4.8
- improved pole vector controls
- new elbow/knee pinning functionality
Version 4.7
- improved clavicle behavior in FK mode (FK shoulder orientation now unaffected by clavicle position)
- improved stretchy functionality (separate FK and IK stretch controls now included. IK stretch includes new extension attribute)
Version 4.6 - fixed 6 joint (extra knee or elbow) arm/leg bug Version 4.5
- fixed FK back creation bug
- fixed stretchy IK only arm bug
Version 4.4
- modified back stabilization setup
- modified forearm twist setup
Version 4.2
-- stabilized upper back control (script now inserts a duplicate upper back joint)
-- improved character set creation (script now creates a default character when no character prefix has been specified)
Version 4.1
-- fixed FK back option
Version 4.0
-- added FK back option
-- added option to create shelf button to select all character controls
-- added option to create character set
-- improved IK back controls
Version 3.1
-- Improved leg mirroring stability
Version 3.0
-- Fixed IK bug to ensure that an RP solver is created from hip to ankle
Version 2.9
-- Fixed popping neck joint problem
Version 2.8
-- Fixed bug with stretchy neck/eyes
Version 2.7
-- Stretchy neck added
Version 2.6
-- Squash and stretch added for the head
Version 2.5
-- Fixed neck scale bug
-- Modified superMover shape
Version 2.3
-- Improved error checking
Version 2.2
-- Addition of advanced twist back controls
Version 2.1 -- FK on/off checkbox in Leg Setup UI now works properly
-- Distributed rotation bug fixed
-- Cleaner display layer sorting
Version 2.0 -- Addition of Osipa style eye controls
-- Addition of generic appendage rigging tools, allowing for FK, Spline IK, and auto overlap
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Using the Rig-o-matic
A couple screen-captured movies are worth a thousand verbose HTML tutorials, so before reading this documentation, you may want
to take a quick look at my YouTube videos which walk through the skeleton setup process, and show the Rig-o-matic MEL script in
action.

To install this script, simply place the rigomatic.mel file into the following directory:

For Windows
C:\Documents and Settings\user name\My Documents\maya\version number\scripts

For the Mac:

Library\Preferences\Alias\maya\version number\scripts\

Using the Rig-o-matic

The Rig-o-matic is a MEL script intended to dramatically reduce the time spent rigging bipedal characters. Features include:
• FK or IK back setup
• stretchable arms, legs, and back
• FK/IK switching for arms and legs
• distibuted rotation joints for hips and/or biceps based upon Andrew Silke's Cane Toad method
• standard range of foot pivots, and adjustable heel pivot location
• automatic finger joint/control creation for four and five fingered hands
• clavicle controls
• head/neck controls
• knee/elbow pole vector controls
• pelvis, hip, upper back controls
• scalable controller objects
• automatic arm and leg mirroring
• automatic joint naming, and hierarchy/display layer organization
• "no flip" knee option (without a pole vector control), as outlined in CGToolkit's The Art of Rigging
• eye setup, based on Jason Osipa's Stop Staring setup
• multiple generic appendage options, to be used with tails, antennae, and other non-standard joint chains
• option to create shelf button to select all character controls
• option to create character set
• fully scalable rig (from super mover)
The script is easy to use. First, create a skeleton for the left half of your character (arms and legs will be mirrored automatically),
oriented so that the skeleton is facing forward in the Z axis. The skeleton could include a back chain (including the neck and head),
an arm chain (including a clavicle joint), and a leg chain.
Be sure that your arm and leg chains are perfectly planar (from the front view) to insure proper IK behavior.
Adjust the local rotation axes of all of your joints so that each joint's X axis is aimed at its child joint (default setting).

Finally, insure that the local Y rotation axis is oriented consistently along each joint chain, by selecting the joint's local rotation axis,
and using the rotate -r -os 180 0 0 MEL command to rotate it 180 degrees in X.

Typically, the legs would consist of the following five joints, but an additional knee joint may be added for improved deformation.
• hip
• knee
• additional knee joint (optional)
• ankle
• ball of foot
• tip of toes
The arm would consist of the following six joints, but like the leg, you can add an extra elbow joint for improved deformation if you
like:
• clavicle
• shoulder
• elbow
• additional elbow joint (optional)
• wrist
• hand
• hand tip
The forearm and any additional distributed rotation joints will be inserted automatically. The hand will also be created automatically,
based upon the number of finger joints you choose.

The back can consist of as many joints as you like so long as there are at least six joints for an FK back setup, and seven joints for an
IK back setup. The last three joints in the back chain will be used to control the head and neck. An example skeletal hierarchy is
shown below (note that none of the joints need to be named in advance - the rigomatic takes care of all of the naming for you).

Here is a sample skeleton you can refer to if you have any difficulties getting stated:
Download sample skeleton

Once your skeleton is ready, simply type "rigomatic" in the command line, and choose a part of the body to begin working on. I
recommend beginning with the legs and finishing with the back. Each portion of the body has various options available.
The arms, legs, and back can all be made stretchable to add elasticity to your rig. FK/IK switching can also be added to the arms and
legs, allowing for smooth transitions between Inverse Kinematics and Forward Kinematics. The arms and legs can also be built with
distributed joint rotation (based upon Andrew Silke's method) adding four extra bind joints to either the shoulder/bicep area (for the
arms), or the hip/thigh region (for the legs). Arms can be built without finger controls, or a four or five fingered hand can be
constructed automatically based upon the placement of the original arm joints. Hand and foot controllers are scaled automatically
based upon the size of your joint chains, but the additional controllers can be scaled by adjusting the control scale slider prior to
rigging.

A naming prefix can also be added to your characters prior to rigging by entering a name into the text field.
Once the joint chains have been selected and you have chosen the setup options, just click the RIG button to begin the setup. The leg
setup will prompt you to adjust the pivot point location for the heel (which varies based on the character geometry).

The arm and back setup will complete without additional user input. Once you have rigged the legs, arms, and back, your character
should be ready to go. Optionally, you can also add and name additional appendages to your character (tails, antennae, etc) and
rig/name them using the various FK and IK setup options found under the APPENDAGES tab. The "FK controls" option creates
controllers that affect each tail joint directly. The "IK spline" controls creates a setup which manipulates the joint rotation via a
hidden control curve, the shape of which is adjusted by a series of controllers. Finally, the "auto overlap" option creates a single
controller at the base of the appendage, with custom attributes connected to expressions which control tail overlapping options
automatically. Because of the nature of expressions, the auto overlap controls lag during keyframing, but will playback properly
when previewing the animation.
Eyes can also be rigged with a single click by simply creating the left eye for your character, and choosing RIG EYES from the EYE
tab.

Finally, just bind your mesh to all of the joints under the Skeleton group, and start animating!
I'm hoping you will find this little tool a helpful time saver. If you have comments, questions, or suggestions please email me at
jason@3dcentral.com.