Builder And Puppet

Python

Deformations and Tweaker Ctrls

Tools

Face Rig

Game Engines

Install The Tool

Before installing, make sure you have numpy installed in your maya python environment.
To do that, navigate to your bin directory (should look like “C:\Program Files\Autodesk\Maya2022\bin”)

And in a cmd prompt, type 
mayapy.exe -m pip install ‐‐user numpy
 
Change in 4.20:
Instead of editing the paths.txt file, you edit the pathsEnv.mel file. Keep in mind that the syntax is a little different in there.

Builder and Puppet

Intro

This intro shows the basics of how the Builder and Puppet tools work together

Spine Limb

Spine limb can be used not just for torso, but also for tails, straps or cables

ArmLeg Limb

update 0: Round Elbow got removed
update 1: For placing the pivot blueprints (legPrintLFT_ctrl, legOutBLFT_ctrl, legToesLFT_ctrl,…) it’s easier to do that in the blueprint skeleton and and build the blueprint rig on top

Attachers

update 0: To specify deformers/meshes for custom attachers, click the “Attach Deformers UI” option on the same marking menu. And make sure you exclude deformers that are driven by this limb

Single Limbs

Belt Limb

Belt is basically just controls in circle, and it can be used for a variety of different things. Apart from actual belts we use it also for straps, cuffs, or as you can see later in the Face Intro – even for teeth!

First Character

If you’ve watched the previous videos, you are now ready for doing your first character!

Finger Poses

Animators like to be able to quickly pose the hand in a fist, or spread without rotating each finger ctrl.

Plane Cutter

With the Plane Cutter (under Segments) you can create First Pass SkinCluster and Proxy Geometry

Workflow Tricks

Hold/Pull Scene
Endless Undos
Selection Templates

Python

Python 1

This shows how to add builder functions with arguments, buttons, progress bar, …

Python 2

You can also create some python modules by copying the existing ones from default@

update in 4.20:
instead of adjusting the paths.txt, you adjust the pathsEnv.mel file. Keep in mind that the syntax is a little different in there.

Deformations and Tweaker Ctrls

Muscle Joints

This video has recently been recreated, since a lot of features got added to Kangaroo Version 4

Blend Joints

Those are simple joints that rotate a percentage of the main joints

Corrective Poses

Update 0: The functions changed. The ones in the video are depricated. Please take the latest functions from TEMPLATE – BASEHUMAN. They look very similar to the depricated ones in the video, but are more stable.

Tweaker Ctrls

The custom marking menu changed, see update 0 of Attachers above. 

Tools

SkinCluster Tools

 

Geometry Tools

Update 0: Mirror Middle with Base Model is now mirroring the vertices local to the vertex matrices. This gives better results when mirroring poses where the basemesh is unsymmetrical

WeightMaps Tools

 

Picker

 

Face Rig

If you have a simple Face, you could also fully setup the Face by adding limbs in the Puppet tools.
If you need to go beyond that, currently the Face Rig Tools are heavily blendShape based with a few extra features such as Tweaker Controls, Eye Lattice Controls, Zipper (Seal) and Full Squash/Stretch Controls (Bend Setup). 
Tweaker Controls (called Post Controls in previous versions) are Controls that act on top of the blendShape/skinCluster deformations, and they are usually simple transform controls. Except for the Brows you have the option of having Splines.
 

In future there will be more options like Mouth Splines, Eyelid Splines and more complex Brow Splines. Those features have been developed already, but are currently only available in selected test versions.

While most of the videos where created using Kangaroo Version 3, Version 4 comes with a few changes. Therefore please always check the notes left to the video links.
But for ALL features, please do not use face_v4 anymore, use facePro_v7.py at this point.

Face Rig Intro

 

Eyes and Eyelids

The workflow got improved a lot  after Version 3, therefore the video on the right is completely new.

 

Shape Editor

 

BlendShape Sliders

update 0: instead ofr face_v5.py, please use facePro_v7.py
update 1:  “autoSetupSliders” was renamed to “blendShapesAndSliders”
update 2: “attachSliders” is gone, its functionality is handled inside “parallelAttachTransforms”
update 3: “createBASEMouthCtrls” was renamed to “BASEMouthCtrls”

 

Eyelashes Rig

update 0: “createLashesSetup” was renamed to “lashesSetup_blendShapeLids” 

 

Bend Ctrls

update 0: while the workflow in latest version 4 is pretty much the same, the behavior of the bend controls was greatly improved after the video

 

Mouth Zipper

 

Tweaker Ctrls

update 0: Post was renamed to Tweakers
update 1: AttachPost was removed. This functionality is now handled in “parallelAttachTransforms”

 

Eye Lattice Ctrls

update 0: “createEyeLatticeCtrls” was renamed to “EyeLatticeCtrls”

 

Game Engines

Game Engine Rig