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New in mGear workflow. What is the best way to use it for very simple rigs? (low-mid poly)

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#1

Hello,

I create rigs and animation for games (low / mid poly) and I look for new rigging system. Now I use Rapid Rig Modular but the RRM is probably abandoned and there is no new updates for new maya versions, so I need to find something more safe for future productions.

I wan to use mGear to create very simple rigs without additional roll bones or other “complex” features.
Also I would like to build rigs without using biped / quadruped template and just build them step by step from separate parts because often I rig very strange creatures that are not even close to biped or quadruped.

  1. What is the best way to build simple rigs? What kind of Components from “Component List” should I use?
  2. Why it takes like over one minute to build mGear rig? I select all guides by drag cursor or just select root and then > Select from hierarchy, then I click “Build From Selection” and rig is generete in over one minute what is strange because on YouTube it only took few second. (I have i9 12900k, 32gb ram, 3060ti)
  3. When I build simple rig why IK system do not work on legs? Please look video
    https://youtu.be/ipYkDnFGQSk

Thanks for help.

#2
  1. You do not need to select the entire hierarchy. Just select the top “guide” transform. When you select everything, it is recursively checking everything over and over again.

For me, the Shifter Biped template builds in 9 seconds. If I select hierarchy it took 2m39s!

  1. For me personally, I originally started with the Shifter Biped. But then I almost completely replaced all the components to suit me.

In the limb components you can choose how many bones. But most of the classic Shifter components, like arm_2jnt_01 when you set the divisions to 0, it still has a split extra elbow joint.

You should investigate the EPIC components, which I see you already did in the video. Since they are meant for games, you might have more control over having a simple skeleton, even if you don’t need it for games. EPIC_arm_01, when you set the divisions to 0, only has 3 joints: arm, elbow, and wrist.

And then sometimes, rather than trying to find the perfect component, it will be easiest for you to just customize certain aspects with a POST Python script. For example, sometimes I hide extra spine controls, and lock off attributes the animators don’t need. They are still there in the rig, but just hidden.

  1. You didn’t add any space switches for the leg. So the entire leg (ik control plus root and everything) is automatically following it’s parent. In your settings, you need to add some space switches, so it can follow your main mover controls, or your hips, or whatever you choose.

And you need to choose a Channels Host Settings where you will store the IK space switches. By default I think it will be whatever the guide was parented under. In the Biped template, it makes a Control_01 node. So you can have separate left and right attributes for each limb.

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#3

What are those and how to add them?

#4

In the guide settings for your component. In this example, my arm:

But even basic control_01 components can have space switches.

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2 Likes
#5

Thank you sir! Its very helpful.