Finished my first real melscript tool!

I just finished my first melscript tool by the name of dhAnimCurveFilter. I will probably make this download able on my website soon as I figure out how to. Basically I was told by one of the animators, Louaye, about how the Animators often (even me when I used to animate) select curves, in this case, all the spine controls, then having to shift select each rotateX, for example, in order to see a filtered view of all the rotateX curves of the selected controls. He asked me if I can either show him a way to filter just those curves, so I offered to make a UI.

Took me about two days to finish it as its first version and my first public script. I had to study and learn quite a bit from Erick Miller's Pose2Shelf script to get mine working because not only did I make the UI to allow them to select a bunch of check boxes for all the translate, rotate, and scale axises to be filtered, I wanted them to be able to save that selection onto the shelf for quicker selecting if they wanted to. The shelf maker actually took the most time to figure out. The filtering itself was quite easy to do but I like making tools with multiple functions and even if they didn't ask for it, seemed like a nice bonus to do.

So basically with the UI open, they can check a few boxes, select the controls they want filtered, then hit a button and in the graph editor, you'll see just those animation curves of those controls. It does it by actually selecting the animation curves, not actually shift selecting or highlighting the curve in the graph editor like the animator normally would. There's another button to save to shelf with a textField for them to type in a name to save it as. I'll try to post pictures or a video when I can.

To auto rig, or not to.

I've started on a modular rigging script now, mostly for class, but it'll probably be something I use for simple rigs eventually. I've never really been a fan of autorigging, mostly because when I was learning to rig, most people that used scripts to autorig usually had some flaw in it and if they wanted to fix it, it was a pain, because they relied on a script someone else made. I didn't like that so for the last few years I manually rigged characters. It was very easy to find and fix problems since I knew the rig well, but it might be time to make a script since it's starting to become mundane on everything before the skinning.

I suppose the dilemma right now is if I should start seriously making my autorig scripts, which could take over a month to get the basics down, or continue to learn rigging concepts like muscle/ncloth or doing more specialized scripts like making my own rivet rigging or animator friendly autoblendshape script that would add to the rigging I already know verses making what I know faster. I'm probably leaning more on doing things faster since it'll probably help me more in most companies since I'm not worried about the quality of my rigging, just the speed. My awesome instructor Jason Osipa really shocked me to the core what he was capable of with his scripts and jump started my need to script more for rigging. I just don't want to become one of those riggers that autorigs most of a character without foresight and is unable to fix the rig properly and thus, hampers the pipeline. I shall not be.

And now I Blog

Welcome, I figured it was time for my to start spewing my rigging ideas onto the internet. This is my first blog and I have hesitated a while since I'm not usually very big on posting things but I suppose I shall now. Too many rigging ideas now in my career to not start speaking aloud and hoping someone hears me and maybe make a few new contacts while I do so.

If you're reading this and not into Animation or Character Rigging/TD stuff, this probably won't be a very exciting blog to read for you. I'm going to keep this strictly animation related or at least try my best, I'm known for my random tangents.