New Version – Zoo Tools Pro 2.12.0 – OCT 2025

Zoo Tools Pro 2.12.0 is here!

This update brings major improvements to Hive’s facial rigging, the Natalie Rig now included in our assets with a fully updated face. This version also introduces our brand-new Hive Drivers UI, and a handy new animation utility — Offset Ripple Keys.

NEW FEATURES
The Natalie rig just got a major upgrade! Now built on the latest Hive Face Template, she features an all-new mouth, nose, and cheek system — plus an example animation scene so you can see the new face template in action!

We’re excited to roll out the first step toward Hive Drivers UI — a new window that lets you build advanced connections between controls and components. This system will power the next Hive Face Templates update and form the foundation for slider/deformer joints and set-driven keys in our templates coming soon.

Hive’s Eye Component now includes a manual joint distribution mode, giving riggers finer control when positioning joints along the eye curve.

The new Offset Ripple Keys (Beta) tool introduces an early look at our upcoming animation offset system — allowing animators to ripple time and value offsets seamlessly across multiple objects.

As always, we’ve continued refining Zoo Tools across the board, fixing bugs and ensuring full compatibility.

HIVE AUTORIGGER – UPDATES
– The Natalie Rig has been fully upgraded and comes included with her new face mouth and cheeks.
– Introduced the new Hive Drivers UI (Alpha) — the first step toward a powerful driver-based connection system in Hive.
– Eye Component now supports manual joint distribution, giving finer control over joint placement.
– The Face Visibility build script included on all face templates now includes cheek slider support, with automatic hiders on the head control for cleaner facial setups.
– Speed improvements have been applied to mirroing and apply symmetry functions.

HIVE AUTORIGGER – BUG FIXES
– FBX export without animation now works correctly again, resolving a recent regression issue.
– Space Switching: We fixed a bug where space switching was not being published correctly.
– The Natalie build script has been updated and no longer throws errors when transitioning from skeleton back to guides.

NEW TOOL – OFFSET RIPPLE KEYS (Animation)
Introducing a new animation tool that makes overlapping motion a breeze — easily ripple offset keys across multiple objects like hair, tails, tentacles, and ropes for natural, dynamic animation.