Rebuilding Rapid Rig Modular

Maya Autorigging: RRM


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This page will document the process of rebuilding a rig. This can be extremely handy for model or rig changes, for moving joint pivots adding or deleting rig parts/modules, or for updating the rig when new functionality is added or bugs fixed.

It’s a very simple process especially if you’ve only skinned the character.

Additionally now SHAPES has a very good import/export system blendshapes can be easily rebuilt along with driven keys and drivers (pose space deformers).

We’re using Rapid Rig Modular, but most autoriggers will be compatible with this process. RRM is a proxy based system so the basic steps are

1. Save skinning, controls, shapes, animation, unparent custom parts
2. Rebuild The Rig
– Delete the Rig (not the proxy)
– Modify the proxy
– Rebuild the Rig
3. Reimport skinning, controls, shapes, animation, reparent custom parts

The proxies will still be in the scene if we haven’t deleted them, or we can reload them from a saved version.

Other Auto Rigs can be rebuilt in the same way. Advanced skeleton has great rig rebuild options.

It’s a good idea to return to the bind pose. You can do this using the RRM selector window. Scrubbing to frame 0 should do the same in my range of motion (found in step 18 of the RRM biped page). Good to be safe anyway by using the selector window, select “all” then “reset selected transforms”.

Contents (27 mins)

1.1 – Overview
2.1 – SHAPES Export
2.2 – Skin Export
2.3 – Animation Export
2.4 – Unparent Parts
2.5 – Control Shape Export
3.1 – Delete The Rig
3.2 – Modify The Proxy Rig
4.1 – Rebuild The Rig
4.2 – Controls Import
4.3 – Skinning Import
4.4 – SHAPES Import
4.5 – Re-Parent Parts
4.6 – Animation Import
4.7 – Skin New Joints

Instructor

Andrew Silke

Last Updated

October 2015

1. Overview (38 sec)

The overview to this class on rebuilding Rapid Rig Modular.

VIDEO 1.1 : OVERVIEW (38 sec)

Information
PART 1. SAVING THE RIG COMPONENTS (10:47)

In this part we save out the rigs components before rebuilding. This is for…
– skinning,
– controls
– blendshapes and drivers
– animation (ROM)
– any parented parts, face rig, custom controls
2. Exporting (9:29 mins)

In this section we’ll export all the parts required for the rebuild. This can be very quick if you just have the rig and skinning.

VIDEO 2.1 : SHAPES EXPORT (1:01 mins)

VIDEO 2.2 : SKIN EXPORT (4:41 mins)

Information
Save the skin weights with Braverabbits Import/Export Skin Cluster tool. You can download it here.

http://www.braverabbit.de/playground/?p=915

More information about this tool is found on the advanced skinning page.

We can also detach the skinning.
VIDEO 2.3 : ANIMATION EXPORT: RANGE OF MOTION ROM *IF NEEDED (1:24 mins)

Information
ATOM export will export animation.
Animation > ATOM > Export
Select the controls with animation. To show hidden ik/fk controls set the ik/fk switch to .5.

1. Select all controls
2. Animate > ATOM > Export Animation
3. Reset the settings the defaults should be fine. Or use the video’s instructions.
4. Save the file in the data directory under a folder called ATOM that will need to be created.

VIDEO 2.4 : UNPARENT AND CONSTRAIN PARTS *IF NEEDED (1:36 mins)

Information
Unparent all parts added to the rig that are not part of Rapid Rig Modular. Custom controls, face rig etc.

*This video should also includes custom controls. I’ll have to check the naming convention for custom controls but unparenting is the same. It’s also easy to script this step manually based on the names of your custom parts. If you are doing this a lot ask me for that info.

For more info about custom controls see The Custom Controls page.
VIDEO 2.5 : CONTROL SHAPE EXPORT (47 sec)

Information
Save out the controls. This will include both scale and vertex modifications.

Rapid Rig Modular (window) > Extras > Save Shapes and Colours

Save to the “data” directory under a folder called “RRM”.
3. Delete And Rebuild (3:52 mins)

Now we can delete the rig and fix any issues or pivots.

VIDEO 3.1 : DELETE THE RIG (41 sec)

Information
PART 2. RE-BUILDING THE RIG (4:44)

Now it’s time to rebuild the rig. This is a very simple process.
– Delete the rig
– Tweak the proxy rig
– rebuild the rig

Delete The Rig (0:41)

And delete RRM using the RRM interface, do not manually delete the rig in the outliner as this will leave unwanted nodes throughout the scene.
VIDEO 3.2 : MODIFY THE PROXY RIG (3:11 mins)

4. Rebuild The Rig (13 mins)

Rebuild the rig and import all the parts we exported.

VIDEO 4.1 : REBUILD THE RIG (52 sec)

Information
Use the exact naming convention for the rig name, otherwise skinning will not import.
VIDEO 4.2 : CONTROLS IMPORT (34 sec)

Information
PART 3. IMPORTING THE RIG COMPONENTS (6:53)

Getting all the rig components back is easy. Simply reimport all the data we saved out earlier and parent everything back together.
– skinning
– controls
– blendshapes and drivers
– animation (ROM)
– any parented parts, face rig, custom controls
VIDEO 4.3 : SKINNING IMPORT (1:36 mins)

VIDEO 4.4 : SHAPES IMPORT *IF NEEDED (24 sec)

Information
1. Select the mesh (with no blendshapes)
2. Open the SHAPES window
3. Go Tools > Import Node Data
(be sure to have the correct project directory set)
4. After running refresh the SHAPES window by selecting the mesh again and click “select” in SHAPES.

SHAPES and drivers should be imported correctly.

VIDEO 4.5 : RE-PARENT AND CONSTRAIN CUSTOM PARTS *IF NEEDED (1:18 mins)

VIDEO 4.6 : ANIMATION IMPORT (1:53 mins)

Information
Maya’s ATOM import tool to import the animation from the ROM.
Animation > ATOM > Import

Select the controls with animation, if importing ik/fk set the ik/fk switch to .5. Some controls are hidden.

1. Select all controls
2. Animate > ATOM > Import Animation
3. Reset the settings the defaults then
– match method string
– time range: from file
4. Open the file we’ll import
5. Apply and close
VIDEO 4.7 : ADD NEW JOINTS TO SKIN CLUSTERS (6:52 mins)

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