Some rigging Technical Tips

Hi,

Today i found using the Hypergraph in combination with the connection editor and script editor and with Python commenting is a nice way to get rough technical tools started quickly.  Beginning with a very simple scene can test out ideas quickly.


Hypergraph
-- hovering over arrows can see the input and output connected

Connection editor with Script Editor
-- after making a connection can see the MEL code to reproduce the connection so could begin making a tool to do things faster.

Python
-- allows multi line commenting easily.  Today i found simply putting into a comment line a series of lines from script editor with a small explanation is helpful to then add to a shelf quickly as a kindof quick script start.


Here's an example which has some tips about using a node in Maya to make additions called plusMinusAverage

#PYTHON
melCode = """

//change NAME for addition tool
createNode plusMinusAverage -n brow_pm_nd;

setAttr brow_pm_nd.input1D[0] 1;
setAttr brow_pm_nd.input1D[1] 1;
select -r brow_pm_nd;

//this is an example idea where want a blendshape with driven key 
//to be able to be controlled also by a second animation controller
//a difference with blendweighted is we could use any kind of math like expressions
//or connections to make the addition ontop of the drivenkeys
//
//
//PUT BLENDNODE and Blendshape already with driven key here
//hook up  to addition tool, here cone has driven keys on its translation in Y
//connectAttr -f pCone1_translateY.output brow_pm_nd.input1D[0];
//

//hook up secondary control, here its named locator2 and were using its translation in X
//connectAttr -f locator2.translateX brow_pm_nd.input1D[1];

//addition tool output
//getAttr brow_pm_nd.output1D;

//hook up with our secondary control, here pCone will be now be moved by both locators
//connectAttr -f brow_pm_nd.output1D pCone1.translateY;

"""

print melCode

cheers,
Nate

Inspired by Jason Schleifer's Animator Friendly Rigging (where i first learning about practicing technical rigging in smaller toolkit files) (jasonschleifer dot com)

Also i'm very grateful to Professor Brian Junker,  who i first learned about scripting in R/Splus from. (www.stat.cmu.edu/~brian/)