Shifter Component Reference

Shifter comes with over 40 components you can build your rig from. This section covers the functionality and settings of each one in detail.

Guide Settings

Main Settings

Settings shared by all components.

  • Name: The base name of the component, all the parts of the component get renmaed.

  • Side: Which side the component is on; Left, Right or Center

  • Component Index: WIP

  • Connector: WIP

Joint Connection Settings

  • Use Joint Index: WIP

  • Parent Joint Index: WIP

Channel Host Settings

  • Host: The guide that stores the extra attributes for this component, such as IK/FK blendering and more. This will generally be a control_01 component.

Custom Ctonrollers Group

WIP

Shifter Components

arm_2jnt_01

Two bone arm setup with:

  • IK/FK blending for switching between animating with IK or FK

  • Roll attribute that lets you adjust the elbow direction, without moving the pole vector

  • Twist joints for better deformations around the shoulder and wrist joints

  • Armpit roll to manually adjust the twist joints around the shoulder joint

  • Scale of the entire arm

  • Stretching so the arm can elongate when the IK control is too far away to reach, including a maximum stretch limit

  • Sliding of the elbow, which elongates the upper arm while shortening the lower arm, or vice versa

  • Softness to prevent popping when the IK arm is stretched out straight

  • Reverse to make the arm bend in the opposite direction when using IK

  • Roundness for rubber hose style animation

  • Volume preservation during stretching

  • Elbow controller for accurately positioning the elbow, for instance when a character is resting her elbows on a table

  • Space switchers for the IK, Up Vector and Elbow controllers that controls which space they follow

This is the default arm comoponent used by the biped template rig.

Guide Positioning

WIP

Compoent Settings

TODO! Should this be tools tips in the interface itself.

  • IK/FK Blender: Default

Source

Link to Module (how)

arm_2jnt_02

WIP

arm_2jnt_03

WIP

arm_2jnt_04

WIP

arm_2jnt_freeTangents_01

WIP

arm_ms_2jnt_01

WIP

brow_01

Brow rig from a path along the brow on the mesh, one side per component. It builds the same rig as Brow Rigger 3.0 (Rigbits > Facial Rigger 3.0): a whole brow control, main and tangent controls, optional secondary controls, squeeze, the optional slide surface and an optional topological autoskin.

Guide

  • root: near the middle of the brow.

  • aim: in front of it. Root to aim is the front direction, and the aim depth is the distance of the controls.

The side is the component side; right side controls mirror the left ones.

Settings: the brow path, the controls, squeeze, the slide surface, joints and autoskin, as in Brow Rigger 3.0. Check Detection selects the inner end found from the path. Import Config and Export Config read and write the Brow Rigger .brows files. A center brow shows Left Brow and Right Brow: the roots of the left and right brow_01 guides its ends follow.

Notes

  • The mesh, and the slide surface when set, must be in the scene when the rig builds.

  • Duplicate Symmetrical mirrors the locators and the path on the mesh.

cable_01

WIP

chain_01

WIP

chain_FK_spline_01

WIP

chain_FK_spline_02

WIP

chain_FK_spline_variable_IK_01

WIP

chain_IK_spline_variable_FK_01

WIP

chain_IK_spline_variable_FK_stack_01

WIP

chain_net_01

WIP

chain_spring_01

WIP

chain_stack_01

WIP

chain_whip_01

WIP

control_01

WIP

eye_01

WIP

eyelid_01

Eyelid rig from an eyelid loop on the mesh. It builds the same rig as Eye Rigger 3.0 (Rigbits > Facial Rigger 3.0): blink controls, eyelid controls, eye tracking, one joint per loop vertex and an optional topological autoskin.

Guide

  • root: the eye center.

  • aim: in front of the eye. Root to aim is the eye direction, and the aim depth in front of the eyelid is the distance of the eyelid controls. Tilted and side facing eyes need no extra setting.

The side is the component side; right side controls mirror the left ones.

Settings: the eyelid loop (vertex loop by default, or edge loop), custom corners, control size, tracking, joint distribution and autoskin, as in Eye Rigger 3.0. Import Config and Export Config read and write the Eye Rigger .eyes files. Snap Root to Eyeball moves the root to the eyeball center.

Connectors

  • standard: the component makes its own eye aim control.

  • eye_01, MCS_eye_01: picked when the guide is drawn under an eye component. The eyelids follow the eye aim and sit under the eye’s eyeOver control, so they don’t spin with the eye.

Notes

  • The mesh with the eyelid loop must be in the scene when the rig builds, for example imported by a pre custom step.

  • Duplicate Symmetrical mirrors the locators and the loop on the mesh. Loop vertices without a mirror keep the source value, with a warning.

  • The autoskin (off by default) blends the eyelid joints with the parent component joint.

foot_bk_01

WIP

hydraulic_01

WIP

leg_2jnt_01

WIP

leg_2jnt_02

WIP

leg_2jnt_freeTangents_01

WIP

leg_3jnt_01

WIP

leg_ms_2jnt_01

WIP

lite_chain_01

WIP

lite_chain_stack_01

WIP

lips_01

Lips rig from the loop between the lips on the mesh. It builds the same rig as Lips Rigger 3.0 (Rigbits > Facial Rigger 3.0): corner, center and in-between controls, jaw follow, zipper, lip roll, optional squash and stretch, one joint per loop vertex and an optional topological autoskin.

Guide

  • root: the mouth center, between the lips.

  • aim: in front of the mouth. Root to aim is the mouth front direction, and the aim depth in front of the lips is the distance of the controls.

  • lip: in the middle of the upper or lower lip, where the joints sit. The root to lip distance is the lips thickness.

The component is usually center side; the left and right controls are named with _L_ and _R_ (lips_C0_corner_L_ctl) so the mirror tools pair them.

Settings: the lips loop (vertex loop by default, or edge loop), Invert Upper/Lower, rope points, controls, zipper and roll options, joint distribution and autoskin, as in Lips Rigger 3.0. Check Detection selects the upper lip found from the loop. Import Config and Export Config read and write the Lips Rigger .lips files.

Connectors

  • standard: the upper lip follows the guide parent, the lower lip the guide element set in Jaw Reference (the parent when empty). The Jaw Reference setting only shows with this connector.

  • mouth_01, mouth_02, MCS_mouth_01, MCS_mouth_03: picked when the guide is drawn under a mouth component. The lips go under the mouth root, the upper lip follows the mouth lipup control and the lower lip its liplow control.

Notes

  • The mesh with the lips loop must be in the scene when the rig builds, for example imported by a pre custom step.

  • secondaryVis on the UI host hides the in-between controls.

  • The autoskin (off by default) blends the lip joints with the strongest existing influence of each vertex, or skins to the parent component joint when the mesh has no skin yet.

meta_01

WIP

mouth_01

WIP

mouth_02

WIP

neck_ik_01

WIP

sdk_control_01

WIP

shoulder_01

WIP

shoulder_02

WIP

shoulder_ms_01

WIP

spine_FK_01

WIP

spine_S_shape_01

WIP

spine_ik_01

WIP

spine_ik_02

WIP

squash4Sides_01

WIP

squash_01

WIP

tangent_spline_01

WIP

ui_container_01

WIP

ui_slider_01

WIP