Sergio Mucino releases maxTD Rigging Toolbox for Modo
Former Cinesite and Rodeo FX rigging artist Sergio Mucino has released maxTD Rigging Toolbox, a new add-on designed to simplify the process of creating animation rigs in Modo.
The kit, which is primarily geared towards rigging mechanical assemblies, is based on tools Mucino developed to help him in his own freelance work.
Tools to help new users get started with rigging in Modo
Mucino describes maxTD Rigging Toolbox as aimed at non-technical artists as well as TDs. “This kit isn’t only for those with rigging experience,” he said. “My goal is to make things easy and painless for anyone.”
Accordingly, it includes resources intended to help less newer users get started, including the Workspace Assembly: a readymade hierarchy of locators and settings that can be customised for different rig types.
There are also readymade assemblies for common components of mechanical rigs, like pistons and conical joints; and a toolset designed to generate standard rig controls in a couple of clicks.
Advanced tools for experienced TDs
More experienced TDs get a range of assemblies for mathematical operations, particularly matrix algebra.
There are also tools intended to speed up the process of working with joints, including options for dividing or removing joints from a rig, and for mirroring the entire skeletal hierarchy.
Although the kit is mainly intended for hard-surface models, there are also a few weight map tools, described as “the same [vertex map] tools found in Modo, except these work on multiple-selected weight maps”.
There are also a number of handy support utilities, including one for bulk-renaming rig objects. The kit also comes with its own built-in script logging system, plus a guide to customising the tools included.
Pricing and availability
maxTD Rigging Toolbox is avalable for Modo 902 SP3 and above. It costs $69.
Read more about maxTD Rigging Toolbox on Sergio Mucino’s website
See videos of the features in action on Sergio Mucino’s Vimeo channel