aim_module
A rigging module that creates a variable number of FK controls and joints, each aiming toward a corresponding aim control. This module requires at least two pins:
base: The rest transform of the FK control and joint.aim: The rest transform of the aim control.
You can define multiple base and aim pins. One FK control and joint will be created for each base pin. Each base will aim toward its corresponding aim pin, or toward the last aim pin if fewer aims are specified.
Inputs
inputs
The inputs struct of this module, containing all input setup and input animation data to drive this module. After you have defined the default pins, expose this port to the host application by connecting it to the graph's input node (going upward through any parent compounds as necessary).
setup.pins: An array of pins. Pins are helpers transforms acting as guides, usually used to define the rest transformation of controls and joints. Default pins for this port can be set in the Parameter Editor.setup.custom: An object containing any custom data setup data to be used within theuser_setup.animation.control_operator_matrices: An array of operator matrices to drive the control transforms. Operators are automatically applied to transforms before theuser_animationsolver.animation.joint_operator_matrices: An array of operator matrices to drive the joint transforms. Operators are automatically applied to transforms before theuser_animationsolver.animation.attribute_data: Arrays of data for the control attributes. Attributes generated by this module are created on the host application's controls from theoutputs. Their values are connected back to theinputsin order to be used within theuser_animationsolver.animation.custom: An object containing any custom data setup data to be used within theuser_animationsolver.
parents
The outputs of parent modules, if any. Parents are primarily used to define parent controls and parent joints, under which the controls and joints generated by this module will be parented.
General
The parameters shared by all rigging modules.
name
Defines the name of this module. This is primarily used to identify this module, but can also be used as a prefix for control and joint names. The name is also automatically added as the first tag in the tag list of all entities produced by this module.
state
The state of this module's control and joint transforms.
Animation: Sets the transforms to their full animation states. Transforms are affected by movement from parent modules, by their operators, and animation solver.Rest (Relative): Sets the transforms to their relative rest states. Transforms are affected by movement from parent modules, but not by their operators, nor by the animation solver.Rest (Absolute): Sets the transforms to their absolute rest states. Transforms are neither affected by movement from parent modules, their operators, nor by the animation solver.
Diagnostics
Displays this module's resulting pins, controls, joints and transforms upon enabling the terminal diagnostic flag.
display_pins
If enabled, displays the pins as red points.
display_controls
If enabled, displays the control shapes as either strands or meshes, depending on the specified control shapes.
display_joints
If enabled, displays the joints as a mix of points and strands.
display_transforms
If enabled, displays the transforms of the enabled diagnostic entities. For example, if display_pins is enabled but not display_controls and display_joints, only the transforms of the pins will be displayed.
axes_shape
The type of geometry shader to apply on the resulting transform axes.
Wire: Displays the strands as thin lines.Ribbon: Displays the strands as strips, with a width relative to the scales of the transforms, and theaxes_scale,arrowhead_size_ratio, andstem_width_ratiovalues.Tube: Displays the strands as thick tubes, with a radius relative to the scales of the transforms, and theaxes_scale,arrowhead_size_ratio, andstem_width_ratiovalues.
axes_scale
A multiplier to increase or decrease the scale of the transform axes to display.
Evaluation
profile_evaluation
If enabled, profiles this module, as well as the individual setup and animation computation. The result of the profiling can be seen in the host application's profiler.
edit_mode
Controls whether the module operates in an "editing" or "performance-optimized" mode by managing the evaluation of both the user_setup and the lookup computations of find_* nodes in the user_animation. This should always be enabled while editing the inside of this module or while tweaking parameters that directly affect the setup. Once editing is complete, it is highly recommended to disable this mode to maximize performance.
When enabled, The
user_setupof this module will be evaluated every time the graph evaluates, ensuring that changes to the module's setup are applied immediately. The lookup computation of thefind_*nodes within theuser_animationarea will be forced to update every time the graph evaluates.When disabled, The result of the setup will be cached and only updated if the
inputssetup data is dirty or if any parent module's setup is dirty. The result of the lookup will also be cached and reused to retrieve the target data, optimizing performance by avoiding unnecessary re-evaluations. It will only be updated if this module's setup becomes dirty. Note that you can still force the lookup computation of individualfind_*nodes by enabling theirforce_lookup_evaluationparameters.
Setup
The parameters affecting the user_setup area of this module. Make sure that edit_mode is enabled before tweaking these parameters, otherwise the setup will not be re-evaluated until something forces it to recompute.
create_FK_control
If enabled, creates an FK control that will aim at the aim control. This also defines the joint's transform, if it exists.
create_joint
If enabled, creates a joint that will aim at the aim control, and inherit the transformation of the FK control, if it exists.
Parenting
Defines how entities in this module are parented under entities from other modules. Connections made to the parents port determine which modules can be queried for potential parent entities.
search_method
The method to search for entities from parent modules to be used as parents for the entities of this module.
By Name: Searches an entity using a pattern expression.By Tags: Searches an entity using a comma-separated list of tags.
find_all_tags
If search_method is set to By Tags, and if enabled, the transforms to find must contains all the tags specified above. For example, if a, b, c are specified, the search will select the first transform that contains all three a, b, and c tags. If disabled, the search will select a transform that contains any of the tree tags to find.
FK_control_parent
A name expression if search_method is set to By Name, or a comma-separated list of tags if search_method is set to By Tags, to search on parent module controls. The first matching entity will be used as the parent of the FK control.
aim_control_parent
A name expression if search_method is set to By Name, or a comma-separated list of tags if search_method is set to By Tags, to search on parent module controls. The first matching entity will be used as the parent of the aim control.
joint_parent
A name expression if search_method is set to By Name, or a comma-separated list of tags if search_method is set to By Tags, to search on parent module joints. The first matching entity will be used as the parent of the joint.
Naming
Defines the naming patterns for generating entity names. You can use tokens to automatically derive parts of a name from the module context or entity index.
<module_name>: Replaced with the current module'sname.<index>: Replaced with the zero-based index of the entity (e.g., 0, 1, 2…). Only applies when multiple related entities are created.<number>: Replaced with the one-based index of the entity (e.g., 1, 2, 3…). Only applies when multiple related entities are created.
FK_control_name
The full name of the FK control.
aim_control_name
The full name of the aim control.
joint_name
The full name of the joint.
Orientation
primary_axis
Specifies the FK control and joint transform axis that should aim toward the position of the aim control. For example, if this is set to [0, 0, 1], then the Z axis of the FK control and joint will point toward the aim control.
secondary_axis
Specifies the FK control and joint transform axis that should be aligned with the up_vector. For example, if this is set to [0, 1, 0], then the Y axis of the transform will try to align itself with the direction specified by the up_vector.
up_vector
The up vector to align the secondary_axis of the transforms with.
orient_aim
If enabled, the aim control will match the orientation of the FK control and joint.
Transform Settings
FK_control_rotation_order
The rotation order of the root control and joint transform in the host application.
FK_control_lock_translation
Locks the X, Y and Z translation of the FK control transform in the host application.
FK_control_lock_rotation
Locks the X, Y and Z rotation of the FK control transform in the host application.
FK_control_lock_scale
Locks the X, Y and Z scale of the FK control transform in the host application.
FK_control_lock_shear
Locks the X, Y and Z shear of the FK control transform in the host application.
Display
FK_control_shape
The shape of the FK control.
FK_control_color
The color of the FK control shape.
FK_control_translation
The relative translation of the FK control shape.
FK_control_rotation
The relative rotation of the FK control shape, in degrees.
FK_control_scale
The relative scale of the FK control shape.
aim_control_shape
The shape of the aim control.
aim_control_color
The color of the aim control shape.
aim_control_translation
The relative translation of the aim control shape.
aim_control_rotation
The relative rotation of the aim control shape, in degrees.
aim_control_scale
The relative scale of the aim control shape.
joint_color
The color of the joint.
joint_radius
The radius of the joint.
Outputs
outputs
The outputs struct of this module, containing all the data generated by this module. This is expected to be exposed to the host application.
