Houdini 21.0 Nodes Geometry nodes

APEX Autorig Builder geometry node

Interactively applies and configures rig components in the viewport.

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Since 21.0

This node allows you to interactively apply and configure pre-built and custom rig components for a character through the viewport. See rigging with the Autorig Builder for more information.

Parameters

Rig

Rig Source

The operation to perform if the character’s rig is added or modified.

Add or Update

Adds/updates the specified rig in the CharacterStream input. If no rig exists, one is created if possible.

Add or Replace

Adds/replaces the specified rig in the CharacterStream input.

Skeleton

Guide Source

The operation to perform if the character’s skeleton is added or modified.

Add or Update

Adds/updates the specified skeleton in the CharacterStream input. If no skeleton exists, one is created if possible.

Add or Replace

Adds/replaces the specified skeleton in the CharacterStream input.

Save Guides Skeleton

Creates a guide skeleton, Guides.skel, and saves it in the character folder structure in the CharacterStream output.

Allow New Bind Joints

When turned off, doesn’t add new bind joints, which could make the skeleton processing more efficient for skeleton-heavy setups.

Shape

Shape Source

The operation to perform if the character’s shape is added or modified.

Add or Update

Adds/updates the specified shape in the CharacterStream input. If no skeleton exists, one is created if possible.

Add or Replace

Adds/replaces the specified shape in the CharacterStream input.

Open Assetbrowser

Reloads/updates your library of rig components.

Auto Update

When turned on, automatically updates the test rig when changes are made to the guide.

Update Rig

Updates the test rig in the Autorig Builder viewer state.

Viewport Options

Opens the settings HUD to the Autorig Settings tab in the Autorig Builder viewer state.

Reset Guides

Resets the guide in the Autorig Builder viewer state.

Reset Test Rig

Resets the test rig in the Autorig Builder viewer state.

Settings

Orientation

Main Axis

The primary axis of the input skeleton.

Secondary Axis

The secondary axis of the input skeleton.

Mirror

Left

The pattern to identify the joints on the left side of the input skeleton.

Skeleton to FK

Skeleton to FK

When turned on, creates an FK rig hierarchy for the character.

FK Exclude

Excludes the specified joints when building the FK rig. This parameter accepts tags.

Mirror FK

When turned on, mirrors the FK rig hierarchy.

Mirror Exclude

Excludes the specified joints when mirroring. This parameter accepts tags.

Skin Weights

Add Preview Skin Weight

When turned on, creates proxy weights for the character and allows you to preview the rig functionality even if you don’t have capture weights on your character.

Build

Segments

The components used to build the rig. This multiparm is populated as you add components to your rig in the Autorig Builder viewer state.

Post Process

The parameters in this section allow you to make additional edits to your rig, including updating the colors of all the controls using a template.

The image below shows an example of using a template to set different levels of control colors - primary (dark blue), secondary (medium blue), and tertiary (light blue):

Different levels of control colors

Use Color Template

When turned on, sets the control colors based on the colors in the Primary Controls, Secondary Controls, and Tertiary Controls parameters. When turned off, uses the colors on the guide.

Primary Controls

Pattern

The controls to color with the primary control colors. Specify the control tags in this parameter.

Color Left

The color of the primary controls on the left side of the test rig.

Color Mid

The color of the primary controls in the middle of the test rig.

Color Right

The color of the primary controls on the right side of the test rig.

Secondary Controls

Pattern

The controls to color with the secondary control colors. Specify the control tags in this parameter.

Color Left

The color of the secondary controls on the left side of the test rig.

Color Mid

The color of the secondary controls in the middle of the test rig.

Color Right

The color of the secondary controls on the right side of the test rig.

Tertiary Controls

Pattern

The controls to color with the tertiary control colors. Specify the control tags in this parameter.

Color Left

The color of the tertiary controls on the left side of the test rig.

Color Mid

The color of the tertiary controls in the middle of the test rig.

Color Right

The color of the tertiary controls on the right side of the test rig.

Save

Component Name

The name of the component. For example, if you set the namespace field to test, the name field to hello, and version to 2.0, your component will be named test::hello::2.0.

Component Label

A user-friendly label for the component.

Component Icon

The path to a .png file to use as an icon in the component catalog.

Component Categories

Category names that can be used as filters in the component catalog.

Deprecated

When turned on, marks the component as deprecated. After saving the component, it appears in a drop-down menu of deprecated components in the APEX Autorig Component SOP when Component Source is set to Deprecated.

Component Output File

The file path to save the component to.

Save to Disk

Saves the component to the file in Component Output File.

Inputs

CharacterStream

The APEX character geometry in a character folder structure.

Rig Template

The rig script that can be used as a template for creating a rig.

Outputs

CharacterStream

The modified APEX character geometry in a character folder structure.

Rig Template

The rig script that contains the operations for constructing the rig. This can be input into another APEX Autorig Builder SOP, acting like a template for creating another character’s rig.

See also

Geometry nodes