Ok sideFX, I get that you've done wonderful work on your auto rig component things and you and the community are loving it, Nice work! but for those of us who want to understand what's happening and how all the pieces fit together, can you spare a moment for us? Can we get some content that doesn't involve using autorig components. It no so much about the rigging but about how the system works with data.

For example, how do i set up attributes and such to create controls from scratch? how do I create and get tags and property attributes created on skeletons into APEX? Is that even the right question to ask?

If I'm missing something in the documentation, my bad, please point me in the right direction. I want to know how to handle data (attributes, tags, properties, control shapes) between skeleton creation and rig graph.

I get that the APEX graph is geometry, but it doesn't feel like I can wrangle it like typical geometry.


I've uploaded a silly little file here but hopefully some can point me in the right direction based on the notes in the file.

I'm playing around trying to understand, but I need some guidance from more knowledgeable folks for sure!

I recorded 20 videos about apex and apex script. 17 will be released on Fri on my YT channel. Hopefully I'll address some of your problems... I know how it feels.
Rig builder is amazing but I believe we must know how to deal with pure apex to customize things.
So I decided to share a bit of what I've learned so far in a series of YT videos. They will be out tomorrow on my channel.

Link to Guilherme's videos above, https://www.youtube.com/@guilhermecasagrandi

traileverse
Ok sideFX, I get that you've done wonderful work on your auto rig component things and you and the community are loving it, Nice work! but for those of us who want to understand what's happening and how all the pieces fit together, can you spare a moment for us? Can we get some content that doesn't involve using autorig components. It no so much about the rigging but about how the system works with data.

For example, how do i set up attributes and such to create controls from scratch? how do I create and get tags and property attributes created on skeletons into APEX? Is that even the right question to ask?

If I'm missing something in the documentation, my bad, please point me in the right direction. I want to know how to handle data (attributes, tags, properties, control shapes) between skeleton creation and rig graph.

I get that the APEX graph is geometry, but it doesn't feel like I can wrangle it like typical geometry.


I've uploaded a silly little file here but hopefully some can point me in the right direction based on the notes in the file.

I'm playing around trying to understand, but I need some guidance from more knowledgeable folks for sure!

Michael Goldfarb did a great tutorial on adding parms, properties and tags to a rig here: https://www.sidefx.com/tutorials/kinefx-rigging-with-apex-1/. [www.sidefx.com] He also did another one in that series devoted to Apex graphs. They're both in the Sidefx tuturial library. Max Rose has a good tutorial on the Fuse graph, though it looks like you want to DIY the entire rig.

I don't use the Apex graph much, as I find it gets unwieldy very quickly. I think I'm somewhere in between you (using Apex graphs to build the rig) and going the AutoRig Builder route. My mental model of Apex was geo bound to a skeleton controlled by a guide skeleton. Use tags, parms, etc to define the controllers on the guide skel then point the Apex Rig Component to the guide skel and viola, rigged. However, the confusing thing for me has been that the Components also want to "help" you add tags, controllers etc. That's helpful but defeats the purpose of setting up your own guide skel and, for me, created a LOT of confusion as to what the Component is adding, doiing etc. Theoretically the component would respect your tags and not add its own or flag them if they are missing. I can get all the Components to do their job but mostly I start by deleting all the information they pre-fill and adding mine from the guide skel. I also find the language around base vs guide skeletons confusing. The docs conflict here as well:
See http://127.0.0.1:48626/character/kinefx/preparingskeletons.html [127.0.0.1]
vs http://127.0.0.1:48626/character/kinefx/rigcharacter.html#fullbodyik. [127.0.0.1]
I suppose it will all settle out with 21.5 and updates along the way. Apologies for hijacking your thread and good luck with your rigging.

Thanks, @kevinthebright, for adding my link here.
I know the feeling, but there are some reasons I think are worth thinking about before that decision:

• Apex is in development and has different premises than other DCCs rigging frameworks. So it may or may not have the tools you expect in the next release. I'd guess it'll take 2-4 releases for it to start settling down, when users get the hang of it, and SideFX makes a final decision on the workflow that best fits its users.
  
• Nevertheless, if your rig breaks, you must be able to fix it, or the project may halt. So, being able to wrangle with Apex may be something good to have in your bag of tricks.
  
• Usually, having a custom workflow will allow you to work faster and also stand out from most artists.
  

I have a similar opinion about the components, that's why I've been building my own. The graph gets messy really fast; that's why Apex Script seems far better suited for the job. But you must have a well-defined workflow, so even after several components are built, a messy graph won't stop you from changing it or adding more features.