ACS | Extending The Rig

Auto Character Setup rig can be extended such that the custom rigging behaves in the exactly same way as a native setup. This is because ACS is not a fixed rig preset but more like a rigging framework and is open for modifications.

This tutorial covers creating a custom ACS rig preset that is based on the default one. We will extend biped rig with an extra module that will implement a new rig control that can be used to attach accessories (such as weapons) to the ACS character.

The tutorial is split into 4 parts for easier navigation.

• Part 1 covers adding an assembly for the accessory setup and setting it up as new rig module.

• Part 2 shows how to set up new rig control for the accessory.

NOTE: I made a mistake during recording and the dynamic parenting setup for the rig control done in Part 2 is not visible in the accessory assembly in Parts 3 and 4. Obviously, the dynamic parenting setup should be there. This mistake does not affect steps described in Parts 3 and 4 but I mention it because it's probably confusing that part of the setup is missing in subsequent parts.

• Part 3 covers adding bind skeleton joint and hooking it up with the previously added rig control. The accessory mesh can then be attached to the bind skeleton joint as a rigid mesh.

• Part 4 completes the setup by saving customised rig as a new preset and testing new functionality on a sample Bolo character.