Scaling Your Controllers when they are Connected

 Sometimes when you are working on a rig, you may need to go back and adjust your controllers size a little bit.  This is possible without breaking them but you cannot simply just go in and scale them as this would cause the controller to break and it can make your character or asset manipulate when you try to scale which is not what you want.  

To start off, one important method you need to know about is going into component mode.  This will allow us to scale our controllers without breaking them or having them manipulate our asset/character.  This method also won't put a scale value on our controller.  If you don't know where component mode is, it is always towards the top right under the windows tab.  It's icon looks like this .  Once in component mode, you need to select all of the vertices and then you can scale and adjust the controller as much as you like without breaking it's functionality.  

Component Mode Example

Another important setting you need to remember is object and world space.  This can affect your controller if you try to scale it and on the wrong setting.  It can cause your pivot to move especially if you are grabbing multiple controllers.  To make sure you are on the right setting, you can double click on your scaling tool and make sure that the Scale Center is at Object. 

Scaling Tool Settings

Now there is another way to actually open these settings if you are someone who likes to know how to open settings and windows multiple ways.  The second way to open this window is to push the Toggle Tool Settings Icon.  This icon is located in the top right corner of your maya window under Workspace.  It looks a little bit like a hammer.  When you click on this icon, you need to be using scale.  It will open the scale settings then.  If you are on rotate or translate it will open those settings.  You can switch to scale while the window is open and it will update.  

Toggle Tools Settings

Resetting Transformations, Freezing Transformations, and Matching Transformations in Autodesk Maya

 When working in maya you may use several transformation tools to help with your workflow.  The three translation tools I want to talk about are the resetting transformations, freezing transformations and matching transformations.  These three tools are very powerful and help you work in maya in many different ways.  I used these tools in my school days a lot and still do on the daily.  

Resetting Transformations is a tool that put your manipulator tool back at the origin in maya.  So back on the center of the grid.  

How to reset transformations:

1. Select an object you want to reset the transformations on
2. Go up to Modify 
3. Select Reset Transformations

Autodesk Maya 2022 Reset Transformations Tool

Freezing Transformations tells maya that the point where the object is, is the origin.  So if you move the object you can zero out the transformation, scale, and rotation and it will go back to where you froze.

How to freeze transformations:

1. Select an object you want to freeze transformations on
2. Go up to Modify
3. Select Freeze Transforms. 

Autodesk Maya 2022 Freeze Transformations Tool

Matching Transforms is a tool that I learned recently from a friend of mine at work.  Matching transforms copies the translations from one object to another.

How to match transformations:

1. Select the object you want to transform and then the target you want your object to match.
2. Go up to Modify and scroll down to Match Transforms.
3. On the side pop-up you can select a variety of ways you can have your object copy the transforms
1. Match all Transforms
2. Match Translations
3. Match Rotation
4. Match Scale
5. Match Pivot

Autodesk Maya 2022 Match Transformation Tool.

Each of these tools are incredibly powerful and helpful when working in maya.  If you are a tech artist, you may recognize that each of these tools utilizes different matrix. 

Troubleshoots for Having Your Blendshapes from ZBrush work on a Hero Head in Maya

 This week while working on my facial rig for the pink haired girl, I ran into an interesting problem.  When importing my blendshapes for my rig I found that the blendshapes imported in pieces when exported as an obj.  This completely breaks my blendshapes when I hook them up to my hero head.  I tried a couple of ways to fix this problem and I'm going to talk about all of them.

To describe the problem I had,  when I originally brought in the blendshapes they were multiple groups.  When I selected the faces to check the the flow of the typology I also found that it was chopped up into pieces.  

Maya 2022 Checking the Edge Flow on Blendshape

When I tried to attach the blendshape to the head and manipulated it, Half of the head cripples.

Maya 2022 Crippled Blendshape

After doing some research I found three ways to fix this for exporting from Zbrush, if that doesn't work then there are a few things to check in maya. 

The first setting I would check is your export settings.  Turning off group and turning on Qud, Txr, and Mrg.

ZBrush Export Settings

Besides looking in your tools, you can actually look for solutions in the Zplugin tab.  Exporting your blendshapes as an FBX also fixes the problem.  

ZBrush FBX Import/Export

Another cool way to export is to use the blendshape exporter Zbrush has built in.  It is also in the ZPlugin.  It saves a lot of time since it does export all the blendshapes and then opens them all in a maya scene.  I have found that it looks like it works.  Always make sure on your actual rigging head that it is actually working.  

ZBrush Blendshapes Export

Another setting I have heard of but haven't looked into is the Polygroups setting in your tools if these options do not work.  

For connecting your blendshapes to the head in Maya if exporting is not the issue is to check:

• Frozen Transformations
• Deleted History
• Check to make sure your heads are the same because blendshapes move based on vertices points.  If the verticie points do not match up it will break the blendshapes.  

How To Get All View Ports to Update At The Same Time In Maya

 This is a problem that my team and I faced when working on Delivery.  The animators used this quite a bit to animate the characters especially when it came to animating the face.  This problem is a very simple problem but often times it is forgotten on how to set up your view ports to all update.  

To start off setting up your view ports to update, keep in mind that when you reset preferences this setting goes back to the default setting "Active" where only view port you are using will update.  To change this setting, in your maya scene go to the running man in the right conner.

Maya 2022 Interface with Running Man in Right Corner

Maya 2022 Running Man Icon

The next step is very easy as a new preferences window pops up.  You should be in Time Slider under Categories.  Then under Playback you will see a section called Update View.  In Update View select All and push Save!

Maya 2020 Running Man Preferences

A Solution to Maya's Performance Lag and Freezing

 This is a problem I have come across both in at my time at FIEA and in work life.  Sometimes when using Maya it can lag behind or freeze.  This happens especially when trying to first open Maya, opening export settings, switching between different interface modes, and trying to save.  There can be many causes for this to be happening, but one solution I have come across is that Maya is using an unsupported UI rendering engine.  What this means is that the machine is not fully supported for the rendering UI engine that is currently being used.  Luckily this is a very easy fix!  

To begin fixing this problem have Maya open and navigate to Windows at the top and scroll down to Settings and Preferences.  On the side bar, select Preferences.

Autodesk Maya 2022 Windows / Settings Preferences /  Preferences

After selecting Preferences, a new window should appear.  Under Categories, select Display.  Scroll down to the very bottom where you will see a section called Viewport 2.0.  Change the Rendering Engine to OpenGL - Legacy.

Maya 2022 Preferences / Display / Rendering Engine = OpenGL - Legacy

Click Save and close Maya.  The next time you open Maya it should be working a lot faster!