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

How to Reroot a Rig in Maya

 Sometimes when you are working on a rig, you realize that the direction of the bone hierarchy is going in the wrong direction but the placement of the joints is correct.  In my experience I haven't had this happen often.  There is a way to fix this however, this does take a lot of work depending on the situation.  There are two ways to reroot joints in Maya.  

The first method is using a lot of parenting and un-parenting.  

1. The first step is to un-parent the joint you want to be the root and then un-parent the next joint over.
2. Select the joint you want to be the child and then shift select the parent joint and push P
3. Repeat all of this for the other joints that need to be rerooted.

Maya 2022 Gif of Parenting and Unparenting Method Gif

The second method of rerooting uses the reroot skeleton button in Maya

1. Select the joint you want to be the root
2. Go up to Skeleton - Reroot Skeleton
3. Repeat this for all the joints that need to be rerooted. 
4. You can use G after the first time you push the Reroot button, it repeats the last command so it makes the process quicker!

Maya 2022 Reroot Skeleton Button

Maya 2022 Rerooting Skeleton Button Gif