Getting Started with CAT Rigging Tools in 3ds Max

Discover an alternative to the traditional character rigging workflow with the Character Animation Toolkit (CAT) for 3ds Max, which offers preset character rigs as well as custom tools for creating a rig from scratch. Author Joel Bradley demonstrates animation layers; CAT muscles, which you can use to create a skin that deforms and stretches realistically as your character moves; and the forward/inverse kinematics workflow. The final chapter puts all these features into motion, as you apply the tools to a full character rig with secondary bones and perform a stress test animation.

Topics include:
What is CAT?
Using and editing preset rigs
Repositioning bone pivots
Using CAT control gizmos
Working with spines
Adding limbs to a character
Working with adjustment and motion layers
Animating with the foot pivot system
Building a start-to-finish rig with CAT

Introduction 3m 52s
Welcome 52s
Working with the exercise files 38s
What you should know before watching this course 59s
Setting up the 3ds Max project structure 1m 23s

1. Introducing the Character Animation Toolkit (CAT) 5m 29s
What is CAT? 2m 4s
Locating CAT features in the 3ds Max user interface 3m 25s

2. The Fast Rigging Tools 26m 3s
Using the preset rigs 3m 38s
Organizing a rig using custom names and colors 6m 1s
Editing the preset rigs 4m 33s
Exploring the 3ds Max Modifier List 5m 11s
Repositioning bone pivots 3m 8s
Using control gizmos 3m 32s

3. The Custom Rigging Tools 28m 15s
Understanding hubs 3m 19s
Adding legs to a rig 4m 21s
Working with spines 4m 44s
Adding limbs 4m 45s
Adding extra bones to the head 6m 0s
Adding toes and tails 5m 6s

4. Working with the Muscle Systems 16m 17s
What is a muscle strand? 6m 15s
Using a muscle strand on a rig 3m 22s
What is a CAT muscle? 3m 1s
Putting a CAT muscle to work 3m 39s

5. Animation Layers Explained 11m 42s
Understanding the Setup and Animation modes 3m 17s
Exploring the Absolute layer 3m 13s
Explaining adjustment layers 2m 23s
Exploring the CATMotion layer 2m 49s

6. The Animation Workflow 16m 4s
Working with the hand and foot hubs 4m 1s
Exploring the foot pivot system 3m 40s
Exploring the CAT display inside track view 4m 5s
Using the IK/FK system 4m 18s

7. Working with Motion 15m 31s
Exploring the CATMotion Editor 2m 28s
Customizing motion 4m 49s
Directing motion 5m 25s
Grounding motion 2m 49s

8. Putting It All Together 29m 41s
Building a rig: The lower body 7m 1s
Building a rig: The upper body 8m 36s
Making good use of secondary bones 4m 54s
Creating a rough skin pass 3m 45s
Creating a stress-test animation 5m 25s

Conclusion 42s
What's next? 42s