---
# System prepended metadata

title: 2023-04-06 Nathan & Sybren do Control Rig
tags: [Animation, ' RigNodes']

---

---
tags: Animation, RigNodes
---

# 2023-04-06 Nathan & Sybren do Control Rig

Random notes from following the [Using Control Rig in Unreal Engine](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2WzNvJZk0E) video.

## Few things to try

- [x] Animating with Control Rig
- [x] Importing animation from Blender and slapping on a Control Rig to adjust it
- [ ] Setting up simulation and interacting with animated things
- [ ] Having multiple plain objects + animatable rigs in the level: how does the Anim Outliner behave?


## 3D UI elements: generate in rig nodes

![](https://i.imgur.com/0W3l1oI.png)

The control rig's Forward Solve can add the drawing of stuff in the 3D Viewport.

Node can be put at any stage in the node tree, multiple times if necessary.

## Transform input socket

![](https://i.imgur.com/Bzxkra5.png)

Apparently doesn't always expand to a trans/rot/scale set. In this case it's the IK Effector, for which rotation may not matter? Or maybe because it's a quaterion?


## Weird and unique things

- Child bones (apparently) don't (always) inherit their parent's transforms. For example, a 'Basic IK' node by default has 'Propagate to Children' disabled.
    - We're also doing that a bit, with 'pose' vs 'interpolation' rigs (or 'articulation' vs 'control' rigs), and depending more on the tool whether parent follows child or vice versa.
- 'Set Offset from Closest Bone'
- Visual Debugging
- Tuples (vectors, XYZ rotation values, etc.) can be copy-pasted as one unit.
- Search & Replace Mirror in selected nodes is pretty cool.
- Control shapes can be selected from drop-down
- Comment nodes!
- 'Sequence' execute nodes, that executes sub-graphs in sequence.
- Because node graph: you can set the translation of a control *after* it's been used as, for example, an IK target.
- Keyboard shortcut (`B` by default) to hold for scrubbing time.
- Animation editor can show all 'animatable controls' with their transforms (loc/rot/scale) even without them being animated.
- Each animation channel (both groups and data) have buttons & hotkeys for 'next key', 'prev key', and 'create key'.
- ControlRig has meta-controls that manipulate other controls in the rig, as 'shortcuts' for animators. Basically posing tool for the controls (instead of for the articulation rig).
- NOT keying a control will move it back to 'rest pose' when the frame changes.
- Group-retiming via 'retime bar' (shift + scale)

## Useful Prefs

UnrealEngine editor preferences to set/try out:

Invert
:    Set 'Invert Middle Mouse Pan'. Based on https://youtu.be/FgJ1stTScxI?t=170

Rotation
:    Set 'Enable Arcball Rotate' and 'Enable Screen Rotate'. No idea what the effect is, suggested by https://youtu.be/FgJ1stTScxI?t=180

Marquee
: 'Content Editors - Embedded Actor Seq...' and 'Level Sequence Editor', check the 'Left Mouse Drag Does Marquee'

![UE Hotkeys](https://i.imgur.com/dMJW1ya.png)
