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Every CATRig has one CATParent. The CATParent, which is the triangle+arrow symbol seen under each rig as it is created, can be considered the character node of the rig.

All of the elements of the rig are associated with the CATParent. It holds basic information about the whole rig, including its name, size and other basic data.

It also holds the Rig Preset Manager, which allows you to load and save CATRig presets.

The rig is not linked to the CATParent but can be transformed by it when in Setup mode. The rig inherits scale transforms from the CATParent in both Setup and Animation modes.

Procedure

To create a CATParent:

Open the Create panel and click the Helpers button.
Open the drop-down list at the top of the panel and choose CAT Objects.
Click the CATParent button.
Do either of the following:
- Click or drag in the viewport to add a CATParent without a rig.
- Choose a preset rig from the list on the CATRig Load Save rollout, and then click or drag in the viewport to add the preset to the scene.
The CATParent or rig appears in the viewport.

To save a new CATRig preset:

Click 'Save Rig'.
Navigate to the desired folder.
Enter the Rig name.
Click Save.

Interface

CATRig Parameters Rollout

Name: Shows and lets you edit the name 3ds Max CAT uses to prefix all bones in the CATRig. See Using 3ds Max CAT's Naming System.
Cat Units Scale: Defines a units system for this CATRig. All size parameters on the CATRig that define such things as bone length width and height are in CATUnits. See Understanding CATUnits.
Track Display: Choose the method 3ds Max CAT uses for displaying the layers and keyframes on this CATRig in Track View. See Track Display Modes.
Bone Length Axis: Choose the axis (X or Z) that the CATRig uses as the length axis. See Understanding the Bone Length Axis.
Motion Extraction Node: Toggles the Motion Extraction Node.
About 3ds Max CAT: Displays information about 3ds Max CAT, including the version number.

CATRig Load Save Rollout

The CATRig Load Save rollout displays a list of existing CATRig presets and provides controls for working with presets.

NoteThe controls under the list are available only on the Modify panel.

[CATRig preset list]: Lists all available CATRig presets. To load a preset, click it in the list and then click or drag in the viewport.

NoteOn the Modify panel, the preset list shows only rigs in the RG3 format in the default location, with which you can replace the current rig by highlighting one and then clicking Reload (see following).
Load CATRig Preset: Opens a file dialog for loading a CATRig preset. Use this to load a preset saved in a location other than the default ([system path]\plugcfg\CAT\CATRigs\).
Save CATRig Preset: Saves the selected CATRig to a preset file. If you use the default location (see preceding), the preset then appears on the list, making it easy to add to your scenes.

NoteYou can save the preset in the RIG or RG3 format. The latter, which is the default format, is more recent and has more features, so is the recommended choice. An RG3 file contains the CATRig for one character, including the skin, muscles, etc. that make up the character if added with Extra Parts (see following). However, neither format contains the animation for that character.
Create Pelvis/Reload: The button label, function, and availability depend on the context.

If the (None) preset is highlighted in the list, the button label is Create Pelvis, but the button is available only if no pelvis exists in the rig.

If a saved preset is highlighted in the list, the Reload button label appears, and clicking it loads the highlighted preset. Use this to replace the current rig with a preset, or when the disk file has changed outside the current scene. Reload works only with rigs in the RG3 format.

NoteTo refresh the button, you might need to deselect and then reselect the CATParent.

TipYou can apply the current rig’s animation to a different preset rig simply by using Reload or Load CATRig Preset (see preceding) with the animated rig.
Extra Parts: Allows you to add objects in the scene to the rig at the CATParent level. This is equivalent to using Add Rigging at other levels of the rig. For details, see To add rigging objects:.

TipThe Extra Parts function is useful for saving complete character setups (except for animation) in the rig preset. For instance, you can save skin meshes, props, and even ancillary rigs as part of the preset.
For a good example of how to use Extra Parts, see the Marama preset included with 3ds Max CAT. Add the Marama preset, then go to the Modify panel and click Extra Parts. The Extra Rig Nodes dialog that opens lists the four skin-mesh objects as well as the additional MaramaFace facial rig.
Update this rig with preset file each time scene is loaded: When on and you load a scene, the scene file retains the original character, but 3ds Max CAT automatically replaces the character with updated data (saved in the preset). 3ds Max CAT automatically applies the the original character's animation to the new character. The more similar the characters, the better the transferred animation.

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