Applying Manipulation Gizmos
 
 
 
Command entry:Select a rig bone. Right-click Add Gizmo

Manipulation gizmos provide a cleaner interface for working with your character. Often the CATBones are hidden under the skin mesh, so selecting and editing the bones can be difficult. The gizmo, which can be any of five different spline shapes (or a custom object), surrounds the bone so it’s easier to grab for applying transforms interactively.

Once you apply a gizmo to a CATRig part, selecting the gizmo provides access to the same interface elements as selecting the body part itself. Similarly, keyframes from animating the CATRig show up on the track bar when you select the gizmo. Even MAXScript calls work on the gizmo. When you right-click a gizmo, you get the same right-click menus as with the CATBone.

Applying a Gizmo

When the CATRig is in Setup mode and you right-click on any CATBone, the Tools2 quadrant includes the Add Gizmo command.

Choosing Add Gizmo opens a dialog with a list of preset gizmo shapes.

You can edit the gizmo settings to fit the size and shape of your character skin mesh. To do so, select the gizmo and go to the Modify panel. These settings are the same as for the equivalent spline objects in 3ds Max; see the main help for details.

As you modify the spline settings, the changes appear immediately in the viewports.

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