Here is the complete rigging tool with added skinning functionality.
Below you can see how the tool began and developed over a couple of weeks during my free time.
Low poly car asset from - Orchakov Oleksandr (orchakoff) @Free3D
Wheel scaling / speed change demo.
Basic guide systems first pass
Connecting the guide transforms with script jobs
testing joint creation and matrix connections in maya 2020
Steering controls implemented
Delete rig button functionality implemented
non destructive delete on tyre guides added
Added automatic spinning wheels and made them work with steering controls.
Implemented the doors and trunk onto the rig. You can now cycle between any option and create / delete and it will always know what to build.
Added the differential drive to the front wheels as well as the required math for bigger a bigger spacing. The larger it is , the faster the wheels spin based on the differential.
This year I've been delving more and more into Maths and so mechanical system rigging seemed like a good place to start when it came to putting it into practice.
I've not really done any vehicles apart from very basic ones using my toolbox and so often times when I am learning something new I like to automate the process as I am learning, that way I get to learn more about how to approach automation and the new topic at the same time.
Since I created a guide and skeleton building system for bipeds last year, I decided to repurpose and adjust my codebase so that I can continue to interlink all my rigging tools together into one big toolbox.
I am basing this tool on the adjustable rig tutorial from Simon Mills : https://simonpaulmills.com/ , the structure is mostly the same as what he shows but I have made the approach modular and added my own functionality to suit current needs where I work.
