Future Rigging Changes and Improvements (Patreon)

I wanted to address a few rigging features that the previous versions lacked and also change around some of the core functionality. The more I use ARP the more I learn how it can be customized and how I can implement many of my own features. I will be spending the next little while applying all of these changes to the other versions of the lizardman models so stay tuned!

I have gotten a few questions on where the color customization options were located so instead of having them only changeable when selecting the c.traj bone I pinned the colors so they can be changed regardless of which bone is selected. 

The spine and neck were also not really to my liking so I replaced them both with my tried and true bendy bone pseudo-spline rig that I've used on basically all of my models. In conjunction with ARP's rig tools, there is a nifty little "Snap Child of" script that allows many parts of the body to move independently. A useful feature if you didn't want to counter-key your animations to make the head or hands stay still.

The jaw was definitely something that I felt was a strange implementation from the default ARP rig. So I've reverted it back to a more traditional jaw controller where you rotate it to rotate. Opposed to moving to rotate. ARP also didn't have a way of repositioning the jaw bone so this definitely had to be addressed.

IK fingers have really surprised me in how absolutely useful they can be when it comes to fine manipulations. Small things like rubbing or pinching become a breeze when having IK functionality. The IK/FK system is similar to how the arms and legs work so if it's not something you need at the time then they can always be toggled.

Lastly this feature is more exclusive to the male version. But I've swapped from an FK to a Spline IK penis rig. Spline IK has always been something a bit hit or miss for me when it came to animating. I like the functionality it provides in terms of setting up a predefined path for the mesh to follow when it's in motion (something really handy when penetration is involved). But it can sometimes feel tedious to work with when all you want to do is create a simple bend.

Along with all of these updates I also want to do a massive overhaul on all of my older rigs so that they match the quality of these new ones. I'll hopefully have some great progress to show very soon!