aescripts + aeplugins

Theo van Laar

Hello,

What is the advantage of using HeadRig over Joysticks 'n Sliders?

Rob Frese

Hey Theo, 

Joysticks N' Sliders is a great tool for general pose animation/controller building, and I highly recommend it. There are a number of similarities and differences between the two, but the main things that I believe separate bq_HeadRig are:

Controller Placement: Joysticks N Sliders creates controllers that live off to the side of the layer(s) they're controlling. bq_HeadRig creates null controllers directly over the head itself, so when you move it, your head "faces" the direction of the controller. Similar to how controllers operate in other character rigging scripts like Duik, Rubber Hose and Puppet Tools. They're both valid ways to use controllers, and it's just a matter of personal preference. 

Head Rig Specific: bq_HeadRig is specifically built for head rigging, and does it well. You can create a simple head rig in seconds, or use it to build and organize a entire library of characters. It has a number of features specific to rigging heads. For example, any head rig created with bq_HeadRig can be loaded back into the panel at any time. This way you can isolate the different parts of the head turn animation and fine tune it, or tweak it just enough to make an entirely new head rig. There's also a Copy/Replace feature, that allows you to quickly swap out head rigs between compositions. This is great for changing character rigs on the fly, or duplicating & reusing existing animations.

Interpolation Control: In Joysticks N Sliders, you set your keyframes in sequence Center, Right, Left, Up, Down, each 1 frame apart. In bq_HeadRig, you set your Left / Center / Right keyframes at 0 / 10 / 20 frames respectively. To me, this is a little visually easier to understand, since you can scrub your playhead from 0 to 20 and see your head turn left to right. Also, since you're Left/Right is controlled separately from your Up/Down (and since they're kind of animated over each other from 0 to 20), you have more control over the interpolation between the various poses, and can see how your head looks facing up & left compared to your down & right, and so on. This also allows you to use Motion Path Nulls, where you take an existing Left/Right motion path, scale & rotate it, and use that for your Up/Down animation (this is easier to explain with visuals -- see the Advanced video for a demo of this).

I hope that helps answer your question. Check out the videos for some examples of what I discussed. Thanks for your interest in bq_HeadRig!

Best,

Rob

David Crowther

Hi Rob,

Any chance you'll put up a video where you show how you change the shape when you setup a characters hair? 

Also, I think Joysticks 'n Sliders can't handle shape paths, in real time but I assume HeadRig can because you're only using shape paths is that correct or am I confused? 

I just downloaded the trial and am excited to play around with it!

Theo van Laar

Thanks Rob for your clear answer

script scripto

Hi rob,

I'm happy you make a script for our technique with James Hazael

But we spend time like you to share with other people for free, and you sell your script.

Our common goal was to share with everyone for free, i'm disapointed you don't do the same.

Best,

Mysteropodes

Rob Frese

David Crowther said:

Hi Rob,

Any chance you'll put up a video where you show how you change the shape when you setup a characters hair? 

Also, I think Joysticks 'n Sliders can't handle shape paths, in real time but I assume HeadRig can because you're only using shape paths is that correct or am I confused? 

I just downloaded the trial and am excited to play around with it!

Hey David,

You're psychic! I'm currently working on a video where I complete a head rig and explain each step of the process, spending extra time on hair and showing some other advanced techniques. This will be up soon -- promise.

Re: Shape Paths -- I'm not exactly sure how Joysticks N' Sliders handles shpae paths, but in bq_HeadRig, yes, you see shape paths play out in real time. This is especially helpful when doing complicated hair turns, or any kind of "merge paths" shape layer-level "masking" type thing. 

Enjoy the trial! Please let me know if you have any other questions.

Best,

Rob

Rob Frese

script scripto said:

Hi rob,

I'm happy you make a script for our technique with James Hazael

But we spend time like you to share with other people for free, and you sell your script.

Our common goal was to share with everyone for free, i'm disapointed you don't do the same.

Best,

Mysteropodes

Hey Mysteropodes,

These look like interesting tutorials, however the workflow used in bq_HeadRig is something I developed independently and have been using for years (the first bare-bones version of bq_HeadRig was written back in 2013). I can assure you I did not see your video and run out to try and capitalize on it. 

Regardless, bq_HeadRig gives you more than just its workflow -- it gives you the ability to implement its workflow quickly and easily, opening up more possibilities and saving you time. Like any other script/plugin/shortcut, you can do everything manually without it -- it just takes a lot longer. With this script, you spend less time fiddling with expressions and more time animating. To me, that has value. I'm sorry if you don't agree. 

Best,

Rob

Remington McElhaney

script scripto said:

Hi rob,

I'm happy you make a script for our technique with James Hazael

But we spend time like you to share with other people for free, and you sell your script.

Our common goal was to share with everyone for free, i'm disapointed you don't do the same.

Best,

Mysteropodes

Those tutorials look very nice and useful however I can assure you that you were not the first to use this method and/or post it to the web. I've been using similar methods to rig heads for years that were taught to me by others. It's not exactly an industry secret to link keyframes to sliders or control layers and I think this script would save a bunch of time. So.. just a friendly reminder that these methods are probably a little more known that you are aware and by no means your intellectual property that's being ripped off in a script. 

(And I have no affiliation with the author of this script or even know who he is)

Philip Powell

is there thinking at to mouth shapes or phonemes?  Morshapes for emotional states?  Looks great, but trying to figure out how to get anger and sadness in there without derailing the rig.  Any thoughts? 

Rob Frese

Remington McElhaney said:

script scripto said:

Hi rob,

I'm happy you make a script for our technique with James Hazael

But we spend time like you to share with other people for free, and you sell your script.

Our common goal was to share with everyone for free, i'm disapointed you don't do the same.

Best,

Mysteropodes

Those tutorials look very nice and useful however I can assure you that you were not the first to use this method and/or post it to the web. I've been using similar methods to rig heads for years that were taught to me by others. It's not exactly an industry secret to link keyframes to sliders or control layers and I think this script would save a bunch of time. So.. just a friendly reminder that these methods are probably a little more known that you are aware and by no means your intellectual property that's being ripped off in a script. 

(And I have no affiliation with the author of this script or even know who he is)

Thanks, Remington! 

Rob Frese

Philip Powell said:

is there thinking at to mouth shapes or phonemes?  Morshapes for emotional states?  Looks great, but trying to figure out how to get anger and sadness in there without derailing the rig.  Any thoughts? 

Hey Phillip,

This weekend there will be a minor update (with some new features!) & an explainer video that addresses what you're asking about. It'll cover some deeper workflows and will include some additional tools to help with some of the set up. 

Hopefully, this will answer your question(s) -- but if it doesn't please let me know.

Best,

Rob

Luthfi Rahinal Amanat

I have problem with the script, when I opened the script, this message poped out: 

"Unable to execute script at line 1. Unable to create temporary image file"

Is there anything I can do about it?

I'm using After Effect CS6 and I use licensed version of the script

Best

Rob Frese

Luthfi Rahinal Amanat said:

I have problem with the script, when I opened the script, this message poped out: 

"Unable to execute script at line 1. Unable to create temporary image file"

Is there anything I can do about it?

I'm using After Effect CS6 and I use licensed version of the script

Best

Hey Luthfi, 

I apologize for the inconvenience. I am messaging you directly to discuss the situation and find a solution.

Best,

Rob

Joaquim Nielsen

Works like a charm! I made this: https://dribbble.com/shots/2704326-Testing-bqHeadRig-for-After-Effects

Thanks a LOT for creating this amazing script :-D

Jimmy Fisher

robinson frese said:

Luthfi Rahinal Amanat said:

I have problem with the script, when I opened the script, this message poped out: 

"Unable to execute script at line 1. Unable to create temporary image file"

Is there anything I can do about it?

I'm using After Effect CS6 and I use licensed version of the script

Best

Hey Luthfi, 

I apologize for the inconvenience. I am messaging you directly to discuss the situation and find a solution.

Best,

Rob

I'm having this same issue. I downloaded a trial and every time I attempt to use it on a Mac in CS6, it gives me this same error. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Jimmy

Rob Frese

Jimmy Fisher said:

I'm having this same issue. I downloaded a trial and every time I attempt to use it on a Mac in CS6, it gives me this same error. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

Jimmy

Hey Jimmy,

Yes, we did find a solution to this issue, and an update will be released in coming days, but until then there is an easy fix. I'm messaging you directly. 

Best,

Rob

Rob Frese

Joaquim Nielsen said:

Works like a charm! I made this: https://dribbble.com/shots/2704326-Testing-bqHeadRig-for-After-Effects

Thanks a LOT for creating this amazing script :-D

Joaquim -- that's AWESOME!!  I'm so glad you're enjoying bq_HeadRig!! 

Eduardo Farias

I am really interested on this script.  But I still use cs6 will it work on it?  Thank you.

Florian Bartl

Awesome tool, but it's not supported by the German version of AE, right? To use it, I've to switch to the English interface first ... A fix for that issue would be great! Thank you! 

jeremy mazé

Hi !

I can't use this script (licensed) and it didn't work in trial too.

Only the button "Create an headNull" is active but not the others.

When i push it, a null object is created in my timeline, good, but nothing else is happening.

I can't do the second step, all the buttons stay inactives. It was the same thing when i was in trial.

It's strange, because i used "joystick'n sliders" (in trial) and it was working ( with the contrains imposed by the trial).

What can i do ? 

Best regards ( excuse my language, i am a poor french guy !)

Rob Frese

jeremy mazé said:

Hi !

I can't use this script (licensed) and it didn't work in trial too.

Only the button "Create an headNull" is active but not the others.

When i push it, a null object is created in my timeline, good, but nothing else is happening.

I can't do the second step, all the buttons stay inactives. It was the same thing when i was in trial.

It's strange, because i used "joystick'n sliders" (in trial) and it was working ( with the contrains imposed by the trial).

What can i do ? 

Best regards ( excuse my language, i am a poor french guy !)

Hey Jeremy, 

I apologize for the inconvenience. I am messaging you directly to discuss the issue. 

Best,

Rob

Rob Frese

Florian Bartl said:

Awesome tool, but it's not supported by the German version of AE, right? To use it, I've to switch to the English interface first ... A fix for that issue would be great! Thank you! 

Hey Florian, 

There is no German translation version (currently) but the script itself should work without issue when the application's language is set to German or any other language. If it's not working, please let me know and I'll get to the bottom of it. 

Rob Frese

Eduardo Farias said:

I am really interested on this script.  But I still use cs6 will it work on it?  Thank you.

Hey Eduardo,

I have not done extensive testing with CS6, but we have many CS6 users who have had no problem. There is one very fixable issue reported by 2 people, but the solution is simple, and a forthcoming update will remove the issue entirely. 

Try the trial version out and see how it works for you! 

Best,

Rob

Eduardo Farias

Thank you Rob,

I will check the trial first.

Eduardo Farias

are there limitations in the trial version? for how long can I use it?

Rob Frese

Eduardo Farias said:

Thank you Rob,

I will check the trial first.

Great!

Eduardo Farias said:

are there limitations in the trial version? for how long can I use it?

It's a 7 day trial, and the only script limitation is that you cannot use the Copy/Replace rig feature. 

Hope that helps!

Oasel Sve

Hi,

This seems like a great script! Does it work with 3D-layers rotating in 3D-space? And do I have to parent all layers directly to the head-null when rigging the left/right-rotation, or can I for example parent eyebrows to eyes and animate the eyes only? 

Florian Bartl

robinson frese said:

Florian Bartl said:

Awesome tool, but it's not supported by the German version of AE, right? To use it, I've to switch to the English interface first ... A fix for that issue would be great! Thank you! 

Hey Florian, 

There is no German translation version (currently) but the script itself should work without issue when the application's language is set to German or any other language. If it's not working, please let me know and I'll get to the bottom of it. 

Hi Robinson, thanks for the response. When I'm running the german interface version, it seems to be the same issue jeremy mazé describes below. The Script is running, I can create a Head Null, but the next steps are not working at all ...  

Gregoire Louge

Hello !

I have the same problem jeremy mazé wrote on may 13 :

I can't use this script (licensed), only the button "Create an headNull" is active but not the others.

When i push it, a null object is created in my timeline but nothing else is happening.

I can't do the second step, all the buttons stay inactives.

I am beginning a new project and I need to be able to use HeadRig. It's kind of urgent.

(Sorry if my english is not correct sometimes, i'm french)

Thank you for your answer.

Rob Frese

Gregoire Louge said:

Hello !

I have the same problem jeremy mazé wrote on may 13 :

I can't use this script (licensed), only the button "Create an headNull" is active but not the others.

When i push it, a null object is created in my timeline but nothing else is happening.

I can't do the second step, all the buttons stay inactives.

I am beginning a new project and I need to be able to use HeadRig. It's kind of urgent.

(Sorry if my english is not correct sometimes, i'm french)

Thank you for your answer.

Hey Gregoire,

So sorry for the inconvenience. We are aware of this issue and an update will be released very very soon that will fix this. 

I am messaging you directly about a temporary fix until the new update comes out.

Best,

Rob

Rob Frese

Florian Bartl said:

Hi Robinson, thanks for the response. When I'm running the german interface version, it seems to be the same issue jeremy mazé describes below. The Script is running, I can create a Head Null, but the next steps are not working at all ...  

Hey Florian, 

So sorry for the inconvenience. See my response to Gregoire.

I am messaging you directly about a temporary fix. 

Best,

Rob

Rob Frese

Selma Svensson said:

Hi,

This seems like a great script! Does it work with 3D-layers rotating in 3D-space? And do I have to parent all layers directly to the head-null when rigging the left/right-rotation, or can I for example parent eyebrows to eyes and animate the eyes only? 

Hey Selma,

Great questions!

3D - Yes, it will absolutely work with 3D layers and 3D animations. Any property that can be animated can be incorporated into the head rig.

Parent To Head Null - Layers don't need to be directly parented to the Head Null -- they can be parented to layers that are parented to the head null. However, they do need to be parented to the Head Null in some way (i.e. you cannot leave them parented to nothing).

Hope that answers your questions!

Best,

Rob

Steve Allen

Hi Rob,

Thanks for this great script it's already saved me hours of time. 

I have a question about hair. I animate it's movement when creating the right to left, animating the paths so it helps with the illusion of wrapping around the head but what do I do with the up and down when it's already key framed with the right to left. If I link it to the up/down null it doesn't move properly to show the hair line moving forward if looking down etc. Do you have a suggestion/solution?

Thanks,

Steve

Rob Frese

Steve Allen said:

Hi Rob,

Thanks for this great script it's already saved me hours of time. 

I have a question about hair. I animate it's movement when creating the right to left, animating the paths so it helps with the illusion of wrapping around the head but what do I do with the up and down when it's already key framed with the right to left. If I link it to the up/down null it doesn't move properly to show the hair line moving forward if looking down etc. Do you have a suggestion/solution?

Thanks,

Steve

Hey Steve, 

Great question. Yes, hair is a tricky beast. 

I will be posting a video in the next couple of days where I rig a head and discuss some of the techniques/tricks that I use, especially hair (my apologies this video isn't up yet -- the v1.1 update took over my time).

There are a lot of different ways to approach this, and they'll be covered in more detail in the video. But here are a couple of stray notes/ideas:

- If your hair is a Bezier Path (not a parametric path, which is controlled with number values), make sure the path is inside of it's own shape group, then keyframe the path property for the Left/Right, and keyframe the shape group's transform values for the Up/Down. Or vice versa (transforms for Left/Right, path for Up/Down). This works especially well when using Track Matte / the Set Matte effect / Merge Paths to alpha matte the hair / head shapes.  

- It's usually helpful to break up the hair into multiple parts. Sometimes I use 2 hair layers -- front and back. Sometimes I use a bunch of hair layers -- front, back, each side, top part, etc. Sometimes the hair is just one shape layer with a ton of different shape groups. It all depends on the hair. 

- Shape groups are your friend. Select one (or many) shape layer properties and hit Ctrl+G (Cmd+G on Mac) to place them inside of a new shape group. Since each shape group has it's own unique set of transforms, it's equivalent to parenting to a null -- you get a whole new set of transform properties to keyframe. 

The video will cover this more thoroughly, but I hope this answers your question.

Rob Frese

Version 1.1 Update

Hey everybody, 

Version 1.1 of bq_HeadRig is out today! This update addresses a lot of the feedback bq_HeadRig has received, including:

• Universal Language Support: bq_HeadRig now officially works when After Effects is running in languages other than English
  
  
• CS6 Support: CS6 is solid, and a lot of people still use it. Now it's officially supported in bq_HeadRig. The UI design also adapts to better match the visual aesthetic of CS6
  
  
• New Controller Functions: 3 new controller functions to help you set up your head rig for maximum flexibility.
• Value Controller: Quickly link multiple properties to controllers on any layer. E.g. control multiple layers' colors, sizes, etc, from convenient and easy-to-setup effect controllers.
• Keyframe Slider: Link animations to slider controls and easily recall them later. E.g. animate an eye blink, and recall it from a simple slider.
• Group Switcher: Set up multiple style variations as separate shape groups, and quickly switch between them with a slider. E.g. create multiple different hair options, and choose which one is shown via a slider. 

Check out the new video that covers these changes in detail. 

Thank you all for using bq_HeadRig!

Best,

Rob

Steve Allen

robinson frese said:

Hey Steve, 

Great question. Yes, hair is a tricky beast. 

I will be posting a video in the next couple of days where I rig a head and discuss some of the techniques/tricks that I use, especially hair (my apologies this video isn't up yet -- the v1.1 update took over my time).

There are a lot of different ways to approach this, and they'll be covered in more detail in the video. But here are a couple of stray notes/ideas:

- If your hair is a Bezier Path (not a parametric path, which is controlled with number values), make sure the path is inside of it's own shape group, then keyframe the path property for the Left/Right, and keyframe the shape group's transform values for the Up/Down. Or vice versa (transforms for Left/Right, path for Up/Down). This works especially well when using Track Matte / the Set Matte effect / Merge Paths to alpha matte the hair / head shapes.  

- It's usually helpful to break up the hair into multiple parts. Sometimes I use 2 hair layers -- front and back. Sometimes I use a bunch of hair layers -- front, back, each side, top part, etc. Sometimes the hair is just one shape layer with a ton of different shape groups. It all depends on the hair. 

- Shape groups are your friend. Select one (or many) shape layer properties and hit Ctrl+G (Cmd+G on Mac) to place them inside of a new shape group. Since each shape group has it's own unique set of transforms, it's equivalent to parenting to a null -- you get a whole new set of transform properties to keyframe. 

The video will cover this more thoroughly, but I hope this answers your question.Shape groups are one thing I haven't used before

Thanks for the info on shape groups. I haven't use these before so it's great to learn something new. So far your rig has saved me a ton of time in the project I'm in right now. 

Thanks again,

Steve

Rob Frese

Steve Allen said:

Thanks for the info on shape groups. I haven't use these before so it's great to learn something new. So far your rig has saved me a ton of time in the project I'm in right now. 

Thanks again,

Steve

Thank you, Steve! Glad bq_HeadRig has saved you time!

Best,
Rob

Meli Vilisoni

Hi there,

Great plugin! I have a real beginner question: I've set up the rig within its own comp and all, but now I'm stuck - I don't know how to integrate it into my actual workflow or main comp outside of the face comp. Apologies if it seems straight forward, but I'm just plain stuck. I've tried parenting the head rig null to a null outside of the face comp, but it doesn't work. Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers

Meli

Rob Frese

Meli Vilisoni said:

Hi there,

Great plugin! I have a real beginner question: I've set up the rig within its own comp and all, but now I'm stuck - I don't know how to integrate it into my actual workflow or main comp outside of the face comp. Apologies if it seems straight forward, but I'm just plain stuck. I've tried parenting the head rig null to a null outside of the face comp, but it doesn't work. Any help would be appreciated.

Cheers

Meli

Hey Meli!

Sorry for the late response! 

So there are a couple of ways to go about this. First off, you can't parent to layers in a different comp, BUT you can bring the head comp into your master comp as a precomp. With this setup, you'll need to go into the precomp to animate the head rig. You can also select all the head rig layers, copy, and paste them into your master comp -- this is what I usually do. Then you can control the entire head rig inside of the main comp!

Hope this makes sense. I can absolutely answer more questions / go into more detail (you can also direct message me).

Best,

Rob

Meli Vilisoni

I may have been over-thinking this during a late night session, so much thanks for your patience

Michal Janowski

Hey,

Just wanted to show off Head Rig in use:

Cheers,

Michal

Rob Frese

Michal Janowski said:

Hey,

Just wanted to show off Head Rig in use:

Michal! This is soooo cool! Thank you so much for sharing!

Rob Frese

Hey all,

User Andy T. sent me a message asking how to make ears disappear on left/right head turns. I made this quick little video to show him one way of doing it. Posting it here in case anyone else had a similar question. 

(I slapped this video together quickly -- it's a little fast and sloppy, but it should get the point across).

Best,

Rob

hojin im

Hi Thanks for nice script! 

Haley Stibbard

HI There, Have animated my hair and face shape using the shape PATHS and changing their shape from left to right, anyway I can then rig this? Or doe s the script just rig Position key frames only? Not seem to be working with the Shape paths.

Cheers

Nick Reyniers

Hi,

Great plugin, very powerful. I was just wondering how you managed to do an almost 180 degree head turn to see the back of the head.

Many thanks. 

Rob Frese

Haley Stibbard said:

HI There, Have animated my hair and face shape using the shape PATHS and changing their shape from left to right, anyway I can then rig this? Or doe s the script just rig Position key frames only? Not seem to be working with the Shape paths.

Cheers

Hey Haley, 

So sorry for the late response!

The script should absolutely work for shape paths -- you can rig any property that you can animation/apply expressions to. What I often do for hair is animate the path property for the left/right head turn, and then use the shape group's transforms (position, scale, etc) to move/scale the animated path for the up/down head turn. 

There will be an update soon, along with a video that goes more in depth about rigging hair / full head turns and stuff, so that may help clarify your question in more detail. 

Hope this answers your question. Let me know if you're still having trouble with it.

Best,

Rob

Rob Frese

Nick Reyniers said:

Hi,

Great plugin, very powerful. I was just wondering how you managed to do an almost 180 degree head turn to see the back of the head.

Many thanks. 

Hey Nick,

Thanks! 

Yeah, animating those full head turns are tough. It's basically just a lot of masks & merge paths & mattes to make stuff disappear and re-appear & look at 3D-ish as possible. When you see the keyframes, it doesn't look too pretty. When I'm doing a full turn like that, I usually set the max time higher than 20 frames, usually to 40 frames. So 20f is the head facing forward, 10f is the head facing kind of left, and 0f is the head full turned left. This helps me break down the steps a little. 

There's an update coming soon that will also have a video that shows this kind of animation in more detail -- this will likely be in September. Hope this helps.

Best,

Rob

Khosbayar Sendengarav

i can't open it. PLS help 

Rob Frese

Khosbayar Sendengarav said:

i can't open it. PLS help 

Hey Khosbayar,

Sorry about this -- I'm messaging you directly so we can solve this. 

Best,

Rob