Auto-rigging tool is cheating?

joarwho

Hi,
I'm currently creating a show reel with some rigs I have created. The purpose of the show reel is to show it to potential employers when I'm applying to a job as a rigger/technical animator. But problem is that I have a number of rigs that are created with an auto-rigging tool. Should I still add these rigs to the show reel or will these be considered 'cheating' since I didn't create them from scratch? Are the people in the industry generally against using auto-rigging tools?

Anyway, I would really appreciate your help and I would also like to hear your opinions on using auto-rigging tools.

Eric Chadwick

I don't see any problems with it. The only drawback would be if you don't show any examples of rigs created from scratch. If you're only showing rigs that are maybe 80% created with a tool, then what skills are you selling?

IMHO, if I'm hiring a technical animator, I want someone who knows the ins and outs of building and fixing rigs. To me that means someone who knows how to build from scratch, since that means he/she has a clear understanding of all the steps involved.

I also want someone who can write expressions, understand the differences between quaternions and eulers, be able to convert from one rig to another, set up modular character systems, convert dynamics (cloth) into bone animation, fix mocap, etc.

I need a problem solver. Relying on a rigging system is fine, until it breaks. Which it always does. No one rig handles everything.

Anyhow, that's just my 2 cents. I'm not an animator really, but I've done some, and I've hired artists for various roles.

StephenVyas

If someone is a technical rigger, then their future employer will want to see what they are capable of achieving from scratch. Are they strong in melscript/python? Creative with their solutions?

Their value is shown by how well they incorporate the ideas/requests, from their co-workers, into the rigs they build for them.

In short, there's nothing special about showcasing an auto-rigger that someone else built.

Odow

I wouldn't do that, it's just like searching a pastries chef, and having someone serve you boxcake. Yeah the cake might be good, but someone else did that cake, you just put it together, almost anyone can do it if they read the instruction and follow them.

DireWolf

Those auto rigging tools, did you create them yourself?

If yes, definitely show the tools in your reel and make sure people know it's a custom made tool by youself. That's a big selling point.

If not, keep it away from your show reel.

aesir

There's no such thing as cheating. If you made it, you made it. That said, you're obviously trying to impress someone with a reel. Make sure what you made is awesome, regardless of what tools were involved.

unit187

If you have created the auto-rig, sure, show it. You will want to use auto-rig at your job anyways, because building every rig from scratch is huge time waste.

But if that auto-rig is by someone else, it would definitely be misleading to use it in your TA demo.

CreativeSheep

I think auto-rigging is cheating. Look what Fabric Engine can do, beautiful, just requires you to do alot of coding.

slipsius

If you created the auto-rigging tool, absolutely show it! It shows what you can do. What you can create. If you didnt create the auto-rigger, I personally wouldnt put it on, because that absolutely is cheating if you`re going for a rigger position. The only exception is if you are showing off the weighting you did, in which case, have a text over-lay saying weighting only.

This is all because if you didn't create the auto-rigger, then you didnt create the rig. You just weighted it. If you show off controls / bone structures you didn't actually make yourself, when you get hired, they will full on expect you to be able to do it all. But if you ask to download an auto-rigger from the internet, you`ll probably be fired instantly. Most studios do have their own A-Rs, but ya. Their employees actually made it.