Chain Alignment Tool v1.1 for Maya

Description

The Chain Alignment Tool simplifies rigging in Autodesk Maya by letting you align and manipulate joint chains intuitively without breaking the original hierarchy. Designed for technical artists and riggers, it creates a non-destructive control system to reposition, reorient, and adjust joint chains like arms, legs, tails, or tentacles. With visual feedback and matrix-based calculations, it saves time on repetitive tasks and ensures clean results.

This tool is perfect for fixing misaligned joints, prototyping poses, or fine-tuning orientations in complex rigs. It’s flexible, reversible, and built to fit seamlessly into your Maya workflow.

Key Features

• Spherical Controls: Move and rotate joints with intuitive, easy-to-use controls.
• Visual Planes: Display segment stretching and orientation in real-time.
• Auto Stretch/Squash: Matrix-based system maintains correct proportions dynamically.
• Global Roll Control: Rotate the entire chain around its main axis using this control.
• Non-Destructive: Preserves original joint hierarchy and allows baking changes.
• Customizable UI: Adjust control sizes, plane widths, and roll helper settings.

Installation and Basic Usage

Installation

1. Copy chain_alignment_tool.py to your Maya scripts folder:
   • Windows: Documents/maya/[version]/scripts/
   • macOS: ~/Library/Preferences/Autodesk/maya/[version]/scripts/
   • Linux: ~/maya/[version]/scripts/
2. Restart Maya or reload the script in the Script Editor:

   import importlib
   import chain_alignment_tool
   importlib.reload(chain_alignment_tool)
   

Basic Usage

1. Run the tool:

   import chain_alignment_tool
   chain_alignment_tool.ChainAlignmentToolUI()
   

2. Select a chain of at least 2 joints (root to tip, e.g., joint_root → joint_mid → joint_tip).
3. Click "Create Alignment System" to generate the spherical controls and visual planes.
4. Adjust controls:
   • Move spherical controls to reposition joints.
   • Use the global roll helper to rotate the chain.
   • Tweak sliders for plane width, control size, or helper scale.
5. Click "Bake and Delete System" to apply changes and remove the control system.

Note: Save your scene before baking, as changes are irreversible.

Target Audience

• Riggers working on character or creature rigs.
• Technical Directors (TDs) needing joint alignment.
• Intermediate to advanced Maya users familiar with rigging workflows.
• 3D artists prototyping poses or fixing joint orientation issues.

Requirements

• Autodesk Maya 2018 or higher.
• No external dependencies; uses native Maya APIs (maya.cmds, maya.api.OpenMaya).
• Compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux.

Additional Notes

• Limitations: Works only with continuous joint chains (no branching) and requires at least 2 joints.
• Tips: Name joints clearly before use and adjust control sizes for better visibility..