Build a simple rig in Motion
The following task describes how to add a basic rig to a project, add a widget to the rig, then assign parameters and snapshots (parameter states) to the widget.
In Motion, do one of the following:
In the toolbar, click Add Object, then choose Rig from the pop-up menu.
Choose Object > New Rig (or press Control-Command-R).
A new rig is added to the project (shown in the Layers list and Timeline layers list).
In the Rig Inspector, click one of the three buttons:
Add Slider: Adds a slider widget to the rig, enabling users to apply gradual changes between multiple parameter states
Add Pop-up: Adds a pop-up menu widget to the rig, enabling users to choose from among multiple parameter states
Add Checkbox: Adds a checkbox widget to the rig, enabling users to toggle between two parameter states
The new widget (in this example, a pop-up menu widget) appears in the Rig Inspector:
The widget also appears in the Layers list under its parent rig:
When the Widget is selected, the Widget Inspector opens.
By default, the widget contains empty placeholders for snapshots (parameter states). In this example, the pop-up menu widget contains three options: Snapshot 1, Snapshot 2, and Snapshot 3. You can rename them using the Rename button. See Rename a snapshot in a pop-up menu widget.
To assign parameters and snapshots (specific parameter states) to the widget, do the following:
In the Rig inspector or the Widget inspector, click the Edit Mode Start button.
A window appears containing the Stop Rig Edit Mode button. The appearance of this window indicates that you are in rig edit mode: Any changes you make to parameters of any object in your project will be recorded as a snapshot.
Record a snapshot by making changes to objects in your project in the canvas, the HUD, or the Inspector.
In this example, any changes you make are applied to the Snapshot 1 pop-up menu item.
When you finish making changes to parameters, click Stop Rig Edit Mode.
The snapshot is stored and the parameters you modified are added to the Widget Inspector, alongside a joystick icon indicating that the parameter is rigged.
To set additional snapshots, choose an unassigned snapshot in the widget (in this example, choose Snapshot 2 from the pop-up menu), then adjust the parameters. To add more parameters, repeat steps a, b, and c.
After you add snapshots to a widget, adjusting the widget control (the checkbox, pop-up menu, or slider) loads a snapshot, changing the state of affected parameters in your project.
For information about other methods to create snapshots, see Intro to snapshots and Control rigs from Animation menus.
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