UNIVERSAL HUMAN

I'm new to Blender, how do I use the rig?

Rig instructions are in the reference charts here.  If you don't know how to navigate or move things around, start with these tutorials.

Why don't the race and gender controls do anything?

Those controls are there as placeholders for the shape keys.  If you want race and gender switching functionality you'll need to get some base meshes and append them as shape keys using the instructions here

Why does the mesh go haywire when I activate a race/gender?

This can happen when combining older components with newer ones. Make sure you've downloaded the most recent updates for the rig and base meshes before appending them.

I've appended the Skin Shader - where is the Wrinkles node?

The Wrinkles node is included with the Face Rig and Body & Face Rig, since it needs to reference the shape keys. If you have either of those rigs, you can append the Skin Shader and connect it to the Wrinkles node as per the instructions.  Otherwise the setup is outlined here if you want to try constructing your own.

Can I export the rig to Unreal Engine/Unity/something other than Blender?

Purportedly it can be done, but not without some effort.  The rigs were made for use in Blender without regard for external applications, so weights, shape keys and drivers (and possibly bone hierarchy) are likely to be borked.  If you're well versed in Blender and the application in question and are very determined, then feel free to proceed at your own risk (unfortunately I can't offer much in the way of support in this regard since I've only ever converted the rig once, and that was from LightWave to Blender).

Can I use this for cartoon characters?

Technically yes, but the rig is geared more towards realistic characters, so it's probably not be the best choice for squashy-stretchy cartoon characters.

What do I need to get to have the complete package?

To get everything that's currently available without doubling up on purchases, you'll need the following:

• Body & Face Rig

• Female Base Mesh (or Male if you prefer, but don't get both)

• African Head Base Mesh

• Asian Head Base Mesh

• European Head Base Mesh

• Skin Shader

• Face Textures

• Eye Shader

• Eye Textures

• Teeth & Tongue Shader

• Teeth & Tongue Textures

Do you offer bundle discounts?

Unfortunately there's no easy way to bundle items at the moment, however if all goes well there will be a more complete pre-assembled version in future, with a cross-grade option for those who have collected the individual components. At this stage it is unclear whether the complete version would be cheaper than buying the parts individually.

Can I add/remove geometry or change the topology without messing up the rig?

You can often get away with changing the topology in areas that don't deform too much, however it can make a mess of things like joints, eyelids and the mouth.  In those instances you may need to apply some corrective surgery to the weights and shape keys .

How do I transfer a separate scan or sculpted model to the base mesh?

If you have one of the rigs, adjust the proportion controls to align joints, eyeballs and such to the other model.  Then in Sculpt Mode, shape the base mesh to match the model as closely as possible (you might be able to speed up this process using the Shrinkwrap modifier). Lastly, bake a displacement map and apply it to the base mesh.  You can adapt the instructions here for baking displacements in Blender.

Alternatively you could try binding the model itself to the base mesh using the Surface Deform modifier (this method hasn't been tried and tested though).

Can I use the rig on a separate model?

Not without a lot of effort transferring the weights, shape keys and drivers over.  It might be possible to do it with the Surface Deform modifier, however this is as yet untested, and would probably still involve a fair amount of manual adjustments.  An easier approach might be to align the proportion controls to match the joints of the other model, bake the displacement (see here for baking procedures) and apply the displacement map to the base mesh.

Does the rig work with motion capture/face tracking?

It's not made with motion capture in mind, so you'd have to reconfigure it yourself for that purpose.  One way could be to use a secondary rig that is already set up for the mocap system, and bind the main rig to it by using Copy Transforms constraints on the control bones.