# Assemblies and Rigging UI

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Though largely unknown, the Assembly viewport is extremely important for setting up a User Interface around a rigged element. In this video, Rich covers the Assembly viewport, explaining by example the various setting options as well as defining an Assembly preset, useful to streamline the rigging process by predetermining collections of often used rigging settings.

Users can jump ahead to a specific section by using the Chapter selection widget on the right side of the player or by directly clicking any of the Chapter Title links below.

Tab | Time | Chapter | Description
1 | 02:08 | Assembly Viewport | Details of what an Assembly Group is and how they are useful.
2 | 10:45 | Pick Walk Example | Example of what the Pick Walk feature does.
3 | 17:52 | Rigging UI | Making popup channel controls when items are selected.
4 | 25:33 | Rig UI Example | An example of a series of channel controls defined for an item.
5 | 28:04 | Assemblies | Assembly presets explained and demonstrated.
| 38:19 | Total Video Time |

Frequently Asked Questions--

Q.) Wait, so he will not be covering scripting at all? How about macros?

> A.) No to Both. Macro recording is simple enough at its most basic, but if you really want to cover it right you need to dig deep into the command system. At that point you are just once step away from scripting... which is REALLY big subject matter. Really, both scripting and macros should be covered in training that is dedicated to those topics alone.

Q.) What can't you use commands or select redirection with only locators?

> A.) It's just the way it was setup. I hope that in future versions of modo this will not be the case, but it's a fact of life for now.

Q.) Why did he spend so much time talking about pick walking?

> A.) Mainly because its something that is a really important tool for more complex rigs that he felt has not be covered enough (it's also a bit hidden). By breaking it all down we're hoping that more people will make use of it as their rigging skills improve.

Q.) I set a limit on my user channel but I do not see a slider, why?

> A.) Sliders will only show up in the Channel Haul tool if you set both a Min AND a Max value. If you set just one you will not get a slider.

Q.) Can I use the Channel Haul tool without setting a command in the assembly tab?

> A.) You sure can, in fact if you have been paying attention I have used it quite often throughout the training so far. To use the Channel Haul tool on it own, simple select a channel and in the 3D viewport hit the "c" key. The Channel Haul tool will appear with all of the channels you had selected and allow you to adjust them right there in the 3D view.

Q.) How similar is an Assembly "Preset" to an Assembly "Group"?

> A.) They are actually quite similar, so similar in fact that if you load an assembly preset it will show up in the Assembly Groups list. Conversely you can select an Assembly Group, right click on it, and save it as an Assembly Preset. Check out the Assembly Groups section for more info.

Q.) He keeps teasing us with this Mech, and now with Assembly Presets for it, why?

> A.) Because the Mech is so cool and he worked so hard on it, he wants to show you guys cool things... sheesh ;)

Q.) At one point he selected an item in the 3D view and it just appeared in the Item list, how did he do that?

> A.) By using the 'find' or 'frame' command. You do this by selecting the item you want to find in the 3D viewport, then holding your mouse over the Item List and pressing the 'f' key. Modo will then expose the item in the list no matter where it may be located or nested.

Resources--

Links to the modo in-line help system
Docs: Groups
Docs: Channel Haul Tool
Docs: Keyframes
Docs: Constraints
Docs: Drop Actions

Links to other pages in this training
Training: Groups
Training: Assembly Groups
Training: Channels
Training: Locator Mesh Display
Training: Keyframes and Dopesheet
Training: Modifiers (Channel Relationships)
Training: Constraints
Training: Parenting and Hierarchies
Training: Schematic

Files--

Links to the modo scenes used in the video
(click to open in modo)
File: AssemblyRiggingUI_01.lxo
File: AssemblyRiggingUI_02.lxo
File: FaderAssembly.lxo
File: FaderAssembly.lxp

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