html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/REC-html40/loose.dtd"Originally posted on 3 July 2024. Scroll down for news of the Mansur-Rig 2.6 update.Former MPC Lead Rigging TD Assaf Ben Zuf has made Mansur-Rig, his modular toolset for building Maya character rigs, available for free.The software streamlines the process of building character rigs for animation, visual effects and games animation, and comes with an online library of free character rigs.Assaf Ben Zuf says that he intends to continue actively developing the software, and that he hopes that making it free for commercial projects will increase its user base.A flexible high-performance system for building character rigs in MayaFirst released in 2021, and updated regularly, Mansur-Rig is an advanced modular rig builder for Maya, based on a dedicated C++ node library.It can be used to build joint-based full-body and facial rigs for human and humanoid characters, although it isnt an auto-skinning tool.Key selling points cited in the online FAQs include the high performance of the rigs generated, its flexible, non-linear workflow, and its ability to rig non-T-posed models.Other notable features include a readymade animation picker UI and a LODs Tool for managing switches between Level of Detail states of a character.The software comes with a detailed user guide and video tutorials, plus an accompanying online library of character and vehicle rigs, also available free.Now free for commercial use, including for selling character rigsMansur-Rig is now free to download, although you will need to register an account on the product website to install it, as shown in the video above.The software is licensed for use on commercial projects, and you can even sell the rigs created with it, although users also need Mansur-Rig to use the rigs.However, animations created using Mansur-Rig can be exported from Maya in FBX format: for example, for use in game engines.Still in active developmentAccording to Assaf Ben Zuf, making the software free in no way means that development and support is [being discontinued].The hope is that this change will urge the community to use Mansur-Rig more, [so that] more bugs can be found and fixed, and new needs found and addressed.You can see features currently in development on the Mansur-Rig Trello board.Updated 10 January 2025: Assaf Ben Zuf has released Mansur-Rig 2.6.The release updates the toolsets Wing module to support bat as well as bird wings, and adds a new readymade peregrine falcon rig to the accompanying online library.It comes with controls for the wing and tail feathers, as well as the head, body and legs.The update also makes Mansur-Rig compatible with Maya 2025 on Windows, at least: Linux support is still in progress and removes its dependency on the PyMEL module.PyMEL used to be installed by default with Maya, but became a separate installation in Maya 2022+.System requirementsMansur-Rig 2.6 is compatible with Maya 2020+ on Windows and Maya 2020-2024 on Linux. The software is now free, including for use on commercial projects. You can also sell character rigs created with Mansur-Rig.Download modular Maya rig-building system Mansur-Rig for free(Registration required)Read the FAQs about Mansur-RigHave your say on this story by following CG Channel on Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter). As well as being able to comment on stories, followers of our social media accounts can see videos we dont post on the site itself, including making-ofs for the latest VFX movies, animations, games cinematics and motion graphics projects.