US animation middleware firm Mixamo has announced that its Auto-Rigger service has left Beta and begun full live service for mobile, console and PC platforms as of today.
The Auto-Rigger allows developers to create a rigged character from a static mesh that is ready for automatic animation within a minute. Mixamo has said that the service allows for animation to be achieved for up to ten times cheaper than a manual rigging process.
Auto-Rigger also allows for the application in real-time of any animation from the Mixamo online collection. Single or multiple overlapping or non-overlapping meshes can be worked simultaneously.
"As the development of games continues to democratize, automating the tasks that don’t require artistic or design decisions is extremely valuable,” said THQ VP of technology Mark DeLoura.
“By simplifying the development of character animations through automatic rigging, Mixamo enables game designers and developers to iterate much more quickly."