Niels Kleinheinz
@kleinheinz.bsky.social
Senior character rigger at Trixter. Previously Framestore.
Maya, Blender, 3ds Max, Python, MEL, MaxScript.
https://kleinhei.nz
Character Rigging Feed 👇
Maya, Blender, 3ds Max, Python, MEL, MaxScript.
https://kleinhei.nz
Character Rigging Feed 👇
When Maya on Linux does heavy calculations and becomes unresponsive it stops redrawing the main window.
This allows me to draw patterns with a tool window over Maya's main window. Like Solitaire.
When it redraws the main window, I know it's responsive again.
Who needs toolbars am I right?! 🤷♂️
This allows me to draw patterns with a tool window over Maya's main window. Like Solitaire.
When it redraws the main window, I know it's responsive again.
Who needs toolbars am I right?! 🤷♂️
A large part of my job involves wiggling my mouse over menu buttons to see if Maya has started responding again
August 11, 2025 at 8:50 AM
When Maya on Linux does heavy calculations and becomes unresponsive it stops redrawing the main window.
This allows me to draw patterns with a tool window over Maya's main window. Like Solitaire.
When it redraws the main window, I know it's responsive again.
Who needs toolbars am I right?! 🤷♂️
This allows me to draw patterns with a tool window over Maya's main window. Like Solitaire.
When it redraws the main window, I know it's responsive again.
Who needs toolbars am I right?! 🤷♂️
Reposted by Niels Kleinheinz
Unrolling a Bridge #b3d #geometrynodes
July 30, 2025 at 5:03 PM
Unrolling a Bridge #b3d #geometrynodes
Reposted by Niels Kleinheinz
Making some good progress with the core functions of #SHAPES for #Blender
Doesn't look like much but these pretty important for many workflows.
#b3d #Blender3D #rigtip #animation #rigging
Doesn't look like much but these pretty important for many workflows.
#b3d #Blender3D #rigtip #animation #rigging
July 25, 2025 at 5:31 PM
Making some good progress with the core functions of #SHAPES for #Blender
Doesn't look like much but these pretty important for many workflows.
#b3d #Blender3D #rigtip #animation #rigging
Doesn't look like much but these pretty important for many workflows.
#b3d #Blender3D #rigtip #animation #rigging
Reposted by Niels Kleinheinz
Giant Squid's Sword of the Sea offers thrilling traversal mechanics, meditative soundscapes, and an art style that sets it apart.
Read our hands-on #SGFPlayDays impressions here:
Read our hands-on #SGFPlayDays impressions here:
Giant Squid's Sword of the Sea Is Thrilling And Meditative In Equal Measure
Giant Squid's Sword of the Sea offers thrilling traversal mechanics, meditative soundscapes, and an art style that sets it apart.
butwhytho.net
June 14, 2025 at 6:26 PM
Giant Squid's Sword of the Sea offers thrilling traversal mechanics, meditative soundscapes, and an art style that sets it apart.
Read our hands-on #SGFPlayDays impressions here:
Read our hands-on #SGFPlayDays impressions here:
🤣🤣🤣
Unreal... please tell me how you think this is good auto tangent behavior?
May 7, 2025 at 1:00 PM
🤣🤣🤣
Reposted by Niels Kleinheinz
Tekken 8 muscle deformation via RBF joint system looks super-impressive.
April 16, 2025 at 3:58 PM
Tekken 8 muscle deformation via RBF joint system looks super-impressive.
Reposted by Niels Kleinheinz
This video looks at converting a Displacement texture into actual geometry, that can be 3D printed or sculpted on. Textures from Polyhaven. #Blender #B3D #Blender3d www.blendersecrets.org
April 16, 2025 at 2:38 PM
This video looks at converting a Displacement texture into actual geometry, that can be 3D printed or sculpted on. Textures from Polyhaven. #Blender #B3D #Blender3d www.blendersecrets.org
I had some of these. They were great!
Cleaning out some old archives and came across physical YouTube 🤣, some of the best learning materials to understand rigging concepts. Appreciate all the people I learned from. Also proud to be on the 2004 instructor list with a great group of friends. Amazing depth in the tutorials. #maya3d
April 4, 2025 at 2:17 PM
I had some of these. They were great!
Reposted by Niels Kleinheinz
My GCAP talk "How To Never Rig The Same Thing Twice" is now available to the public! I was really happy with how well it was received at the conference, especially with students. So if you want to learn my super secret techniques to make rigging easier, make sure to check it out
How To Never Rig The Same Thing Twice
YouTube video by GCAP
www.youtube.com
February 27, 2025 at 12:07 AM
My GCAP talk "How To Never Rig The Same Thing Twice" is now available to the public! I was really happy with how well it was received at the conference, especially with students. So if you want to learn my super secret techniques to make rigging easier, make sure to check it out
Reposted by Niels Kleinheinz
Once something has been tagged, you should see it under its outputs with a "_tag" suffix. You can also see the connection in the node editor. Controllers have the object type "controller" so they are easy to wildcard search for as well
February 25, 2025 at 1:01 AM
Once something has been tagged, you should see it under its outputs with a "_tag" suffix. You can also see the connection in the node editor. Controllers have the object type "controller" so they are easy to wildcard search for as well
Reposted by Niels Kleinheinz
Are your Maya controls a bit sluggish when you move them? Manipulation in Maya occurs in DG mode, but you can force it to evaluate in the faster parallel mode by using a "controller tag". Moving my COG control goes from 20 FPS to 120 FPS after being tagged #rigtip
February 24, 2025 at 10:36 AM
Are your Maya controls a bit sluggish when you move them? Manipulation in Maya occurs in DG mode, but you can force it to evaluate in the faster parallel mode by using a "controller tag". Moving my COG control goes from 20 FPS to 120 FPS after being tagged #rigtip
Reposted by Niels Kleinheinz
Gaming abbreviations, but only wrong expanded forms. I go first:
NPC = non pettable cat
NPC = non pettable cat
February 18, 2025 at 7:24 AM
Gaming abbreviations, but only wrong expanded forms. I go first:
NPC = non pettable cat
NPC = non pettable cat
Reposted by Niels Kleinheinz
Did you know you can use the translation of transforms to drive curves in Maya? It's a clean method that avoids deformers like clusters, and is really easy to set up #rigtip
January 24, 2025 at 6:39 AM
Did you know you can use the translation of transforms to drive curves in Maya? It's a clean method that avoids deformers like clusters, and is really easy to set up #rigtip
Reposted by Niels Kleinheinz
Speed Up Animation Workflows With Maya's ML Deformer in Maya 2025
www.riggingdojo.com/2024/12/05/s... #rigtip #animtip #Autodesk #Maya #ML
www.riggingdojo.com/2024/12/05/s... #rigtip #animtip #Autodesk #Maya #ML
Speed Up Animation Workflows With Maya's ML Deformer - Rigging Dojo
Our mentor Todd Widup shares a look at his rig and how to use the ML deformer in Maya 2025 to reduce complex deformations into a new smart deformer to help speed up your rig. If you want to learn how ...
www.riggingdojo.com
December 5, 2024 at 5:36 AM
🤣🤣🤣
December 6, 2024 at 10:48 AM
🤣🤣🤣
Blender tip: How to make a surface shader (that just displays a flat color or texture without reacting to light)?
Plug the color or texture directly into the Material Output Surface port without using a shading node.
#blender #shading @blender3d.bsky.social
Plug the color or texture directly into the Material Output Surface port without using a shading node.
#blender #shading @blender3d.bsky.social
November 26, 2024 at 9:18 AM
Blender tip: How to make a surface shader (that just displays a flat color or texture without reacting to light)?
Plug the color or texture directly into the Material Output Surface port without using a shading node.
#blender #shading @blender3d.bsky.social
Plug the color or texture directly into the Material Output Surface port without using a shading node.
#blender #shading @blender3d.bsky.social
Journey is just such an excellent game 🔥
10th anniversary Journey thread, recreated:
I was the art director of thatgamecompany's Journey. It set the course of my career and my art. I'm forever thankful to the community of players and their incredible love for the game. This is a thread comparing early dev images and how things shipped.
I was the art director of thatgamecompany's Journey. It set the course of my career and my art. I'm forever thankful to the community of players and their incredible love for the game. This is a thread comparing early dev images and how things shipped.
November 26, 2024 at 8:49 AM
Journey is just such an excellent game 🔥
Blender tip: How to assign different shaders to the front and backside of a geometry?
Use the backfacing attribute of a Geometry node to drive a Mix Shader node.
(This also works for textures with the Mix Color node.)
#blender #shading @blender3d.bsky.social
Use the backfacing attribute of a Geometry node to drive a Mix Shader node.
(This also works for textures with the Mix Color node.)
#blender #shading @blender3d.bsky.social
November 19, 2024 at 12:10 PM
Blender tip: How to assign different shaders to the front and backside of a geometry?
Use the backfacing attribute of a Geometry node to drive a Mix Shader node.
(This also works for textures with the Mix Color node.)
#blender #shading @blender3d.bsky.social
Use the backfacing attribute of a Geometry node to drive a Mix Shader node.
(This also works for textures with the Mix Color node.)
#blender #shading @blender3d.bsky.social
Reposted by Niels Kleinheinz
Apparently no one in my animation team knew this button existed in Maya to lock the ability to undock panels. Sharing the info here too to save you from a mini-panic attack of losing your timeline or something right after moving it accidentally :>
November 13, 2023 at 10:41 PM
Apparently no one in my animation team knew this button existed in Maya to lock the ability to undock panels. Sharing the info here too to save you from a mini-panic attack of losing your timeline or something right after moving it accidentally :>
😂
October 15, 2023 at 5:30 AM
😂
Lots of awesome rigging and animation people joining. Welcome!
@shhlife.bsky.social
@chrisfram.bsky.social
@alexwilsonart.bsky.social
@jessefk.bsky.social
@bclarkcgchar.bsky.social
@enriquev.bsky.social
You can discover rigging posts by adding and pinning this feed:
bsky.app/profile/did:...
@shhlife.bsky.social
@chrisfram.bsky.social
@alexwilsonart.bsky.social
@jessefk.bsky.social
@bclarkcgchar.bsky.social
@enriquev.bsky.social
You can discover rigging posts by adding and pinning this feed:
bsky.app/profile/did:...
October 5, 2023 at 3:40 PM
Lots of awesome rigging and animation people joining. Welcome!
@shhlife.bsky.social
@chrisfram.bsky.social
@alexwilsonart.bsky.social
@jessefk.bsky.social
@bclarkcgchar.bsky.social
@enriquev.bsky.social
You can discover rigging posts by adding and pinning this feed:
bsky.app/profile/did:...
@shhlife.bsky.social
@chrisfram.bsky.social
@alexwilsonart.bsky.social
@jessefk.bsky.social
@bclarkcgchar.bsky.social
@enriquev.bsky.social
You can discover rigging posts by adding and pinning this feed:
bsky.app/profile/did:...
@golemde.bsky.social Schön dass ihr auf Bluesky seid! Ich würde mich freuen eure Artikel hier zu lesen.
September 27, 2023 at 8:04 AM
@golemde.bsky.social Schön dass ihr auf Bluesky seid! Ich würde mich freuen eure Artikel hier zu lesen.
@sinfiniti.bsky.social Welcome to Bluesky!
You can discover rigging posts by adding a rigging feed.
After pinning it, it'll appear as a secondary timeline under Home.
bsky.app/profile/did:...
You can discover rigging posts by adding a rigging feed.
After pinning it, it'll appear as a secondary timeline under Home.
bsky.app/profile/did:...
September 25, 2023 at 8:45 AM
@sinfiniti.bsky.social Welcome to Bluesky!
You can discover rigging posts by adding a rigging feed.
After pinning it, it'll appear as a secondary timeline under Home.
bsky.app/profile/did:...
You can discover rigging posts by adding a rigging feed.
After pinning it, it'll appear as a secondary timeline under Home.
bsky.app/profile/did:...
Reposted by Niels Kleinheinz
Hey I made a quick welcome guide to BlueSky :)
There's tons more, but I think these few steps will get you up and enjoying it quickly.
There's tons more, but I think these few steps will get you up and enjoying it quickly.
![So you decided to join BLUE SKY
[it's not twitter]
#1 upload an avatar
#2 set Moderation Settings
(box showing moderation hand symbol) Moderation (arrow pointing to) Content Filtering](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:n5f7w4v7l65vjfaljp4727ng/bafkreicf6apaqwfq6ndwbwmhzxcvhm32t6lxf7mp652lsmk5c73mhg22di@jpeg)
![#4 Go to My Feeds
Go to "Discover New Feeds" to search for interesting feeds like "Only Posts"
Click the "+" to add the feed
(box) Go to the (gear icon) [edit my feeds] here you can pin and unpin feeds
(side note) pinned feed will appear at the top of your TL
Don't forget to "♥" the feed when you click on it to preview, this helps others find it!](https://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did:plc:n5f7w4v7l65vjfaljp4727ng/bafkreibcj3whin4lnxnch7auvdmnsnbwyegiyrb6aa7tmctv5uc6tbb4gi@jpeg)
August 21, 2023 at 10:35 PM
Hey I made a quick welcome guide to BlueSky :)
There's tons more, but I think these few steps will get you up and enjoying it quickly.
There's tons more, but I think these few steps will get you up and enjoying it quickly.