aTools - The Free Utility Belt for Maya Animators

aTools - "The ultimate free utility belt for Maya Animators"

aTools is a new free download for Maya that describes itself as "The ultimate free utility belt for Maya animators."  It was created by Portuguese animator Alan Camilo, and is extremely useful for all kinds of tasks in Maya.

aTools is completely free, it makes your work flow faster, and is very easy to install - just drag and drop aTools into your Maya viewport.  Here at Escape Studios we are always on the lookout for tools and plugins that make the animator's workflow faster and more efficient. After all, to succeed in our industry, animators need to be both good and fast.

like this - but for animators

Where to find aTools
Right here. You will download two files, a mel script (i.e. a bit of Maya code) and a "read me" document.

What does it do?
All kinds of stuff. It enables you to easily select sections of a character rig quickly, and it also does what the super-useful Tween Machine tool does. The term "utility belt" is a pretty good one. It's like a Swiss Army knife for Maya - lots of handy tools in one convenient place.

How to install aTools:
Just drag the file "aTools_install.mel" into maya's viewport. A toolbar will appear with lots of little icons in it.  Now it's time to test out what all those little icons do.  To see how aTools works in detail, you will need to spend 30 minutes watching the video below. It's worth it - it will save you time in the long run.




Who is Alan Camilo?
Alan Camilo is a Portuguese animator who works as a senior animator in Vancouver, British Columbia. He created aTools.

Thank you Alan!

----Alex