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Skeleton > Eye Rig
Module: zMayaUtils

This creates a simple eye orientation rig using zRigHandle.

"The Nameless One" by Samize (CC-NC-SA).

Usage

Select the left and right eye joints (in any order), and select Skeleton > Eye Rig from the Rigging menu set. The eye control will be created.

The control can be rotated, which is usually the most convenient way to work with it. It can also be translated around, and the eyes will look at the control, allowing the control to be parent constrained to something the eyes should follow.

By default, the eyes look forward and rotate in unison, as if they're looking far in the distance, and will stay locked even if the control is moved closer to the character. If the "Eyes Focused" attribute on the control handle is set to 1, the eyes will look directly at the control, and moving the control close to the eyes will cause them to cross, as if they're looking at something very close to the face. (Setting Eyes Focused to a negative value will push the eyes apart, which isn't usually wanted.)

Requirements

The character must be Y-up, facing positive Z, which is the usual coordinate system in Maya. The eyes should be controlled by rotating a transform (this can be a joint, but doesn't have to be). The two eye transforms need to have a common ancestor so the control knows what to follow. The eyes should be facing forwards (down positive Z).

Advanced

The "Angle" attributes on the handle receive the final X and Y rotation of each eye. Soft eye controls can use this to read the position of the eyes.