Luca Rood

Wiper (Blender Addon)

Added 2019-02-01 18:32:52 +0000 UTC

Wiper is an automatic windscreen wiper rig that can be adapted to fit most windscreen wiper models. The rig will automatically detect collision with a specified surface, and follow its curvature. Similar to Rigify and other auto-rigging systems, it works by adding a meta-rig, which can easily be fitted to your model, and then generating the actual rig.

Installation

Installation of the Wiper addon is the same as with any other Blender addon. Simply go to User Preferences > Add-ons > Install Add-on from File, and select the zip file you downloaded. Finally, check the box next to addon in the list, and you are ready to rig (optionally Save User Settings to keep the addon enabled next time you open Blender).

Usage

Once the addon is installed and enabled, the procedure for rigging your wiper model is as follows:

1. Configuring the meta-rig:

.
Enter pose mode, and edit the rig pose to fit your model (it is important to do this in pose mode and not edit mode, as it has constraints set up to prevent invalid states).
Make sure the bone is actually aligned with the rotation axis of your wiper.
Make sure all the joints are positioned on the locations of your wiper pivots.
Make sure the tails of the bones are positioned on the surface of your wiper blade (where it would touch the windscreen).

2. Generating the wiper rig:

In the , navigate to the , where you will find the panel;
In the field, select the surface you want to use as windscreen;
Click , and a new rig should be appear. Now you may hide or remove the meta-rig;

3. Parenting your mesh to the wiper rig:

The main armature that is created, named , contains two important layers, which are visible upon creation. The first layer contains control bones, and the last layer contains deformation bones. Parent all your mesh components to the corresponding bones, with your preferred method (bone parenting, or an armature modifier and vertex groups).
Now that your meshes are parented, you can hide the last layer in the armature, leaving only the first layer, with the control bones visible.
For the wiper blade deformation, a separate armature is created, named . Parent your wiper blade to this armature, with an armature modifier, either using vertex groups or envelopes.

4. Animate away!

Demo

A demo file () is provided with the addon, containing an example wiper model with a fitted meta-rig and generated rig. Feel free to play around with it, use it as reference, or use it in your projects (licensing is addressed below).