How to use a single rig

Although rigs are often used to build master controls for use in Final Cut Pro X projects, they’re also useful in Motion, to simplify the control set of a complex project. Instead of making changes by manipulating individual parameters in various Inspectors, you can modify the Motion project using just a few widgets in a single rig.

You can make changes to a Motion project by adjusting widgets in the Rig Inspector, in the Widget Inspector, or in the Rig HUD. However, it may be easiest to adjust widgets in the Rig HUD, which displays only the widgets you’ve created (and none of the additional controls used to create and customize widget settings).

A rig is especially helpful when you need to share a complex project with multiple users or when the project is designed to be updated each time it’s used. For example, you can create a basic project for an animated lower-third title that incorporates two text objects, a background replicator, and a lens flare generator that moves across the text.

Each time the project is used, the size and position of the background generator must change to match the length of the text. Also, the lens flare must only appear on top of the letters. By adding a rig to the project, you can create a small set of controls that modify only the parameters such changes require.

As an alternative to adjusting widgets in the Rig HUD, you can publish the widgets, then adjust them in the Project Inspector. (Open the Project Inspector by selecting the Project object at the top of the Layers list). For more information about publishing, see Publish rigs to Final Cut Pro.

You can even apply keyframes to a slider widget to create dynamic animated effects based on saved snapshots in the slider. (Pop-up menu and checkbox widgets cannot be keyframed, nor can they accept behaviors. For more information, see About widget animation.)