Contour Rig Tools vs Maya Pulse
Contour Rig Tools
notionalpipe.comMaya Pulse
github.comSide by side
| Figure | Contour Rig Tools | Maya Pulse |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $40/mo | — |
| Free plan | Yes | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | Yes |
| Linux | Yes | Yes |
| API | Yes | — |
| Plans published | 4 | 0 |
| Spec score · 3D Rigging Software | 9.1 (#1) | 7.2 (#22) |
| Documentation | The HTML manual covers installation, licensing, tutorials, deformation, constraints, control rigging, techniques, API functions and caveats. | The project links to documentation covering core modules, custom actions, and built-in actions. |
| Installation | Windows and macOS offer installer or manual installation, while Linux installation is manual only. | The README instructs users to download the latest release, unzip it, and copy its contents into Maya’s modules folder. |
| Purpose | Contour Rig Tools is a spline-based rigging system for Autodesk Maya. | Pulse is a rigging framework and toolkit built for Maya. |
Plans
Contour Rig Tools
- Animator ModeFree
- Rigger Mode — twelve months$40 a month
- Rigger Mode — six months$45 a month
- Rigger Mode — one month$50 a month
In their own words
Contour Rig Tools
Contour Rig Tools is a spline-based rigging system for Autodesk Maya, designed for animation production and technical directors. Contour joint chains generate splines that serve as single deformer influences, potentially reducing weight-painting work. Its volume-aware spline deformation handles bends and twists and is designed to avoid pinching and candy-wrappering. Contour Bones include length and stretch controls, and bone CVs can be used as spline control points. Built-in IK includes stretch and anti-pop features, while constraints drive transforms and relationships between Contour chains. A Python API can create, modify, and query Contour nodes, accepting strings, pyNodes, and MObjects. The tool can drive conventional Maya joints for game-engine export. Version 1.0.12.1 supports Maya 2020 through 2026, except Maya 2023.0, 2023.1, and 2024.0; downloads are provided for Windows, Linux, and macOS. Animator Mode is free for animating with rigs and adding bone CVs. Creating or modifying rigs requires Rigger Mode, starting at $40 a month billed for twelve months.