by Wee Learn From Mobile·Workflow
Illustrative cover generated by AnyPlugins — no product screenshot available.
Shape Key Gen earns its place in the superhive library for automating ARKit blendshape generation across AutoRig Pro, Rigify, and custom rigs after a short manual setup, with built-in reference images to check poses.
Shape Key Gen is a Blender addon for adding facial animation to rigged characters. It generates all 52 ARKit blendshapes, along with additional facial expressions for AutoRig, and works with AutoRig Pro, Rigify (MetaRig), and custom rigged characters. It can also import CSV animation data, and includes a CSV file you can use for testing.
The workflow starts in the Animation tab in the sidebar of the 3D Viewport. You rename your rig to set it as the target, register your character's face parts such as eyes, teeth, tongue, and eyebrows into the Register Face Collection, pick your rig type from the Source Rig dropdown, and click Transfer Animation. If expressions look slightly off, multipliers let you refine them: the Location Multiplier for AutoRig Pro, and both Location and Rotation Multipliers for Rigify.
A Reference Panel shows how each pose is supposed to look and loads reference images in the Image Editor, updating as you move between frames or markers. The Show Selected ShapeKey button displays a reference image for the currently selected shape key, and you can switch to Pose Mode for manual per-expression adjustments. It requires minimal manual setup, then automates the rest.
Shape Key Gen is best for blender artists adding facial animation to rigged characters — stylized, cartoon, or semi-realistic — using AutoRig Pro, Rigify (MetaRig), or custom rigs.
Shape Key Gen is completely free to download and use.
Shape Key Gen supports AutoRig Pro, Rigify (MetaRig), and custom rigged characters. You choose the rig type from the Source Rig dropdown, then click Transfer Animation. If expressions look slightly off, you refine them with multipliers: for AutoRig Pro you adjust the Location Multiplier only, while for Rigify you adjust both the Location and Rotation Multipliers. Values greater than 1 increase expression strength and values less than 1 decrease it. Click Apply to finalize the adjustments once they look right.
Shape Key Gen can import CSV animation data onto your character, and the addon ships with a CSV file you can use for testing. After renaming your rig to set it as the target, registering your character's face parts in the Register Face Collection, and choosing the rig type, you click the Transfer Animation button to bring the animation onto the character. The addon requires minimal manual adjustments and automates the rest of the process from there.
Shape Key Gen requires minimal manual adjustments before it automates the rest. Once installed, it appears in the Animation tab in the sidebar of the 3D Viewport. You rename your rig, which sets it as the target rig, register the face parts such as eyes, teeth, tongue, and eyebrows into the Register Face Collection, then pick your rig type from the Source Rig dropdown. For custom rigs, the developer provides a YouTube video that walks through the setup.
Shape Key Gen is listed as free in this catalog. Pricing and licensing can change over time, so check the developer's page for the current terms before you rely on it. On the functional side, the addon generates all 52 ARKit blendshapes plus additional facial expressions for AutoRig, and it works with stylized, cartoon, and semi-realistic characters across AutoRig Pro, Rigify, and custom rigs. A demo video is also available.
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