Getting started
Install your Animworks files
Everything you buy or download on Animworks arrives as a file, and every product ships with its own README written by the creator. This page covers the standard install for each kind of product, and where your licence key lives. When a README says something different, the README wins.
Files live in My Account › Downloads, forever
Licence keys live in My Account › Licences
Every product ships a README
Stuck? Our Discord answers fast
Maya plugins and tools
Tools like Animo, Erlich Dynamic Tools and the AnimStarter set install into Maya itself. Most ship one of two ways: a drag-and-drop installer, or a scripts folder copy.
01
Unzip the download
Extract the zip somewhere permanent, not your Downloads folder. If there is an install.mel or a README, start there.
02
Drag and drop, or copy
With an install.mel: drag it into the Maya viewport and follow the prompt. Without one: copy the tool’s folder or .py and .mel files into your scripts folder, usually Documents/maya/scripts.
03
Restart and find the shelf
Restart Maya. Most tools add a shelf button or a menu entry. Licensed tools will ask for your key on first launch, it is in your email and in My Account › Licences.
Maya rigs
Rigs are Maya scenes, ready to animate. Nothing installs, you open or reference them.
01
Unzip into your project
Extract the rig into your Maya project folder so textures resolve. If the rig ships with a sourceimages folder, keep the folder structure intact.
02
Reference, do not open
For real shots, use File › Create Reference and pick the rig scene. Referencing keeps the rig clean and your animation separate. Opening directly is fine for practice.
03
Check the picker and notes
Many rigs include a picker, facial controls on a panel, or creator notes in the zip. Give the README thirty seconds, it usually saves you an hour.
Rig looks broken or grey? See troubleshooting below, it is nearly always the project path or a missing plugin the README names.
Blender add-ons
Blender installs add-ons from the zip directly, no extracting needed.
01
Install from file
In Blender open Edit › Preferences › Add-ons, press Install, and pick the downloaded zip as it is.
02
Enable it
Tick the checkbox next to the add-on’s name in the list. If you cannot find it, search the list for the product name.
03
Save preferences
Use the menu in the bottom left of Preferences to save, so the add-on stays enabled next time Blender starts.
Unreal Engine plugins
Tools like bh_KeyTools and Squarebit Subdivs install per project into the Plugins folder.
01
Create the Plugins folder
In your Unreal project folder, next to the .uproject file, create a folder called Plugins if one does not exist.
02
Copy the plugin in
Unzip the download and copy the plugin’s folder into Plugins. Keep the folder name the creator used.
03
Enable and restart
Open the project, go to Edit › Plugins, find it, tick Enabled, and restart when prompted. Licensed plugins ask for your key on first run.
Mocap libraries
The Raised By Monsters libraries ship as FBX animations with root motion and in-place variants.
01
Import the FBX
In Unreal use Import into your content folder and pick your project’s skeleton, or import to a new one. In Maya, File › Import works directly.
02
Retarget to your character
Use Unreal’s IK Retargeter, or HumanIK in Maya, to move the performance onto your own character.
03
Pick root motion or in-place
Both variants are included. Root motion for cinematics and physics, in-place for gameplay locomotion driven by code.
Your licence key
Licensed products come with a key that unlocks them. You never need to write it down or keep the email.
- Your key is emailed with your order, and always lives in My Account › Licences.
- Activate by pasting the key into the product the first time it asks. One key covers the seats you bought.
- Moving machines? Deactivate on the old machine from inside the product, or from your Licences page, then activate on the new one.
- Perpetual licences never expire. Monthly and annual licences renew from your account, and your key stays the same.
- Every licensed download also includes the licence guide PDF with these steps.
Seats, renewals and moving machines are covered in full in the licence guide.
Troubleshooting
The rig or scene looks grey or broken
Set your Maya project to the rig’s folder with File › Set Project, and check the README for a required plugin such as mGear. Textures resolve from the project path.
The tool does not appear after install
Restart the software fully. In Maya check the Script Editor for a path error, in Blender confirm the add-on is ticked, in Unreal confirm the plugin is enabled for this project.
My key is not accepted
Copy it from My Account › Licences rather than typing it, and check for spaces at either end. If you are out of seats, deactivate an old machine first.
The download will not open
Re-download from My Account › Downloads, partial downloads are the usual cause. Use a proper unzip tool, not a preview.
Still stuck?
Ask in our Discord, the creator of your product is probably in there too.
