Let's take a look at how it works.

Content Browser Overview

 

Content Browser Breakdown

Main Menu

Maya Icon
Launches Maya if it is not currently open.

Settings
Maya - Allows you to specify which version of Maya to connect with and to pick a root directory for Maya if it is different from the default location.
Library Folders - Allows you to choose a different destination folder for all assets downloaded from the CG Breakdown website. You can also set the number of Back Versions of each rig to keep on your computer before deleting older versions.

Help
Help Page - Opens up this page in a browser.
About Us - Opens our About Us page in a browser.
Version - Shows you the version of the Content Browser you are using.

Download Queue
Pops up a download window that shows the progress of all current downloads. Highlights green when a download is in progress.

Animation Rigs Page

The rig page is where you can download the rigs you want from the website. Colour coding is used to tell you which characters you have downloaded, which are up to date, which are outdated and which ones are new since you last opened the browser.

You can download or delete characters from your computer by selecting one or more and using the Library Management panel on the right-hand side of the browser.

Right-Click Functionality for Rig Thumbnails

Right-clicking on a character also produces a pop-up window with more options.
View - Pops up the model viewer window which displays images and information about the character.
Download - Only available if the character is not downloaded to your computer.
Delete From Disk - Only available if the character is currently on your computer. 

Model Viewer Window

The model viewer shows any images associated with the character and displays the Rig Information section and the Release Notes for the character. You can also update or  delete the character from your computer or launch a browser that takes you to the character's page on the CGB website.

Free Animation Resources Page

Files downloaded from the free resources page are placed in the default download folder for the Content Browser (unless changed using the Settings > Library Folders).

 

Animation Reference Editor

The reference editor allows you to integrate CGB rigs directly with Maya and allows you to update rigs in your scene with new versions from the CGB website. 

Connecting to Maya
If you have Maya open prior to opening the content browser, you can hit Refresh List to connect your current session to Maya.

 

Reference Editor Icon Menu

Add - Adds selected asset to your current Maya scene.
Delete - Deletes selected asset from your current Maya scene.
Clone - Creates a duplicate of the selected asset.
Update - Updates your asset. If you have an updated asset on your computer, it will update the asset in your scene. If you do not have the latest asset on your computer, it will first download it from them website and then prompt you to update it in your scene. 
Select - Selects the top node of the asset in your current Maya scene.

Adding a Rig to Maya
To add a rig to Maya, you can click and drag an asset icon from the library into the reference editor. Alternatively, you can highlight one or multiple assets and click the 'add' icon . Once added, a window will appear where you will be able to specify how many copies of the asset you would like to load.

 

Referenced Characters in Maya

Any assets in your scene that are out of date will show up red in the reference editor. 
The small square to the left of each asset can be clicked to offload/reload the asset in your Maya scene.

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That's it! Hope you enjoy using the CGB Content Browser and please share it with anyone you think might enjoy it too.

Problems or technical issues, email .