The open-source rigging framework mGear has released version 5.0 Beta 6, which now supports Autodesk Maya 2026. If you’re in the business of building rigs instead of building excuses, the new release offers a handful of updates aimed at character riggers and TDs navigating Maya’s ongoing evolution.
Maya 2026 support is live
The main headline feature is compatibility with Maya 2026—which may not sound glamorous, but let’s be honest: rigging tools that lag behind software updates tend to cause more drama than your characters. With Beta 6, mGear stays current, reducing future pipeline headaches and ensuring your rigs don’t explode—at least not due to version mismatches.
Shifter gets minor updates
The Shifter system—mGear’s modular rigging system—receives component updates, though the exact changes are not detailed in the release notes. Artists should expect refinements, but as always, test before plugging into production. Stability is still the rigging department’s love language.
Guide templates: more templates, more reuse
Version 5.0 Beta 6 introduces new guide templates and an updated naming convention. Guide templates (used for building rig hierarchies) now come with tweaks that help with standardisation and reuse. If you’ve ever inherited a rig named ctrl_final_finalFIXED2.mb, this is your redemption arc.
New logic in the picker for selecting control icons
mGear’s picker tool—used for selecting rig controls via GUI—now includes new selection logic. Though the update doesn’t go into detail, it likely enhances how users interact with control icons inside the picker UI. Expect improved usability, or at the very least, fewer clicks and curses.
Still in beta: test before flying
As the name clearly warns, mGear 5.0 Beta 6 is still in beta. That means: tread carefully. These features, while promising, are not guaranteed to behave in production environments. Artists and TDs should conduct thorough tests before integrating the new version into live projects. It’s rigging, not roulette.
Price & availability
As always, mGear remains free and open-source, available via GitHub. Compatibility with Maya 2026 gives it a timely advantage, especially for studios planning a software switch-over.
In summary: mGear 5.0 Beta 6 brings compatibility with Maya 2026, improves guide template usability, refines Shifter components, and tweaks the picker’s logic. All changes are incremental and aimed at making the rigging workflow more efficient—assuming you’re brave enough to beta test in the first place.
