Tool developer Ehsan Bayat has released Vectorify, a free tool for Autodesk Maya that transforms animation repathing from a tedious process into an intuitive and highly visual workflow. Designed for use with Maya 2022 through 2026, the tool integrates seamlessly into production environments and is especially suited for animation cycles involving bipeds and quadrupeds. However, it is not restricted to loops or locomotion sequences: any animation—whether character-based or mechanical—can be repathed within seconds and without breaking keyframe timing.
Vectorify provides temporary controls that allow artists to manipulate paths directly in the viewport. Animators can reposition motion trajectories interactively, align characters to ground surfaces, and even conform motion to irregular terrain. Snapping animations to the ground becomes a single click operation, working reliably across slopes, bumps, and uneven geometry. The same principle applies to character turns: bipeds, quadrupeds, or custom rigs can follow circular or freely drawn paths, which makes adjusting scene blocking and walk cycles far more efficient.
When a motion curve needs straightening, Vectorify recalculates it instantly, maintaining stride and timing continuity. Animators can flip an entire motion direction without rebuilding the path, attach one path to another for seamless looping or modular scene design, and change the pivot point of a curve to fine-tune motion control. A flexible Master Control system lets users decide whether the global controller follows the animated character or remains independent—ideal for testing alternative path behaviors in layout. Once the new motion feels right, the animation can be baked immediately, ready for fine-tuning or export.
Extended Control and Ground Logic
Vectorify’s approach extends beyond standard motion path editing. Animators can create circular or looping paths for patrol cycles or chase sequences, snap animations to the ground plane with one click, or update a path dynamically when the ground geometry changes. Paths can be reversed, reattached, or replaced at any stage, while maintaining the animation’s overall consistency. The Master Control behavior can be switched freely, allowing artists to decide whether it remains locked to the scene origin or travels with the character—useful for both previs and final shots.
The tool is specifically optimized for characters moving along a ground plane. While it is not intended for vertical movement or flying rigs, Bayat notes that it has been tested on a broad range of bipedal, quadrupedal, and creature assets, and should work without issues in most cases.
Terms of Use and Availability
Vectorify is distributed as a free download under standard usage terms and requires no external dependencies. It runs natively on Autodesk Maya 2022–2026, making it suitable for studios and freelancers working across different pipeline versions. Once installed, Vectorify integrates directly into Maya’s animation environment, ready to be used for layout corrections, animation retargeting, or production polishing. The tool is available for download on Gumroad, with detailed explanations, demo scenes, and video examples
