During my time as an animator and technical artist, I have developed a tool called AutoBones, a system for
1) quickly creating character rigs using the Max bones system
2) allowing each chain of bones to be keyframed as a single object, and
3) switching seamlessly between IK and FK animation.
I have run a beta test in order to confirm a high degree of performance and stability, and am now making a commercial version available, including a 30-day free trial.
If you do any character animation at all with 3ds Max, AutoBones will save you significant setup and animation time. Even if you already use another system for rigging your characters, the speed with which AutoBones rigs can be set up and animated make it a fantastic choice for previz work.
