Independent developer Cryptic Studios, the company behind MMOs such as City of Heroes (PC) and the upcoming Marvel Universe Online (X360, PC), has released its internal animation tool to the public as a free download. Made available via the GNU General Public License, the Cryptic Animation Rig is a 1.82 MB plugin for Autodesk's 3d Studio Max software.

"Our goal is to foster a community of animators by providing them the power to generate animations without having to worry about supporting a toolset. Since we were already developing the rig for our core technology team, we decided to release it to the public under the GNU GPL," commented Cryptic Studios art development director Shayne Herrera. "We feel that the development and gaming communities will benefit greatly from a professional tool like the Cryptic AR."

To make use of the Cryptic AR, one must have an installed copy of Autodesk's 3d Studio Max 8 or higher. More information can be found on the official site, and the plugin itself is up for download at FileShack.

At present, it does not appear that public Cryptic AR creations can be imported into Cryptic Studios titles. Shacknews has contacted Cryptic Studios for clarification on the matter.