advice on auto rigging

[velvetelvis70]

Just a few newbie questions I'd be grateful for any advice on. I'm trying to make the move from maya to houdini because of the autorig feature which looks great. Just wondering though:

1. I'm used to rigging separate meshes for head, body etc. - Does your character have to be one mesh in houdini?

2. How do you apply facial blendshapes for the different facial expressions or is there some other way this is done in houdini? (In maya you set up the blends prior to skinning)

3. There's a serious lack of available books and tutorials around. Is there any tutorial for animating with the autorig once it's set up & weight painted (especially with CHOPS)?

Thanks in advance.