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CHARACTER RIGGING

MAYA

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Quick Navigation

Biped Setup

BASE / TORSO / NECK
LEG / KNEE / FOOT
ARM / ELBOW
HAND / FINGERS
MIRRORING / SKINNING
IKFK MATCHING
FACIAL  SETUP

Quadruped Setup

Anchor BaseTosoNeck
BIPED - BASE / TORSO / NECK
QUADRUPED RIGGING
STRETCHY SPINE / NECK / ROPE

CHAPTER 1

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Common rigging pitfalls

CHAPTER 2

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Basic spline torso

CHAPTER 3

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Creating a Character Rig : 

Torso IK controls, rotation orders, and twist

CHAPTER 4

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Torso FK controls

CHAPTER 5

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Torso squash and stretch

CHAPTER 6

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Torso global transform and cleanup

CHAPTER 7

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Creating a Character Rig : 

Basic spline neck

CHAPTER 8

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Neck controls and squash/stretch

CHAPTER 9

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Neck space switching and cleanup

Dynamics

MUSCLE
JOINTS DYNAMIC
BODY MUSCLE
DYNAMIC ROPE RIG
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Constraints

PARENT / BLEND PARENT
POINT
ORIENT
AIM
POINT ON POLY
CLOSEST POINT
GEOMETRY
TANGENT
MOTION PATH

Utility Nodes

CONDITION 
MULTIPLY DIVIDE
PLUS MINUS AVERAGE
BLEND COLORS
CLAMP
REVERSE
SAMPLER INFO
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Deformers

BLEND SHAPE
LATTICE
WRAP
SHRINK WRAP
WIRE
TEXTURE
DELTA MUSH
CURVE WRAP
WRINKLE
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Corrective Shapes

BLEND SHAPE
POSE SPACE
TENSION
COMBINATION
Anchor LegKneeFoot
BIPED - LEG / KNEE / FOOT

CHAPTER 1

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Basic IK, FK, and result leg joints

CHAPTER 2

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Creating a Character Rig : 

Leg settings switch with IK / FK attribute

CHAPTER 3

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Leg FK controls and joint stretching

CHAPTER 5

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

No flip knee for IK leg

CHAPTER 6

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Creating a Character Rig : 

Dual knee solution

CHAPTER 7

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Snappable knee

CHAPTER 9

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Leg global transform, space switching, and cleanup

CHAPTER 10

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Creating a Character Rig : 

Reverse foot rig

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CHAPTER 11

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Smart foot roll

CHAPTER 4

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Leg IK controls and joint stretching

CHAPTER 8

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Non-uniform no flip IK leg stretch and automatic IK FK toggle

CHAPTER 12

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Complementary foot controls and cleanup

Anchor ArmElbow
BIPED - ARM / ELBOW

CHAPTER 1

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Basic Twist Arm

CHAPTER 2

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Creating a Character Rig : 

Stretch IK/FK arms

​

CHAPTER 3

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Snappable elbow

CHAPTER 4

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Toggling Squash and Stretch

CHAPTER 5

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

IK/FK hybrid elbow

CHAPTER 6

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Translation-based shoulder rig

CHAPTER 7

​

Creating a Character Rig : 

Arm global transform and cleanup

​

Anchor HandFingers
BIPED - HAND / FINGERS

CHAPTER 1

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Basic hand joints

CHAPTER 2

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Compound finger controls

CHAPTER 3

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Palm controls

CHAPTER 4

​

Creating a Character Rig : 

Hand global transform and cleanup

​

Anchor MirrorSkin
BIPED - MIRRORING / SKINNING

CHAPTER 1

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Mirroring

CHAPTER 2

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Skinning

CHAPTER 3

 

Interactive Skin Binding

Anchor IkfkMatching
BIPED - IKFK MATCHING

CHAPTER 1

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Matching the FK arm to the IK arm

CHAPTER 5

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Matching the automatic IK knee

CHAPTER 2

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Matching the IK arm to the FK arm

CHAPTER 6

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Freezing IK controls

CHAPTER 3

​

Creating a Character Rig : 

Matching arm lengths

CHAPTER 4

 

Creating a Character Rig : 

Matching leg joints

BIPED - FACIAL SETUP
Anchor Facial

CHAPTER 1

 

Basic facial rigging using joint controls

CHAPTER 2

 

Basic facial rigging : Eye blink setup using blend shapes

CHAPTER 3

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Basic facial rigging using blend shapes

CHAPTER 4

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Basic facial rigging : blend shapes and cluster controls

CHAPTER 5

​

Sticky lips setup

Anchor QuadRigging
QUADRUPED RIGGING

CHAPTER 1

 

Building a skeleton and starting weights

CHAPTER 2

 

Continuing the weighting of the cat ending on the face

CHAPTER 3

​

Building controls

CHAPTER 4

​

Stretchy Spine / Neck / Rope

Anchor Dynamics
DYNAMICS

CHAPTER 1

 

Creating Muscles

CHAPTER 2

 

Make Joints Dynamic

CHAPTER 3

​

Creating body muscle

CHAPTER 4

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Dynamic Rope Rig

Anchor Constraints
CONSTRAINTS

CHAPTER 1

 

Parent Constraint / Blend Parent

CHAPTER 5

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Point on Poly Constraint

CHAPTER 9

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Tangent Constraint

CHAPTER 2

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Point Constraint

CHAPTER 6

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Closest Point Constraint

CHAPTER 3

 

Orient Constraint

CHAPTER 7

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Geometry Constraint

CHAPTER 4

 

Aim Constraint

CHAPTER 8

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Normal Constraint

CHAPTER 10

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Motion Path

Anchor Tangent
Anchor UtilityNodes
UTILITY NODES

CHAPTER 1

​

Condition Node

CHAPTER 5

​

Clamp Node

CHAPTER 2

​

Multiply Divide Node

CHAPTER 6

​

Reverse Node

CHAPTER 3

​

PlusMinusAverage Node

CHAPTER 4

​

BlendColors Node

CHAPTER 7

​

Sampler Info Node

DEFORMERS
Anchor Deformers

CHAPTER 1

​

Blend Shape Deformer

CHAPTER 5

​

Wire Deformer

CHAPTER 9

​

Wrinkle Deformer

CHAPTER 2

​

Lattice Deformer

CHAPTER 6

​

Texture Deformer

CHAPTER 3

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Wrap Deformer

CHAPTER 7

​

Delta Mush Deformer

CHAPTER 4

​

Wrap Shrink Deformer

CHAPTER 8

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Curve Wrap Deformer

CORRECTIVE SHAPES
Anchor CorrectiveShapes

CHAPTER 1

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Corrective Blend Shapes

CHAPTER 2

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Pose Space Deformer

CHAPTER 3

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Tension Deformer

CHAPTER 4

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Combination : Delta Mush + Cloth Sim + Dual Quaternion Skin

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