While there are a lot of steps in the game character design process, 3D character rigging is what truly brings the character to life. This portion of the process is crucial because it allows you to control the digital model.
If you’ve taken interest in game character modeling, then rigging is the next step in the process. Here is a guide of everything you need to know about character rigging and how you can learn these skills in a simple and easy way.
What is 3D Character Rigging?
Character rigging, very simply put, is the process of creating a skeleton for your character. This allows your character to move, which is essential for the animation process. If the character isn’t rigged, then it can’t be deformed to allow free movement and be controlled by the player.
Rigging is the term used to give a range of actions and gestures that the character can perform. This doesn’t just apply for human models, but it can apply to basically any digital model you’d like. Rigging can also make inanimate objects move. For example, the stars within a galaxy moving in orbit are a type of rigged inanimate object.
The 3D Character Rigging Process
While the entire process is more complex, there are four basic “portions” that you can divide it into: skinning (also known as mesh), controllers, joints, and kinematics.
Skinning
Skinning, or mesh, is the beginning stage of this process. It’s essentially how the bones or skeleton for the character are formed. The artist will set bones and joints, and then the skin “meshes” to the bones.
Controllers
Next in the process is creating controllers. Controllers are symbols (often different geometrical shapes) that artists use to help animators understand how the body part is supposed to move. For example, diamonds often show that the body part should act as a rotation/translation motion. Spheres are often symbolic of rotation, the trapezoid is often used for joints that flex and extend, and cubes show translation controls.
Joints
The third step in the process is joints, which are different from the joints laid out in step one. This portion of the process is used to set parameters for how far the joints will move. This is often dependent on how much a part’s weight influences the bone movement, which is important to know for making realistic movement patterns.
Kinematics
The last portion of the process is kinematics. Forward and Inverse kinematics define how the character will move in these specific ways. Forward kinematics means that the upper half of the model moving affects the lower half. Inverse kinematics means that the lower half is animated independent from the upper half.
The Career Field of 3D Character Modeling & Rigging
If you’ve taken an interest in game design in general, then you’ll likely enjoy the rigging process. The truth is, this article has given a very simplified version of what takes place. The entire process is much more intricate.
What’s important, if you’d like to pursue this career field, is that you master the following skills:
- Human anatomy & drawing
- The basics of physics and movement
- Design, testing, and maintaining character setup
- Animation Pipeline
- Smooth transitions of character to environments and backgrounds
- + More
These skills often take time and education from professionals within the industry. One of the best steps that you can take is pursuing further education to enhance your skills.
Character Rigging Education
3D character rigging skills often take time and experience to learn. In years past, people interested in this profession were required to attend a college and pay a hefty tuition. The overall costs and inconvenience of in-person classes have hindered many artists from pursuing these skills. Luckily, better options are available today!
Vertex School offers an online 3D Character Rigging Bootcamp that you can take without enrolling in a college and is a fraction of the price. This Bootcamp shows you all of the skill sets and workflows needed to create a game-ready character from start to finish.
By the end of the course, you’ll:
- Have developed your own Character Rig
- Have an understanding of proceduralism and reusability in the Rigging pipeline
- Understand how to properly place joints and controls for your rig
- Have the confidence and ability to create twist setups for your rigs
Character Concept Design Overview
This course is broken down into 9 easy-to-understand modules. Here is a bit of what you can expect:
Module 1: Intro to Rigging
Module 2: Skeleton Layout
Module 3: Spine Rig
Module 4: Neck & Head Rig
Module 5: Arms Rig
Module 6: Hands Rig
Module 7: Legs Rig
Module 8: Twist Setup
Module 9: Skinning
Frequently Asked Questions
You may be wondering how you can attend an art course without enrolling in a college, and you may also have other questions. Here are some of the most commonly asked questions about the course.
What is the course format?
Vertex School is a one-of-a-kind alternative to expensive college degrees. The primary goal is to make art and design education widely available to all who may not have access to college classes.
All Vertex School classes are hosted online in a pre-recorded format, so you can take the information at your own pace. Each course is taught by a professional within the specified industry, and all student work is critiqued by highly skilled Teaching Assistants. You’ll also have access to the Teaching Assistants for answering any questions you might have and a private Discord group to discuss with peers.
What software do I need?
All you need for this course is Maya.
What is the refund policy?
Vertex School strives to create happy artists. Your investment is fully backed by the 15-day money-back guarantee. For more information on the refund policy, refer to this page and scroll down to the frequently asked questions.
How long will I have access to the course?
When you learn from Vertex School, you’ll have lifetime access to the workshop videos. This allows you to refer back to them again and again as many times as you need to.
Take the Next Step
Enhancing your skills to achieve professional quality characters doesn’t need to be a lengthy process of obtaining a degree, and it doesn’t need to cost years of savings. With Vertex School, you can have a quality education from top professionals, the convenience of self-paced learning, and a simple process to get started at a fraction of the cost.
Uplevel your skills today with the 3D Character Rigging Bootcamp.