Introduction to Rigging:
- What is character rigging? An overview of the process of creating a skeleton (rig) that controls a 3D model for animation.
- Importance of rigging: How rigging enables animators to bring characters to life, adding motion to models and making them interactive and flexible.
Basic Rigging Components:
- Bones: Explanation of bones as the primary elements of a rig. How to create and place bones in Blender to build a functional skeleton for your character.
- Armatures: Overview of the armature system in Blender and how it connects bones to a 3D character model.
- IK vs. FK (Inverse Kinematics vs. Forward Kinematics): Understanding the difference between FK (where bones are moved one by one) and IK (where a chain of bones moves based on a single control), and when to use each method for different animations (e.g., FK for arms and IK for legs).
Rigging Process in Blender:
- Creating a Basic Rig: Step-by-step guide on adding bones to a 3D character model, starting with the torso and adding limbs, head, and fingers.
- Parenting the Rig to the Model: Explanation of how to parent bones to the model mesh so that the bones drive the character’s movements.
- Weight Painting: How to adjust weight painting to determine how much influence each bone has on surrounding mesh vertices. Tips on correcting bad deformations by refining weight painting.
Advanced Rigging Techniques:
- Rig Controls: How to create control objects (e.g., controllers for eyes, facial expressions, or complex joint systems) that make it easier for animators to manipulate the character.
- Facial Rigging: Methods for creating facial rigs, including adding bones or using blend shapes (shape keys) to control facial expressions such as smiles, blinks, and lip-sync movements.
- Constraint Systems: Introduction to using constraints in Blender to automate parts of the rig (e.g., locking a foot in place during a walk cycle).