Rigging

Rigging is the technical bridge between a static character design and a fully animated performance. A rigger creates a hierarchical system of bones, joints, and controllers that define how a character or object can move. Just as a puppet needs an armature and strings, a digital character needs a rig that specifies which parts can bend, stretch, rotate, and how they influence surrounding geometry.

A well-built rig makes animation efficient and intuitive. Instead of manually moving individual vertices, an animator can grab a hand controller and the entire arm chain follows naturally. Facial rigs provide sliders or controllers for expressions — raising an eyebrow, opening the mouth, squinting the eyes. Complex rigs may include hundreds of controls, inverse kinematics chains, and automated secondary motion like hair and cloth simulation.

For video projects involving character animation — whether 2D or 3D — rigging quality directly impacts the final result. A poorly rigged character will look stiff and unnatural regardless of the animator's skill. Production timelines should account for rigging as a distinct phase, as rushing this step inevitably causes problems downstream. Investing in quality rigging pays dividends in animation speed and visual quality throughout the project.