CORE | Fundamentals of Rigging in Blender

Instructor:
Wayne Dixon

Demystify the skill of rigging

Rigging is the art of building the deformation structure and controls to articulate your 3d models. Rigging can be really complicated, so it's best to start at the start and go step by step.


If your goal is to just learn enough to make that character you move -Β this is the course for you. If your goal is to learn to build super complicated rigs - this course is for you.

Building a solid understanding of the fundamentals will help you achieve both of those goals.

What you will learn in this Blender course

By the end of this course, you should have a good understanding of:

  • Bone tools
  • Weight painting
  • Armature modifier
  • Rigging concepts
  • Bone constraints
  • Custom properties and drivers
  • Space types
  • Good and bad practices
  • How to build a basic rig for your character

Bones

Start at the beginning

Bones are the building blocks of your rig.Β  You'll learn everything from the ground up to build your knowledge and understanding

Rigging Concepts

Break it down

You will learn the roles of each of the bones in a rig so that complexity becomes simplified.

Weight Painting

Articulate

Learn the art of weight painting.Β  You will master all the different techniques to get your verts to move exactly the way you need.

Project Based Learning

Practice what you learn

What good is learning if you don't get to practice it right?
Along the way you will have several exercises and projects to build yourself.
Each designed to build upon what you have learned and solidify that knowledge.

The projects start out easy and build in difficulty as your skills improve.

Final Project

Basic Character Rig

The final project is to build a basic character rig that you can actually animate. This rig is designed to be a simple as possible and no simpler.
But more importantly, you can take what you learn from this project and apply it directly to your own characters.

This is the ultimate goal of the course.

Let's get rigging!

Watch the Course

Get this course and 264 others by joining CG Cookie

Awarded upon completion:
100xp +
Course Curriculum
8 Reviews
  • β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†
    Pascal Schovanez(Pascal) ·

    Amazing introduction for anyone new to this craft.
    I have conceptually understood what rigging was for the longest time, this has not only lifted a lot of high to mid level question, but also explored them in detail without being overwhelming or hard to follow.
    A must for everyone wanting to pick up rigging.

  • β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†
    Yehor M(Absurditas) ·

    Helped me to get from laying on belly to standing on my knees in a world of rigging. Instructor is very helpful an willing to teach.

  • β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†
    Markus Berg(thebergh) ·

    Welcome to Wayne's World!
    Hold on to your seat as you embark on the fascinating journey of rigging. Wayne will guide you through the basics of bones and armatures and gradually lead you onto more advanced quests such as weight painting and constraints. Before you complete this journey you will have had ample opportunity to practice with feedback as you make progress through the course. Wayne's clear explanations, sprinkled with his unique style of humor makes this a course a must watch if you're interested in rigging. So, what are you waiting for? Fasten your seat belt, enjoy the ride, and see you on the other side!

  • β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†
    Harris Clook(Yeehawcowboyletsgo) ·

    Wayne teaches you how to make a cylinder do the worm dance, how to make a gun turret spin around and go pew pew pew, how to make a crane pick things up and put them down, and how to make a cowboy sing "these hips don't lie" (Not actually, but he does teach you how to make a cowboy flap their arms, legs, and booty around in a brilliant fashion).

    Wayne also teaches you the ins and outs of rigging - What an armature is, what a constraint is, what weight painting is, and how to set up drivers and custom properties to do some really neat stuff among many things. And also what happens when something isn't done quite right and how to fix it.

    But most of all, he has a really great teaching style. He is very easy to follow along with, while keeping things positively entertaining. And most, most importantly, he gives fantastic feedback and it's incredibly clear he's passionate about helping others learn.

    Thanks again, and I look forward to taking more of your courses!

  • β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†
    Noritaka ·

    The second half of the course was more difficult than I had imagined, but I was able to enjoy it all the way through. I look forward to taking the next course.Β Thank you for a wonderful course!

  • s
    β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†
    shrey shukla(shrey_shukla) ·
    Thanks! It helps understand how bones behave, their effect on mesh, and how one type controls another. Great for beginner riggers.
  • β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†
    MichaelJoseph ·

    What a wild ride. Wayne's knowledge and experience with rigging is astounding. I learned so much and had a great time. (Wayne, I did pull out some hairs along the way!)
    but, alas, the growth lies within the struggle.Β 

    I fear the taper from easy projects to more advanced projects was a bit much for me in part 5, but wow it was worth it. I'll keep practicing and making some cool rigs (and naming them).

    10/10, you cannot miss this rigging course.

    Thank you, Wayne and CG Cookie!

  • β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†β˜†
    Dwayne Savage(dillenbata3) ·
    Entertaining and educational as always. Thanks for your hard work.Β