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3D Character Rigging in Blender
3D Character Rigging in Blender

3D Character Rigging in Blender: Bring your characters to life through rigging and make them animation-ready

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3D Character Rigging in Blender

Introduction to Rigs and Terminologies

This book will offer detailed instructions to help you build your own rigs using Blender, a free and open source 3D software used by many worldwide to produce stunning visuals, assets, and stories. You will progress from adding bones to an empty scene and learning how to weight paint to rigging a humanoid character in Blender, while learning all the necessary buttons for rigging and success-boosting tips. You will then move on to implementing advanced features such as drivers, constraints, and custom handles, all of which will be expected of a professional rig. By the end of this book, you will have the ability to create rigs of all shapes and sizes, compatible with the pipelines of many teams and studios.

In this first chapter, we will start by understanding the basic terminologies that will be used throughout this book and are necessary to follow along. We will start with the anatomy of bones and how they work together to produce rigs. Then...

Technical requirements

Anything later than the following will be able to run Blender:

Operating system: Windows 8.1+, macOS 10.13+, or Linux

I recommend you use a system with 8 GB of system memory and at least a modern dual-core processor. Blender is exceptionally easy to run; the tasks you will tackle in this book will pose no more than a light workload for any computer built within the last five years.

You can find out more on the official Blender website: https://www.Blender.org/download/requirements/.

Terminology – understanding the anatomy of a bone

We need to start somewhere, so let’s get ourselves acquainted with the basics of bones and rigs!

Figure 1.2 shows a single bone, which is the basic building block of any rig:

Figure 1.2 – A single bone

Figure 1.2 – A single bone

Bones on their own are remarkably simple; they consist of a Head, a Tail, and a Body. Heads and tails are pretty confusing, as they are the opposite of what you might think. The head is at the bottom and the tail is at the top. If you struggle to remember, just think about how for most animals with a tail, it’s smaller than their head.

Bones typically work in a hierarchy, going head to tail to form chains, with the first bone being at the top of the hierarchy. All bones after the first bone within the same chain will be shown under it in the Outliner window. When multiple chains are part of a single rig, there will be a selected master bone, a root bone; typically, this has...

Understanding the structure of a rig

In this section, we will introduce you to rigs, the core of this book. This will touch on topics such as IK and FK, handles, and shapes, and then we will move on to using Blender and its controls to make our first rig. Take a look at Figure 1.5; it’s a simple rig made up of bones.

Figure 1.5 – A rigged human atop a rigged horse

Figure 1.5 – A rigged human atop a rigged horse

Some points of interest in this rig are as follows:

  • Tails flow into heads: Bones never meet tail to tail or head to head.
  • Some bones have different colors: This is Blender’s default way to show which bones have special properties, relationships, or constraints. You don’t need to worry about this for now; it’s just nice to know that these colors highlight bones with significance.
  • Floating bones: Up to now, I have maintained the idea that bones are used to deform a mesh; however, that isn’t always true. Sometimes, you will find bones with...

Starting with Blender

Before we begin with anything practical, we will need to set up Blender. It’s relatively simple to do; it installs just like any other program, and we will not change any of its default settings right now.

Setting up Blender

Before proceeding, we must ensure we're all starting on the same page. In this book, we will use Blender 3.2.2. You can go ahead and download it from the official Blender website: https://www.Blender.org. Make sure you meet the minimum requirements to run Blender. Anything that can browse the web will probably be able to run Blender.

To set up Blender, follow these steps:

  1. Go to the official Blender website (https://www.Blender.org) and download it. The version number usually doesn’t matter, but if you download Blender 3.2.2, you can make sure everything works as this book is written with that in mind.
  2. Install Blender by running the Blender-x.x.x-windows-x64.msi file and follow the onscreen instructions...

Summary

After reading this chapter, you should now have a good idea of what bones and rigs look like and how they can translate (move) and transform (scale).

We then moved on to installing Blender from the official website. It’s important you only install trusted software, as there are a fair number of websites that offer Blender; however, you will find all of them (apart from the official website) contain malware. Finally, we finished the chapter by showing a handy screenshot of some labeled UI elements; again, this isn’t too important currently because we will cover important UI elements when necessary.

This was a short chapter just to get you up to speed with some basic terminology and ideas about rigging. It’s pretty much all there is for the hands-off theory that we will cover; the rest of the book will be an all-practical approach to learning rigging in Blender. If you’re not sure about anything we have covered, you don’t need to worry...

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Key benefits

  • Learn how to use automatic and manual weight painting to merge skin and bone
  • Enhance any rig with a sweeping host of automatic controls and aids for animation
  • Keep your rigs efficient and clean for an optimal end user experience
  • Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook

Description

In the intricate world of 3D character rigging with Blender, aspiring artists often find themselves grappling with the daunting challenge of achieving results akin to seasoned professionals. This book is your guide to overcoming that very challenge, providing you with the necessary knowledge and skills to excel in this complex art form. As you embark on this creative journey, this book will guide you through a carefully crafted flow. Beginning with the basics, the first part of the book will teach you how to add structure to an empty canvas and master the art of weight painting in Blender. You'll delve into the intricacies of rigging humanoid characters, gain a deep understanding of the essential buttons and techniques, and discover invaluable success-boosting tips. Starting with simple mesh deformation using a single bone, you'll progress steadily toward the mastery of fully rigging a human character, all while comprehending the reasons behind each step in the process. Furthermore, the book leaves you with a selection of advanced techniques, fully explained, paving the way for a natural progression in your artistic journey and allowing you to continuously refine and enhance your skills. By the end of the book, you'll excel at crafting character rigs, seamlessly meeting professional pipeline demands in diverse teams and studios.

Who is this book for?

If you are an animator, modeler, or someone who wants to start rigging with a solid foundation, then this book is for you. You’ll need no prior knowledge of Blender to get started with this book, as we’ll go step by step with shortcuts and UI pointers provided.

What you will learn

  • Understand the basic terminology of rigging and learn how to create and modify rigs
  • Find out how bones interact with topology
  • Get to grips with weight painting through the mesh
  • Know when and how to add constraints such as Inversion Kinetics, Point To, and Child Of
  • Make rigs visually appealing with advanced techniques such as shape keys and bone drivers
  • Familiarize yourself with advanced techniques used by industry leaders
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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Apr 05, 2024
Length: 164 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781803238807
Vendor :
Blender Foundation
Concepts :
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Publication date : Apr 05, 2024
Length: 164 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781803238807
Vendor :
Blender Foundation
Concepts :
Tools :

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Table of Contents

13 Chapters
Part 1: An Introduction Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 1: Introduction to Rigs and Terminologies Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 2: Starting with Bones Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Part 2: Rigging Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 3: Using Weighting Tools to Give Life to a Mesh Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 4: Beginning the Rigging Process Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 5: Getting Started with Weight Painting Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Part 3: Advanced Techniques Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 6: Using IK and Rig Controls Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 7: Getting Started with Shape Keys Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Chapter 8: Beyond the Basics Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Other Books You May Enjoy Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

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Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.5
(6 Ratings)
5 star 66.7%
4 star 16.7%
3 star 16.7%
2 star 0%
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Cindy G. Apr 10, 2024
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This book goes over all the necessary information to get you started rigging in blender, such as Ik rigging and weight painting. Both beginners and intermediate blender users can pick up this book and jump right into rigging by following along with the examples and exercises. The author even includes helpful downloadable resources such as models ready to be rigged. I recommend this to anyone looking to learn more about rigging in Blender.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Amazon Customer Apr 06, 2024
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
The book is a great introduction to rigging like the review title says. It gives an overview of rigging concepts and why rigs are created in the way they are. Like why the topology around points that bend are changed and how that affects deformation, how joint placement relative to the topology affects deformation results, etc.The book specifically goes over setting up a basic humanoid rig with paint weights, naming conventions, ikfk controls, and shapekeys/blendshapes. At the end it gives a basic overview to concepts like bendy bones, wrist twisting, and topology so you can start researching it as the next step after completing the book.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Pavel Apr 11, 2024
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Discovering the world of Blender has been an exhilarating journey, and delving into 3D character rigging has been my latest passion. Jaime Kelly's '3D Character Rigging in Blender' has been an absolute gem in this pursuit. From the moment I cracked open its pages, I was greeted with a wealth of knowledge presented in the most accessible language imaginable.What truly sets this book apart is its meticulous organization. Kelly takes readers on a journey from the fundamentals of rigging to the most advanced techniques, ensuring that every step is clear and comprehensible. The illustrations are not just good; they are exemplary, serving as visual aids that enhance understanding and make complex concepts a breeze to grasp.Whether you're a novice eager to dip your toes into the world of Blender or a seasoned enthusiast looking to refine your rigging skills, this book caters to all levels of expertise. With each section building upon the last, I found myself progressing confidently through the chapters, unlocking new insights and techniques along the way.Above all, I appreciate Kelly's ability to demystify rigging, making it an accessible art form for anyone with a passion for 3D character creation. If you're as captivated by Blender and rigging as I am, I wholeheartedly recommend '3D Character Rigging in Blender' as an indispensable companion on your creative journey.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Rue May 26, 2024
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This was so helpful for me to dive back into Blender rigging after having used Maya for a couple years!Like a lot of people, I started out my 3D journey using Blender to model and rig characters. I got a basic idea of how to do those things in Blender a few years ago. I then had to use Maya for school for a couple years. I am just starting to dive back into Blender, and had forgotten so much!This rigging book helped me get back into Blender rigging quickly, as well as helping me learn to do many new things like adding shape key drivers, which had been something I have wanted to learn for a while. There are a lot of hotkeys I hadn't known about, etc. as well when first starting out. I am super happy, it made getting back into it much more painless and enjoyable than expected!If, like me, you are someone who wants to be able to bounce between Blender and Maya etc., and know how time consuming it can be to become fluent in many programs, this book is great for quickly building Blender knowledge in character rigging.
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Matthew A Alexander Apr 29, 2024
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
I went into this book with prior experience rigging and skinning my models in 3DS Max, Blender is a whole other animal in terms of ease of use so I was looking for something to help me translate my skills over to another program for 3D Modeling. I had previously only mastered creating rigid surface models in Blender so I thought it would be daunting learning the UI, this book covered all I really needed to know for the basic tools and techniques for rigging models and the author explained it in a way that made it easy to understand along with some basic shortcut key strokes that make moving around the Blender UI easier. The hardest part is pretty much the same in any other 3D modeling software and that is getting your weights so the mesh deforms properly, the book shows you step by step and for several different parts of a humanoid character on how to do this so it does a good job in showing someone who is just learning the rigging tools to get some results. What this book doesn't do is teach you all of how to use Blender which it didn't set out to do so if you need that I'd suggest a book specifically for that but if you're just learning how to rig in Blender without any prior rigging knowledge you can't really go wrong with this book.
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