Practical Basic Rigging

Before rigging, let's create a simple character model. In this tutorial, we'll make a very simple human figure.

Creating the Body

1. Open Blender and delete the default cube (X -> Delete)
2. Create a new cube (Shift + A -> Mesh -> Cube)
3. Select the cube and scale it on Z axis by 2 units (S -> Z -> 2) (body)
4. Enter Edit Mode (Tab)
5. Select the top face and extrude upward (E -> Z -> 0.5) to create a head

Creating the Arms

1. Select one of the side faces of the body (right or left)
2. Use I (Inset) to inset, then E -> X to extrude outward (arm start)
3. Select the arm face and extrude (E -> X -> 1.5) to extend the arm
4. Repeat for the other arm (left side)
5. Tip: You can use Mirror modifier to automatically create the other arm after making one

Creating the Legs

1. Select the bottom face of the body
2. Use I to inset, then E -> Z -> -1.5 to extrude the leg downward
3. Repeat for the other leg

Getting to T-Pose

1. Return to Object Mode (Tab)
2. Spread the arms: Select arms and rotate (R -> Y -> 90)
3. Your character is now in T-pose!

Armature is your character's skeleton system. We'll add bones to make your character movable.

Adding Armature

1. Select your character model and move 3D cursor to its center (Shift + S -> Cursor to Selected)
2. Add an armature (Shift + A -> Armature)
3. Armature is automatically added at the 3D cursor location
4. Select the armature and move it to the center of the character's body (G -> Z)

Adjusting Armature Display

1. Select the armature
2. Go to Object Data Properties (bone icon) tab in the right panel
3. In Display section, check In Front option (bones appear in front of mesh)
4. Set Display As: to Stick or Octahedral (for better visibility)

Now we'll place bones according to the character's anatomy. We'll add and edit bones in Edit Mode.

Editing Main Bone (Root Bone)

1. Select the armature and enter Edit Mode (Tab)
2. Select the default bone (it will be visible)
3. Select the bone's bottom point (tail) and move it to the bottom of the body (G)
4. Select the bone's top point (head) and move it to the top of the body
5. This bone will be Spine

Adding Head Bone

1. Select the top point (head) of the Spine bone
2. Press E (Extrude)
3. Move the new bone to the center of the head
4. This bone will be Head

Adding Arm Bones

1. Select the upper part of the Spine bone (shoulder level)
2. Extrude to the right (E -> X)
3. This bone will be UpperArm.R (right upper arm)
4. Select the bottom point of UpperArm.R and press E to add Forearm.R (right forearm)
5. Select the bottom point of Forearm.R and press E to add Hand.R (right hand)
6. Repeat for the left arm (left side)

Adding Leg Bones

1. Select the bottom point (tail) of the Spine bone
2. Extrude downward (E -> Z)
3. This bone will be Thigh.R (right thigh)
4. Select the bottom point of Thigh.R and press E to add Shin.R (right shin)
5. Select the bottom point of Shin.R and press E to add Foot.R (right foot)
6. Repeat for the left leg

Naming Bones

1. Select each bone and change its name in Bone Properties tab in the right panel
2. Recommended Names: Spine, Head, UpperArm.L, UpperArm.R, Forearm.L, Forearm.R, Hand.L, Hand.R, Thigh.L, Thigh.R, Shin.L, Shin.R, Foot.L, Foot.R
3. Return to Object Mode (Tab)

Now we'll connect your character model to the armature. This allows the mesh to move when you move the bones.

Parenting Process

1. First select the character mesh
2. Then select the armature (Shift + click for multi-select)
3. IMPORTANT: Armature must be the last selected object (orange outline should be on armature)
4. Press Ctrl + P
5. Select With Automatic Weights from the menu
6. Blender automatically connects the mesh to bones and does weight painting

Testing the Connection

1. Select the armature
2. Switch to Pose Mode from the top menu (Ctrl + Tab or from top menu)
3. Select a bone (e.g., UpperArm.R) and rotate it (R)
4. If the character's arm moves, it's successful!
5. If the mesh deforms or looks strange, you may need to do weight painting

Weight painting adjusts how much each mesh region is connected to which bone. This makes the character move naturally.

Entering Weight Paint Mode

1. Select the character mesh
2. Switch to Weight Paint mode from the top menu
3. Mesh will appear colored (blue = no weight, red = full weight)

Selecting Bone and Painting

1. Open Vertex Groups tab in the right panel
2. Select a bone name (e.g., UpperArm.R)
3. The selected bone will appear in red
4. Paint on the mesh with left click (red = connected to this bone)
5. Remove paint with right click (blue = not connected to this bone)

Weight Painting Tools

Practical Example: Fixing Shoulder Area

1. Select UpperArm.R bone
2. In Weight Paint mode, paint the shoulder area red
3. Create a smooth transition when moving to body area (use Blur)
4. Switch to Pose Mode and move the arm
5. If the shoulder area moves naturally, it's successful!

Your rig is ready! Now let's test it and create a simple animation.

Rig Test

1. Select the armature and enter Pose Mode
2. Select and move each bone one by one
3. Make sure the mesh moves naturally
4. If a region looks strange, fix the weight painting

Simple Wave Animation

1. Open Timeline (at the bottom of the screen)
2. In Pose Mode, select Hand.R bone
3. Frame 1: Hand in normal position, I -> Pose
4. Frame 10: Raise the hand (R -> Z), I -> Pose
5. Frame 20: Lower the hand, I -> Pose
6. Frame 30: Raise the hand again, I -> Pose
7. Press Space to play the animation!

Walking Animation (Advanced)

For a more complex animation, move legs and arms in coordination:

1. Frame 1: Character in neutral position
2. Frame 15: Left leg forward, right arm forward (walking position)
3. Frame 30: Character in neutral position
4. Frame 45: Right leg forward, left arm forward
5. Frame 60: Character in neutral position
6. Play the animation - character is walking!

Common Issues and Solutions

Good Rigging Practices

• Bone naming: Name each bone meaningfully (UpperArm.L, Thigh.R, etc.)
• Symmetry: Place left and right bones symmetrically
• Test: Test the rig at each step
• Weight painting: Create smooth transitions, avoid sudden changes
• Start simple: Keep your first rig simple, complex characters require experience