Rigging & Animation
TECHNIQUE
📖2 min read
Introduction​
Rigging builds the control system that moves a model. For investigation, that means an armature sized from evidence and keyframes that answer what happened, frame by frame.
Rig from measurements
Build the armature at the scale your evidence gives you.
Constraints hold relationships
Let limits and IK hold the pose rules. Key only what actually moves.
Match the frame rate
Key the scene at the footage frame rate or the timing drifts.
Key Concepts​
- Armatures and bones
- Constraints
- Keyframe animation
- Motion paths
Workflow​
- Measure: take body proportions and scene dimensions from the evidence.
- Build the armature: place bones along the reference silhouette and match the joint positions.
- Skin: parent the mesh and weight the influence, then test the extremes of the pose.
- Control: add constraints such as IK, rotation limits, and copy-rotation so poses stay believable.
- Animate: key the movement at the footage frame rate and check it against the source frames.
Best Practices​
- Name bones by function so a rig shared across scenes stays readable.
- Limit joint rotation to real ranges; the constraints catch impossible poses before you render.
- Keep the rig in its own collection so the scene file stays light.
Common Pitfalls​
- Weights bleeding across limbs: check elbows and shoulders at full bend.
- Scaling the armature after skinning: transforms distort the mesh binding.
- Mixed frame rates: a 24 fps scene against 30 fps footage puts timing errors in the reconstruction.
Summary​
Rigging turns a static model into a testable motion claim. You build the armature at evidence scale, hold the pose rules with constraints, and key the movement at the footage frame rate so the animation can be checked frame by frame.