Character Rigging (Bone) Animation

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Character rigging

Character rigging is a skeletal animation technique that adds control to a model. It defines a character's or object's range of movement in order to define its actions, gestures, and movement. A series of interconnected bones are applied to the 3D model, allowing you to move and manipulate the static image as you wish.

What is Skeletal Animation?

Skeletal animation is the representation of a character or object in two parts:

Skin or mesh: The surface representation used in character design.

Skeleton or rig: A series of interconnected hierarchical parts.

The term "rigging in animation" refers to the skeleton structure that is used to identify the virtual bones that allow the model to move. Making a virtual puppet is an easy way to visualise it.

Animation rigging can be used for both 2D and 3D animations, which follow a similar path with a few minor differences.

Rigging for 2D animation: Simply draw the character or object in 2D and then apply the desired bone structure to it to create 2D animation rigging. This will be more limited in movement than a 3D model.

Rigging for 3D animation: 3D animation rigging is a more common practise. The full model can be rigged and posed within your scene, allowing you to create a much wider range of movement when animating a character or object.

Styles of bones

Animate can draw bones on the Stage in four ways:

• Solid:This is the standard style.

• Wired: When the solid style obscures too much of the artwork beneath the bone, this style is useful.

• Line:This is useful for smaller armatures.

To change the Bone Style, select the IK span in the Timeline, then the Style menu in the Options section of the Properties panel. If you save a document with the Bone Style set to None, Animate will change the bone style to Line the next time you open it.

Layer your poses

When you add bones to symbol instances or shapes, Animate adds a new layer to the Timeline for them. The pose layer is the name given to this new layer. To maintain the previous stacking order of objects on the Stage, Animate adds the pose layer to the Timeline between existing layers.

Symbols should have bones.

IK bones can be added to movie clip, graphic, and button instances. To use text, first convert it to a symbol. Before you add bones, the symbol instances can be on different layers. They are added to the pose layer by Animate.

You can also break text apart into separate shapes (Modify > Break Apart) and use bones with the individual shapes.

Examples of Character Rigging One of the examples that can be found is Monster Inc. by Pixar. The Riggers initiate the process by utilising a wireframe model (located on the left) and subsequently incorporating virtual bones (located on the right) to enable the posing of Sulley from Monsters, Inc.

Monster inc. by Pixar

The renowned animated sitcom "The Simpsons" is famous for its unique character designs and has utilised character rigging techniques to enable the expressive movements and wide array of emotions displayed by the inhabitants of Springfield.

Personal experience

Beaver (bone tool) Rigging

Character rigging (bone)

Getting started with 2D animation in Adobe Animate with the bone tool has been both rewarding and challenging. One notable difficulty is achieving highly intricate movements. While the bone tool is excellent for streamlining the animation process, I frequently found myself having to supplement the bone rig with additional adjustments or supplementary techniques to achieve the desired level of sophistication.

The bone tool initially presented a challenge to me navigating the animation learning curve. Setting up intricate bone structures and comprehending the hierarchy took some time and practise. However, as I became more acquainted with the tool, its intuitive features began to shine through, making the animation process run more smoothly.

With the bone tool, artistic control, especially when aiming for a specific stylized look, can sometimes feel limited. There were times when I wished for more control over individual frames, necessitating the need to balance the tool's convenience with additional frame-by-frame techniques for specific artistic expressions.

One recurring issue has been file size. While bone-rigged characters provide dynamic movements, especially in characters with many bones or complex structures, the larger file sizes are often the result. This consideration is especially important for web-based animations or projects with file size constraints.

The bone tool's interactivity is notable, but implementing advanced interactive elements, such as intricate character interactions or dynamic responses to user input, frequently exceeded the tool's capabilities. This necessitated additional scripting or the incorporation of other animation techniques for a more sophisticated result.

Despite these obstacles, my experience with the bone tool in 2D animation has been one of accomplishment and growth. Overcoming these difficulties has not only broadened my understanding of animation techniques, but it has also highlighted the importance of taking a balanced approach, incorporating various tools and methods to achieve the desired results in the ever-changing world of animation.

Extra: Character rigging Warp tool

As a passionate novice in animation, I found Adobe Animate's Asset Warp tool to be a game-changer, revitalising my creations. While navigating the complex realm of animation, I discovered this tool which stood out as a highly accessible resource. Arranging the positioning of my cow's legs turned into a delightful and graceful performance, as each hoof now confidently parades with an enchanting allure that exceeded my expectations. The head assumed an individual persona, exhibiting expressive movements such as nodding and tilting, which enhanced the complexity of my animated character.

The tail, frequently disregarded in animations, transformed into a source of sheer joy through the enchantment of the Asset Warp tool. Through minor modifications, it underwent a transition into a lively extension, gracefully moving and spinning as if participating in a dance of its own. Witnessing the transformation of my cow from a still image to a lively conversationalist was both gratifying and empowering.

However, during my experiences in animation, I encountered a complex journey towards achieving seamless transitions. As a novice, the forgiving characteristics of the Asset Warp tool proved to be extremely helpful. Although I initially faced difficulties, the tool turned out to be a more accessible companion compared to the bone tool. It enabled me to bring my characters to life without being burdened by intricate complexities. For beginners in the field of animation, the Asset Warp tool is an extremely useful tool that can transform uncertain attempts into dynamic and animated experiences. References: Character rigging and advanced animation: Bring your character to life using AutoDesk 3DS Max. (2019, September 24). Everand. https://www.everand.com/book/575696470/Character-Rigging-and-Advanced-Animation-Bring-Your-Character-to-Life-Using-Autodesk-3ds-Max Pan, J., Yang, X., Xie, X., Willis, P., & Zhang, J. J. (2009). Automatic rigging for animation characters with 3D silhouette. Computer Animation and Virtual Worlds, 20(2–3), 121–131. https://doi.org/10.1002/cav.284 Raju, P. (2019). Character rigging and advanced animation. In Apress eBooks. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4842-5037-2 Technologies, U. (n.d.). Rigging in animation. Unity. https://unity.com/solutions/rigging-animation View of study of character rigging inside 3D animation. (n.d.). http://www.testmagzine.biz/index.php/testmagzine/article/view/5865/4658