Blender 3D Advanced Rigging refers to the complex techniques used to create highly functional, realistic, and flexible character or object rigs that go beyond basic skeleton setups. Rigging is the process of building a digital skeleton (armature) and controls that allow animators to move, bend, and deform 3D models in a natural way.<br /><br />🔑 In Advanced Rigging, you go beyond just adding bones:<br /><br />Custom Bone Structures<br /><br />Complex joint systems (spines, wings, tails, quadrupeds, mechanical rigs).<br /><br />Non-humanoid rigs (creatures, robots, vehicles).<br /><br />Inverse Kinematics (IK) & Forward Kinematics (FK)<br /><br />IK for natural limb bending (hands/feet stay locked while moving body).<br /><br />FK for smooth arcs (animating rotations along chains).<br /><br />IK/FK switching systems for flexible animation.<br /><br />Constraints & Drivers<br /><br />Automatic secondary motion (e.g., eyes follow head, gears rotate automatically).<br /><br />Drivers use math or custom sliders to automate rig behavior.<br /><br />Deformation Systems<br /><br />Weight painting for smooth bending.<br /><br />Corrective shape keys to fix mesh deformations (like elbows, knees, shoulders).<br /><br />Joint-based and shape-based deformation mixed for realism.<br /><br />Custom Controls<br /><br />Control shapes instead of bones (e.g., circles, arrows, GUI handles).<br /><br />User-friendly rig UIs with sliders for expressions, poses, etc.<br /><br />Advanced Features<br /><br />Facial rigging (blend shapes + bones for lips, eyes, brows).<br /><br />Dynamic rigs with physics (hair, cloth, secondary jiggle).<br /><br />Rig layers and organization for clean workflows.<br /><br />Automation Tools<br /><br />Scripting with Python to generate rigs.<br /><br />Add-ons like Rigify, Auto-Rig Pro, or custom rigging tools.
