Deformation Skeleton (in Blender / 3D animation)<br /><br />A Deformation Skeleton is the part of an armature (skeleton) that is responsible for deforming the mesh of a character or object.<br /><br />👉 In simple words:<br />It’s the set of bones that actually bend, stretch, and shape the character’s body (the mesh), as opposed to helper or control bones that only make animation easier.<br /><br />🔑 Key Points<br /><br />Deformation Bones<br /><br />These are bones marked as “Deform” (enabled in bone properties).<br /><br />They directly influence the mesh through vertex groups & weight painting.<br /><br />Example: thigh, shin, spine, arm, hand bones.<br /><br />Control / Helper Bones (Non-Deform)<br /><br />These bones don’t deform the mesh directly.<br /><br />They’re used for easier animation (like IK handles, controllers, or pole targets).<br /><br />Example: an IK controller for the foot, or a master controller for the whole rig.<br /><br />Why Separate Them?<br /><br />Keeps rigs clean and organized.<br /><br />Animators usually work with control bones, while deformation happens behind the scenes with deform bones.<br /><br />Prevents accidental distortion of the mesh.<br /><br />🔹 Example<br /><br />A character’s arm bone chain has:<br /><br />Deformation bones → upper arm, forearm, hand (actually bend the mesh).<br /><br />Control bones → IK handle at the wrist, a pole target for elbow direction (make animating easier, but don’t bend the mesh).<br /><br />✅ In short:<br />A Deformation Skeleton (or Deform Bones) is the part of the rig’s skeleton that actually influences the mesh and makes it move or bend, while non-deform bones are just helpers for animation.
