🦴 Intro to Armatures (Rigging)

Time: 1 hour

🎯 Objective

Goal: Rig your character by adding an armature (bones) to your character, pose them, and create expressive still shots using camera and lighting.

🦴 What is Rigging?

Rigging is the process of creating a digital skeleton (called an armature) for a 3D model so it can move. Each “bone” in the armature controls part of the model, allowing artists to pose and animate characters or objects. Rigging connects the static mesh to this bone structure using weight painting, which determines how much each bone influences nearby parts of the model. It’s a key step for bringing 3D characters to life in animation and games.

🔧 Tools You’ll Use

Tool / Feature	Shortcut / Location	Purpose / Use
New Blender File	`File → New → General`	Start fresh to practice armatures
Add Armature	`Shift + A → Armature → Single Bone`	Add the first bone to start building a skeleton
Edit Mode	`Tab`	Switch to edit bone structure
Extrude Bone	`E`	Extend the armature by adding connected bones
Bone Tab	Properties Panel → Bone icon	Rename and adjust individual bones
Apply Armature Modifier	Properties Panel → Modifiers tab	Apply armature to the mesh (after parenting)
Parent to Armature	Select mesh, then armature → `Ctrl + P` → With Automatic Weights	Bind the mesh to the skeleton
Weight Paint Mode	Select mesh → Mode dropdown → Weight Paint	Adjust how bones influence parts of the mesh
Pose Mode	Select armature → Mode dropdown or `Ctrl + Tab`	Pose your character by rotating bones
Rotate Bone	`R`	Rotate bones for posing
Viewport Navigation	`Scroll`, `MMB`, `Shift + MMB`	Zoom, rotate, and pan your scene
Camera + Lighting	`Shift + A → Camera / Light`	Add camera and lights for rendering poses
Render Image	`F12`	Render a still image from your scene
Save Render	`Image → Save As` (in Render window)	Save a .png or .jpg from the rendered image
File Save	`File → Save As`	Save your .blend file with a clear name

Step 1: Learn the Basics of Armatures

Open a New Blender File

Go to File → New → General
Save as: YourName_ArmaturePractice.blend

Watch and follow this tutorial

Follow along in Blender and try:

Adding an armature: Shift + A → Armature → Single Bone
Going into Edit Mode to add more bones (Tab)
Extruding (E) to add limbs
Switching between Edit, Pose, and Object Modes

Step 2: Add Bones to Your Character

Open Your Character File

File → Open → YourName_Character.blend

🦴 Add an Armature

Shift + A → Armature → Single Bone
Enter Edit Mode (Tab) to build your skeleton –use wireframeview
Select one end of the Bone, then use E to extrude more bones
Follow the tutorial to learn how to link your object to your armature and go into Pose Mode

Think about the shape of your character:

Robot or blocky? You may only need a few bones.
Humanoid or organic? Add a basic spine, arms, and legs.
Unusual shape? Be creative with the rig!

Possible solution to the problem of character not moving after applying armature as parent

Connect separated bones

Step 3: Weight Paint your bones

Select your armature, then your model and switch to Weight Paint Mode.
Select each point and paint over the areas you want that bone to affect.
Check: 🖍️ Tips for Weight Painting in Blender

Step 4: Pose and Capture Your Character

👾 Pose Your Character

Select your model, then your armature and switch to Pose Mode.
Use R (rotate) to change bone angles
Experiment with expressive poses
⚠️ For now, just pose your character. Don’t animate with armatures yet.

📷 Set Up a Camera and Lights

Add or adjust camera angle and lighting (use earlier guides)

💾 Render Still Images

Use F12 to render a single shot
Save as .png: Image → Save As

🎯 Try rendering 2–3 different poses!

💡 Tips

Keep bones simple—this is just a pose, ⚠️ not full animation
Zoom in/out with Scroll, rotate with Middle Mouse, pan with Shift + Middle Mouse
Use the Bone tab to rename or tweak bones
If your mesh doesn’t move with the bones, don’t worry—we’re focusing on visual posing for now

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