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Blender Guide - Rigging/Weight Painting

Blender Guide Rigging and Weight Painting

*Updated: Apr 24th 2020* Check Change Log at the bottom of the guide for important updates.

Before we start, please take a quick look at the following resources:

Blender 2.7X Fundamentals:
- Introduction to Rigging
- Character Rigging

Blender 2.8X Fundamentals: 
- Armature
- Character Rigging
- Vertex Groups [More info later in the guide]
- Bone Layers
- Copy Limit Constraint [OPTIONAL]
- Inverse Kinematics (IK) [OPTIONAL]

If the Gfycat demos are too fast, you can right click them to change speed.
You can still learn from this guide, even if you don't use Rigify.
Blender - Rigify Demo Image: metarig vs rig
* IMPORTANT *
There is a known bug in Blender that occurs when attempting to Undo (CTRL+Z) in Weight Paint mode or Sculpt mode.
- Demo: Undo Bug
- Bug Reported
Workaround: After adjusting the brush values (Weight, Radius, or Strength), switch to a different paint brush (Add, Subtract, Mix, etc.), and then switch back to your previous paint brush.
- Undo should now work as expected.

If you plan on rigging with the Rigify add-on, make sure you are familiar with the Bone Positioning Guide here:
- Rigify (Archive)
- It's a little old, but the tips are still applicable to the current version of Rigify.
- More details will be available below.

If you have MMD Tools add-on active, it will conflict with Rigify's Generate Rig functionality.
- MMD Tools Reported Bug
- If you plan to use Rigify's Generate Rig function, make sure to disable the MMD Tools add-on before using the Rigify armature.

For beginners, I recommend starting with rigging character models that don't have face bones, like a masked character:
Character Model from Xenko StarBreach Character Model from Xenko StarBreach
After you've mastered the basic body rigging, you can then move on to Face Rigging.
[Explained later in SECTION 8]

Blender - Bone Naming Conventions
Bone Naming Conventions [INFO]
Click to Show
Naming conventions in Blender are not only useful for you in finding the right bone, but also to tell Blender when any two of them are counterparts.
If you have a bone that has a copy on the other side (a pair), like a hand, give it one of the following separators:

Separators LEFT RIGHT
handLeft handRight
underscore _ hand_L hand_R
dot . hand.l hand.r
dash - hand-l hand-r
space hand LEFT hand RIGHT
If there is a lower or upper case “L”, “R”, “left” or “right”, Blender handles the counterpart correctly. Pick one and stick to it as close as possible when rigging; it will pay off. Note: - Placing the left/right part before the bone name is also valid. - The short "L"/"R" code can only be used with a separator (e.g. “handL”/ “handR” will not work!).

[SECTION 1]

Here are different types of Objects you may encounter in Blender:
Object TypesSingle Bone of an Armature
We will focus on only 2 Object Types:
- Armature Object
- Mesh Object

[SECTION 2]

A rigged 3D character model contains 2 essential things:
- Skeleton (Armature Object)
- 3D Model (Mesh Object)

The 3D model is the Child.
The Skeleton is the Parent.
Wherever the Skeleton moves, the 3D model follows.

In Blender, you parent the Mesh Object to the Armature Object, then you can continue with the Weighting or Weight Painting process (explained later).

Select children first, then select the parent last.
Hotkey: CTRL + P [Opens the Parent Menu]
Menu: Set Parent To


[SECTION 3]

Single Mesh Object Multiple Mesh Objects
A 3D model can be a single Mesh Object
- this is common with low-poly character models.
A 3D model can be composed of multiple Mesh Objects
- this is common with high-poly models with optional clothing, weapons, etc.
You can parent multiple Mesh Objects (Head, Arms, Legs, Clothing, etc.) to a single Armature Object.

[SECTION 4]

What is the purpose of Vertex Groups?

Vertex Groups are extremely useful for different things:
Rigging, Organizing, Physics Simulation, etc.

Click Here to Show

  • Vertex Groups can be used for organizing and making it easier to Select/Deselect vertices/faces on a Mesh.
    [Example: If your character is a single Mesh Object, you can assign different parts of the character (Hat, Weapon, Jewelry, Clothing, etc.) into their own Vertex Groups, which will make it easier to separate them later as their own Mesh Objects.]
    Vertex Groups - Demonstration
    Demo 1 Demo 2 Demo 3

  • Vertex Groups can be used for physics simulation/collisions.
    [Example: Assign vertices from clothing, hair, or breasts to react to physics]

  • Vertex Groups can be used as Bone Vertex Groups for rigging/weight painting.
    - https://streamable.com/n73te
    [Example: Assign vertices from the character's left upperarm to the Vertex Group "upperarm_L" (bone name) with a weight value from 1 to 0 or 100% to 0% ]
    Weight influence 100%(Red) - 0%(Blue)

    This will be explained later in the guide.

How to Create, Assign, Select, Deselect and Remove a vertex group in Blender 2.79?


[SECTION 5]

Demo
Blender - Set Normals from Faces View Clipping Region

How to Prepare/Clean the 3D model before rigging?

Image: Fix Symmetry
Example 1: [Symmetry]

Click to Show
Demo: Snap to Symmetry
If you have a symmetrical Mesh Object that has a few non-symmetrical vertices, use Snap to Symmetry.
- The Snap to Symmetry tool lets you snap a mesh vertices to their mirrored neighbors.
- Useful when dealing with meshes which are mostly symmetrical, but have vertices which have been moved enough that Blender does not detect them as mirrored (when X Mirror option is enabled for example).
- This can be caused by accident when editing without X Mirror enabled. Sometimes models imported from other applications are asymmetrical enough that mirror fails too.
- This is also a good option to use after removing overlapping/double vertices with Remove Doubles or Merge by Distance.

WARNING: The Symmetrize tool is not as safe as Snap to Symmetry, and it may destroy mesh or UV data.

Related Question

Having a symmetrical Mesh Object will make assigning weights easier when mirroring across the X-axis.


Demo: Alignment
Example 2: [Alignment]

Click to Show

Scale and position your Armature (skeleton) to fit inside the character Mesh Object.
Before rigging a character, make sure both the Armature (Skeleton) and the Mesh Object(s) (Character Meshes) have their Transforms applied.
- Hotkey: CTRL+A [Object Mode]
- Object --> Apply --> Location | Rotation | Scale
You can also tell if an Object's transform hasn't been applied by looking at the location of the Object Origin (Origin Point).
Object Origin Point
According to some reports, Mesh Objects with dimensions smaller than 1m (1 Meter = 1 Blender Unit) may fail with Automatic Weights.

Image: Bone outside of mesh
Make sure the bones are inside the mesh, otherwise you will get the following error with Automatic Weights:
- Bone Heat Weighting: failed to find solution for one or more bones

Don't forget to adjust your bone rolls:
Demo: Recalculate Bone Rolls to Active Bone
Related:
- Blender 3D / rigging: How to adjust the roll of bones in a bones chain the proper way / HD
- Orientation of Bones-Blender Tip
- Rigify (Archived)
 


Demo: Bad Seams
Example 3 [Bad Seams]

Click to Show
In Example 3, you will want to join all the Mesh Objects together before rigging, to avoid the seams.
Select all the Mesh Objects and join them together CTRL+J.
Afterwards, in [Edit Mode], select the seams (overlapping vertices) and Remove Doubles or Merge by Distance.
Demo: Fix Mesh Seam
Later in the guide, you will learn how to separate the Mesh Objects.


Example 3: Bone Heat Weighting [Demo: Non-Manifolds 1] [Demo: Non-Manifolds 2]
Example 4 [Bone Heat Weighting: failed to find solution for one or more bones]

Click to Show
Image: Bone outside of mesh
Make sure the bones are inside the mesh, otherwise you will get the following error with Automatic Weights:
  - Bone Heat Weighting: failed to find solution for one or more bones
Image: Non-Manifolds Demo - Fixing Non-Manifolds
Check for Loose Geometry or Non-Manifolds (loose vertices/edges/faces)
  - [Demo1] [Demo2] [Demo3]
  - Remove Doubles or Merge By Distance
  - Recalculate Normals [Show Normal Direction] [Set Normals from Faces]

Check if your character Mesh Object has:

Then try separating them into separate Mesh Objects which will be excluded from Automatic Weights, for now.
Demo
- Hotkey: L [Edit Mode] Select Linked (Vertices, Edges, Faces)
- Hotkey: P [Edit Mode] Separate Mesh


If you don't want to clean your 3D model, you will need to manually assign weights or weight paint the uncleaned areas.
[Explained in SECTION 7]

[SECTION 6]

How to properly switch to Weight Paint mode?

How to properly switch to Weight Paint mode?



[SECTION 7]

Methods for Assigning Weights

Methods for Assigning Weights

Click to Show

[SECTION 8]

Rigging a Face

Rigging a Face

Click to Show

  • Rigging a face without the Rigify Add-on | Setup Eye Bones: [BLENDER TUTORIAL] Basic Face Rig & Eye trackBlender - Setup Eye Bone - Watch this first before trying the Rigify add-on. - Great introduction into setting up the essential bones for a simple face rig. When setting up the jaw bone, keep in mind the pivot location of the jaw (below and front of the ears): - [Demo 1] [Demo 2] - Don't forget to check the Bone Positioning Guide (Archived). [Right click videos to change speed] Fixing SourceFilmmaker eyes in Blender: [Part 1] [Part 2] Fixing SourceFilmmaker eyelids in Blender: [Part 1] [Part 2]

  • Rigging a face with the Rigify Add-on: - The video is for an older version of Rigify, but it can still be applied to the latest Rigify version. - You don't need to watch the whole video. - Start watching from 0:44:25
  • Make sure you are familiar with the Bone Positioning Guide (Archived).
  • Weight BrushWeight Tools - Normalize Weights - Tip - Normalize Weights - Troubleshoot View Clipping Region: Demo: View Clipping Region - Use View Clipping Region to easily work in difficult areas in a 3D model. - Demo: View Clipping Region and Weight Paint [Starts at 04:10] - Blender 2.8 Shortcut: Alt + B

If you want something even easier, see [SECTION 9].

[SECTION 9]

Shape Keys

Shape Keys

An Easier Alternative to Rigging
Click to Show

Rigging and Weight Painting Videos:

Extra Resources:

Troubleshooting:


Work In Progress...

Want to rig some free models?

Try these...


- Pack 3D Models
- Models Resource
- Free3D
- Sweet-Berrie
- GR-85
- KittyInHiding
- Sketchfab

Don't throw away any of these valuable texture maps!
They are extremely helpful!

Submit 3D Models and Resources:


Common Mistakes Made in Blender

Blender - Common Mistakes & Tips

Rip Your Favorite 3D Game Character Models FREE

Rip Your Favorite 3D Game Character Models FREE

Contact: https://www.deviantart.com/xcurtainx
Click for Change Log
Apr 24 2020
Updated: [SECTION 7] Methods for Assigning Weights
Added a demo for troubleshooting Transfer Weights
- https://gfycat.com/highlevelsombercaracal

Apr 22 2020
Updated: [SECTION 8] Rigging a Face
Added 2 demos showcasing the real pivot location of the jaw bone. This should reduce some confusion about jaw bone placement.
- https://gfycat.com/likelyillbullmastiff
- https://gfycat.com/presentdarkbluejay-cursing-the-gif-tree-border-movements

Jan 17 2020
Updated Troubleshooting Section
Added: How to copy bone weights to another bone, or how to merge weights from different vertex groups?
- Demo: [Part 1] [Part 2]

Jan 7 2020
Updated: [SECTION 7] Methods for Assigning Weights: [Transfer Weights]
- https://gfycat.com/badhighlevelkissingbug
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCpXiz-8bjY
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U7lKIFfHffY

Jan 2 2020
Updated: [SECTION 7] Methods for Assigning Weights
- Added Method: [Vertex Weights Panel]
- https://i.imgur.com/YvcRVyR.png
- https://gfycat.com/clutteredbiodegradablehectorsdolphin
- https://i.imgur.com/XN9oxsB.jpg

Dec 28 2019
Important: There is a known bug in Blender that occurs when attempting to Undo (CTRL + Z) in Weight Paint mode or Sculpt mode.
- https://gfycat.com/completeskinnycougar
- https://developer.blender.org/T71759
- Workaround: After adjusting the brush values (Weight, Radius, or Strength), switch to a different brush (Add, Subtract, Mix, etc.), and then switch back. Undo should work as expected.

Dec 19 2019
Updated: [SECTION 5] How to Prepare/Clean the 3D model before rigging? [Alignment]
- Recalculate Bone Rolls to Active Bone: 
- https://gfycat.com/maleidolizedcrow

Dec 16 2019
Updated: [SECTION 7] Methods for Assigning Weights
Forgot to add demos for [Assign Automatic from Bones] and [Set Parent to Bone]
- https://gfycat.com/fatherlyindolentborderterrier 
- https://gfycat.com/appropriateadmiredgrosbeak

Dec 13 2019
Added info about Bone Naming Conventions
- https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/animation/armatures/bones/editing/naming.html
Updated [SECTION 8] Rigging a Face
- Added demo for setting up eye bone
- https://gfycat.com/femalepowerlesslamb

Dec 4 2019
Swapped [Section 6] and [Section 7]
- Added how to properly select bones in Weight Paint Mode.
- Added how to select faces or vertices in Weight Paint Mode.

Nov 26 2019
Added a demo showcasing how to use the metarig to generate a rig, and then apply Automatic Weights.
- https://gfycat.com/exhaustedgoodnaturedcuttlefish

Nov 1 2019
Added: View Clipping Region tip
- Use View Clipping Region to easily work in difficult areas in a 3D model.
- https://gfycat.com/occasionalillinformedeland
- [Starts at 04:10] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g-iFNaiQHIk
- https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/dev/editors/3dview/navigate/regions.html
- Blender 2.8 Shortcut: Alt + B
Added: more Rigging and Weight Painting Videos

Oct 25 2019
Updated: How to Prepare/Clean the 3D model before Rigging?
- added info about Snap to Symmetry
Important: If you plan to use Rigify, check this page for the Bone Positioning Guide:
- https://wiki.blender.jp/Extensions:2.6/Py/Scripts/Rigging/Rigify
According to some reports, Automatic Weights may not work properly for Mesh Objects with dimensions smaller than 1m (1 Meter = 1 Blender Unit)

Sep 4 2019
Minor Update:
Blender 2.80 Fundamentals: Vertex Groups
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKZrzG5r13g
Blender 2.80 Fundamentals: Bone Layers
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVl7FQw-x6M

Sep 3 2019
Update:
Added Fixing Automatic Weights Demo
- https://gfycat.com/formalemptyichneumonfly 
- https://gfycat.com/mixedjauntyhochstettersfrog 
- https://gfycat.com/barrenshamelesskingbird

Aug 30 2019
Update:
Added Set Normals from Faces: https://gfycat.com/elegantlastingcrayfish
Added new Methods for Assigning Weights
- Weight Paint - Vertex Selection Masking: https://gfycat.com/oddaromaticbangeltiger
- Weight Paint - Face Selection Masking: https://gfycat.com/wellinformedsomberchihuahua

May 19 2019
Update:
Added Transfer Weights demo for Blender 2.7.

May 17 2019
Update:
Added Normalize Weights Tip & Troubleshoot for those struggling with weight influence.
- Normalize Weights - Tip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6_m3xFSlIU
- Normalize Weights - Troubleshoot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y8mOQBOHxA
I'm still researching this topic, let me know if anything is still unclear.

Mar 28 2019
Update:
Added an easier alternative to rigging: Shape Keys
- Shape Keys are also known as Flexes or Morph Targets.

Mar 9 2019
Minor Update:
Added another example of Non-Manifold/Loose Geometry that may cause rigging failure"
- https://gfycat.com/ecstaticnegativedachshund
Make sure those overlapping vertices (double vertices) are merged together: Remove Doubles

Mar 8 2019
Update:
Added resources for Rigging a Face.
Added another example of Non-Manifolds for cleaning your mesh. [Important]
- https://i.imgur.com/By31B6h.gif

Mar 1 2019
Minor Update:
Added tip about Lock Object Modes.
- You can disable Lock Object Modes in Blender 2.8, if you want weight paint workflow similar to Blender 2.7.
- https://i.imgur.com/FBdpPoR.png

Feb 21 2019
Update:
Added Demonstration for Armature Deform with Empty Groups

Feb 15 2019
Update:
Added links to free models for rigging practice.
Added little examples for overlapping and interior mesh.
PSA: Please don't throw away any of these valuable texture maps.
- https://i.imgur.com/pCxrBBn.jpg
They are extremely helpful!

Feb 14 2019
Update:
Added details of the different Parenting options and Rigging options
- Armature Deform, Empty Groups, Automatic Weights, etc.
Added explanation and Demo for Vertex Groups
Added explanation and Demo for Assign Automatic from Bones

Feb 13 2019
Update: 
Added tip for [Bone Heat Weighting: failed to find solution for one or more bones]
- If your character has overlapping armor, clothing, weapons, etc., then try separating them into separate Mesh Objects.
- https://gfycat.com/thickwavycormorant


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