Chapter 7

Rigging and Muscle Systems

Rigging is the process of creating an organized system of deformers, expressions, and controls applied to an object so it can be easily and efficiently animated. A good rig should intuitively allow an animator to concentrate on the art of animation without the technical aspects of rigging getting in the way. In addition, a good rig should be well organized so it can easily be changed, repurposed, or fixed if there is a problem.

Rigging as a practice is continually evolving in the industry. New technologies, concepts, and approaches emerge every day and are widely debated and discussed among professional technical directors throughout the world. Although this chapter offers advice on how to best approach creating part of a character rig in Maya, its main purpose is to help you understand how the tools work so that you can approach creating your own rigs and adapting rigging practices from others.