Now that our rigging is almost finished, we can opt for custom shapes. These are 3D objects that can replace the usual look of bones. The purpose is primarily aesthetic, but functional as well. We can make bone shapes that will go around the mesh and allow us to uncheck the X-ray option. Also, it will allow us to manipulate bones more easily.
We can hide the bones that do not require manipulation, such as the arms that are in fact only controlled by HandIK.L and HandIK.R.
To implement a custom shape, we must first to create a form, usually from a circle. We are going to make the custom shape of the Neck bone together and let you do the rest as this is very repetitive:
We will add a circle (eight sides is enough) to the scene (press Shift + A and select Mesh | Circle).
In the Edit Mode, we will select the opposite vertices on the Y axis, and we will connect them (J). This connection in the custom shape allows us to visualize the orientation of the bone better.
We will rename this object as SHAPE_Circle_01.
Now we will select the neck bone and SHAPE_Circle_01 in the Custom Shape option (Properties | Bone | Display | Custom Shape).
There is often a problem with the axis of rotation and the scale. These must be adjusted in the Edit Mode. We can work on SHAPE_Circle_01 again in the Object Mode without modifying the custom shape applied to the neck bone.
Once the custom shape is adjusted, we don't have to see the SHAPE_Circle_01 object, so we move it to another layer (M). We will choose the last layer to the right in our case. This layer is usually used as a garbage layer where we put unwanted objects.
We redo the same process for almost every controller bone. Some shapes are very often used, such as glasses for the eyes, but try to find custom shapes that fit your needs. They must be explicit and made of very few vertices.