Basic Skeleton
Start by creating the base skeleton. In this case, you only have to create one half of it; then, when you add all the constraints to it later, you can mirror that half to the other side. Otherwise, you would have to add the constraints manually to the other side. Figure 11.2 shows what the basic skeleton looks like.
Figure 11.2 Basic skeleton, created only on the left side, so those parts can later be mirrored to the right side
Here are some guidelines that will help you while you create this base structure:
On the Armature tab in the Properties Editor, find the Display panel and activate the X-Ray option. This will display the bones on top of the model, even if they are inside the mesh, which will make it easier to see what you’re doing while keeping the mesh visible so you can align the bones to it.
Don’t create things like the fingers just yet—just the base structure. Later, you’ll add all the necessary details piece by piece.
Naming is essential when you’re working on a rig, so that when you add constraints later, you’ll know to which bones you’re referring: it’s a lot easier to find a bone that is called D_hand than a Bone.023. Also, pay attention to the fact that all the bones in the structure have the D_ prefix: this is a nice way to organize the bone names inside your rig.
You can use prefixes to help you recognize the type of bone: D_name would be a bone that is part of the main structure that will deform the mesh, C_name would be a controller bone, and H_name would be a helper bone. Also, some of the bones may be used for deforming as well as for control, such as the bones in the spine: these bones use the two prefixes C_D_name. Using this naming convention will help you when you search for a bone in a list, as they’ll be organized by type.
Keep an eye on the bones’ hierarchy: C_D_hips and C_D_spine have to be children of C_root. D_shoulder has to be a child of C_D_chest. D_thigh has to be a child of C_D_hips, and C_D_jaw needs to be a child of C_D_head. If you made the rig correctly and go to Pose Mode to test it out, everything should follow the C_root control. If you don’t parent bones correctly, when you move one part of the rig, other parts that should also move might be left in place.
Tip
When you’re testing the bone structure in Pose Mode, it’s very easy to reset a bone to its default pose (the one defined in Edit Mode). In the Armature menu of the 3D View header, you’ll find the Clear Transform option, which will give you different ways to reset the pose. Otherwise, you can reset the movement with Alt + G, the rotations with Alt + R, and the scale with Alt + S.
Finally, you can organize your scene. In Object Mode, select the armature and name it Jim_rig. Press M and, from the squares in the pop-up menu (layers) that appears, select a different layer than the model’s, so you can quickly switch the layers in the 3D View header to show or hide the model whenever you need to focus on the rig.