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AVC 287 • Spring 2026

Week 7

Weight Painting and Rigging Topology & Character Rigging and Student Feedback
March 02 – 4, 2026
← Week 6 Week 8 →

Week Overview

Monday covers this lecture covers essential topology considerations for rigging, weight painting techniques, and the relationship between mesh density and deformation quality. Students learn manual weight assignment, brush tools, and comparison between automatic and manual weighting approaches. Wednesday focuses on this lecture covers student presentations of FK/IK rigs and Rube Goldberg blockouts, followed by comprehensive character rigging tutorials including bone setup, controllers, and weight painting.

Weight Painting Topology Rigging Subdivision Deformation IK Controls Character Rigging FK IK Bone Controllers Student Feedback Rube Goldberg
Monday
March 02, 2026

Weight Painting and Rigging Topology

This lecture covers essential topology considerations for rigging, weight painting techniques, and the relationship between mesh density and deformation quality. Students learn manual weight assignment, brush tools, and comparison between automatic and manual weighting approaches.

Watch Full Lecture →
1
Topology Fundamentals
0:00 Introduction and Setup
7:39 Topology and Rigging Fundamentals
13:25 Single Face Bending Principle
16:59 Loop Cuts and Subdivisions
2
Subdivision and Quads
23:01 Subdivision Surface Modifier
25:28 N-gons and Grid Fill
32:28 Quad Topology Benefits
35:37 Viewport Shading Options
42:23 Subdivision Surface Settings
3
Weight Painting Basics
46:25 Weight Paint Mode Introduction
59:03 Weight Paint Brushes
4
Manual Rigging Workflow
1:09:27 Simple Character Rigging
1:18:51 Manual Weight Assignment
1:26:07 Animation for Weight Testing
1:38:40 Manual vs Automatic Weights
1:46:04 IK Controls Setup

Key Concepts

  • A single face does not bend - fundamental rigging principle
  • Loop cuts provide precise topological density control
  • Subdivision surface modifier smooths after armature deformation
  • Grid fill creates quad topology from even-numbered edge loops
  • Weight painting uses normalized values between 0 and 1
  • Autonormalize prevents weight values exceeding 1.0
  • Manual weight assignment offers more control than automatic weights
  • T-pose reduces armpit weight painting conflicts
Wednesday
March 04, 2026

Character Rigging and Student Feedback

This lecture covers student presentations of FK/IK rigs and Rube Goldberg blockouts, followed by comprehensive character rigging tutorials including bone setup, controllers, and weight painting.

Watch Full Lecture →
1
Student Presentations
14 projects
0:00 Introduction and Setup
0:45 Student Feedback: FK vs IK Rigs
4:05 Trampoline Rigging Demonstration
8:47 Student Feedback: Character Rigs
19:29 Student Feedback: Rube Goldberg Blockouts
44:07 Student Feedback: Advanced Rigging
2
Rigging Tutorials
1:11:07 Diving Board Rigging Tutorial
1:14:55 Basketball Hoop Rigging Tutorial
3
Character Setup
1:23:15 Character Rigging Setup
1:26:00 Bone Naming and Symmetry
1:28:19 Spine and Torso Bones
1:31:02 Leg Bones and IK Setup
4
Controllers and Constraints
1:39:59 IK Controllers and Constraints
1:48:47 Custom Bone Widgets
1:54:06 Hip and Chest Controllers
1:56:39 Head Controller and Look-At
2:00:47 Arm Controllers and FK Setup
5
Final Implementation
2:06:56 Weight Painting and Testing
2:19:49 Final Rigging Tips

Key Concepts

  • FK is best for organic flowing motions like swinging arms or tails
  • IK is ideal for planted limbs like feet on ground or precise positioning
  • Bone naming with _L and _R suffixes enables automatic symmetrization
  • Controller bones should have deform disabled and use custom widgets
  • Child-of constraints create hierarchical controller relationships
  • Weight painting cleanup is essential in underarm and joint areas
  • Incremental saving prevents loss of complex rigging work