Expression Alchemist: Nodes for AE Expressions
Expression Alchemist builds visual node graphs into native After Effects expressions. A clever workflow tool, with AI firmly optional.
Browsing Tag
rigging
145 posts
Vision Canvas: Blender’s UI, On Your Terms
Build a Blender control panel that answers to you: targeted properties, camera widgets, Python buttons, reusable animation and asset favourites.
Tripo P2.0: Put Quad Mesh Generation to the Test
Tripo P2.0 adds quad output, adjustable mesh budgets and local regeneration. A practical starting point for testing image-to-3D assets in your own pipeline.
Hair Bone Generator Maps Blender Strands
Hair Bone Generator maps stylised Blender hair into connected deform-bone chains, with three guide methods and controls for spacing and root placement.
KeyFlow Turns Maya Repetitions Into Buttons
Fenix Animator’s KeyFlow puts Maya animation chores into a customizable toolbar, from timing and mirroring to temporary rig controls.
Higgsfield Brings AI Generation Into Blender. Oh, goodey.
Higgsfield’s Blender add-on generates editable scenes, meshes, rigs and media from the viewport, with cloud inference and credit billing.
Animcraft 6.0 Adds AI Rigging and Kimodo
Basefount adds automatic skinning and weight processing to Animcraft, plus NVIDIA Kimodo-based text-to-motion generation for character workflows.
Adobe Puts a Prompt Layer Across Pro Video
Premiere gains in-timeline generation while After Effects turns plain English into native project work. Adobe’s bigger shift is the interface itself.
retoPoly puts manual retopology in 3ds Max
Mihail Lupu’s retoPoly adds projected drawing, flow tools and stack-editable artist-directed retopology to 3ds Max 2023–2027.
Spider Walker automates multi-leg animation
Spider Walker turns body motion into procedural multi-leg steps, raycasted surface contacts and bakeable Blender animation.
PBR Generator bakes 3ds Max materials
Leonid Kychko's 3ds Max script bakes complex shader networks into texture sets and rebuilds them for V-Ray or Physical Material.
Animates Suite tunes Blender keys
Blender animators get key selection, retiming, Key Amp, onion skins, editable motion paths and world-space locks in one add-on.
SideFX Teaches KineFX in Houdini 22
SideFX’s Max Rose presents two free Houdini 22 sessions on KineFX animation, Motion Mixer, secondary motion and retargeting.
Maya 2027.2 trains MotionMaker
Maya expands MotionMaker with custom model training, horse animation, cleaner path tools and wider DCC updates for artists.
Character DNA Goes Free
Poly Hammer’s Character DNA base edition is free, GPLv3 source is public, and release 0.10.3 adds Blender 5.2 support.
Houdini Rigging: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Start Loving APEX
For anyone tired of character setups held together by hope, version notes and one dangerous checkbox, Houdini 21 promises a paradigm shift. By decoupling mesh, rig logic, animation and execution through KineFX and APEX, SideFX is taking another run at the holy grail of procedural rigging. But can it deliver a fast and intuitive workflow?
Here comes Houdini 22
2 hours and 18 minutes. That is almost exactly the runtime of the first Matrix film, and exactly the duration of the Houdini 22 release keynote. So yes, this promises a rather chunky package of new features and improvements.
DreamWorks style mesh controls land in Maya
A free Maya plug-in adds surface pinning, mesh controls, and VP2 overlays, plus docs and an example scene. Now go break it safely in a test rig, just like the artists at Dreamworks who inspired it.
Free Tire Rig Generator for Blender Automates Tire Deformation
Tire Rig Generator is a free Blender plug-in that automatically builds and skins tire rigs for pressure, ground deformation and tire pivoting. Vehicle wheels, finally allowed to suffer accurately.
Project Violet links Houdini and MetaHuman
SideFX drops Project Violet, a Houdini 21 tutorial series that mixes MetaHuman characters with Houdini rigging and simulation workflows.
Autodesk Flow Studio adds AI Rigging and Neural Layer for character workflows
The Flow Studio update introduces automated rigging, video-driven animation, neural rendering enhancements, and export to Maya, Blender, and Unreal.
Drivers 2.0 cleans up Blender rigs
Drivers 2.0 puts shape key drivers, rig UI panels, and action constraints in one Blender sidebar. Less hunting, more animating.
Marvelous Designer 2026.0 adds 3D Pencil and lacing
Draw patterns on an avatar, auto-route laces, flip to toon materials, and tighten export controls. Marvelous Designer 2026.0 aims at faster iteration.
KeyPro revamps Maya
KeyPro stacks waveform, key density, heat, and range into one strip under Maya’s timeline, plus rig aware tools and a one time buy.
MetaHuman DNA add-on for RBF editor
Character DNA 0.6.2 brings an RBF pose editor for MetaHuman body correctives plus automatic DNA backups, and it targets newer Unreal and Blender builds.
Neat LimbKit gives Blender a hand, literally
LimbKit is a free Blender 4.5+ Geometry Nodes tool for quickly blocking hands, feet, and some creature variants via adjustable procedural controls.
AdonisFX 2.0 brings Houdini support, anisotropic muscles, and triangle-level self-collisions
AdonisFX 2.0 is a big structural release: Houdini support arrives as SOP nodes, core solvers pick up anisotropy and triangle-level self-collisions, paint maps gain non-linear remaps, and the toolset gets a practical layer of “pipeline hygiene” improvements.
Hive adds joint facial rigs to Maya
Hive Auto Rigger now builds full joint based facial rigs in Maya, priced at 40 dollars for the first month.
Cascadeur on physics, AI and control
Cascadeur explains how physics solvers and local AI shape modern keyframe animation. Physics-assisted keyframing and AI-generated Inbetweening sound like shorthand for automation. In practice, they describe a layered system that revolves around explicit poses, timing and animator intent.
Kangaroo Builder learns to move faces between meshes
Kangaroo Builder for Maya adds Landmark Warp, a topology transfer tool aimed at moving blendshapes between meshes without matching topology.
130 animations, one rig, zero drama
Quaternius releases a second Universal Animation Library with over 130 humanoid animations, free for commercial use.
BlendShape Monitor puts Maya rigs under a heat lamp
A new Maya plugin visualises blendshape influence in real time, targeting riggers dealing with dense and poorly documented rigs.
Digital Domain welcomes IT to Derry
Digital Domain supervisors break down the design, rigging, lighting, and animation challenges behind the Skeleton Man creature for HBO’s return to the Stephen King universe.
Mansur Rig 3.0 Goes Free and Open Source Lite
Mansur Rig 3.0 drops activation, goes partially open source, adds Maya 2026 support on Windows, and warns older versions stop working after March 2026.
Rigging for All: Epic Opens UE 5.6 Workshop
Epic opens its once invite-only rigging workshop for all: five days of Control Rig deep-dive, free and production-focused.
Rendering the Inferno at RiseFX: The Lost Bus
128 shots, 15 sequences, and GPUs on the brink: RISE FX’s Oliver Schulz explains how his team built the burning world of The Lost Bus.
Cascadeur 2025.3: Inbetweening De Luxe
Cascadeur 2025.3 adds Filament rendering, new inbetweening controls, quadruped rigs and twist bones, Windows-only for now, experimental but promising.
Shapekeys: The angle on your mesh
CamKeys automates ShapeKeys by camera angle in Blender. Users say it mimics per-object FOV , the docs say it drives morphs.
Blender Studio drops “Storm” rig for Blender 5.0
Blender 5.0 gets Storm: a new Blender Studio character rig with CloudRig body, shape-key facial system, pose library and Blender-only compatibility.
Free WaveManager Brings Procedural Motion to Maya
WaveManager for Maya adds procedural wave motion to any rig via expressions: no keyframes, full control, free download.
Video Mocap: Reallusion’s AI Gets Moving
Reallusion adds online AI motion capture to iClone: Video Mocap turns footage into editable animation for $2.50 per clip.
Mesh2Motion Update 6 Adds Explore Library and Rebuilt Rigs
Update 6 gives Mesh2Motion a new Explore Library, rebuilt Blender rigs, and smarter bones for birds, dragons, and quadrupeds.
Anastomia: Comparative Anatomy for Creature Artists
Human, horse, wolf, dog: Anastomia visualises their anatomy side by side, with sync, isolation, and pose features. Free in early access.
Pickify: Selection Sets Without Outliner Mess
Pickify gives animators hotkey-based selection sets in Maya—without clogging the Outliner. Free, minimal, and exportable.
Clothy3D: New Tool for Clothing Auto-Fit, Rigging & Mesh Transfers
TL;DR: Clothy3D is a new free software tool for auto-fitting and rigging clothes across 3D characters, transferring skeletons and skin weights, and exporting via FBX. With a marketplace and tutorials included, it could bridge pipelines between Marvelous Designer, Daz3D, iClone, and Unreal Engine—though still in beta.
mGear 5.1 sharpens RBF Manager and patches Shifter
mGear 5.1 kills off Maya 2020 support. In return: RBF Manager v2.0, Shifter bug fixes, and a forked weightDriver. Test before deploying.
Houdini 21 Finally Lands: The Buzz Is Over, Time to Actually Use It
SideFX has released Houdini 21, adding rigging, CFX, VFX, lookdev, terrain, and Copernicus updates. The hype is over; time to test in production.
USDSkel: Optimized Character Rigging
USDSkel is an OpenUSD component that supports scalable, manipulable, and interchangeable skinned characters. Wanna know more?
Houdini 21: SideFX pushes for production readiness across the CG pipeline
SideFX releases Houdini 21, promoting Apex, Vulkan, Otus, and major animation and rigging upgrades to production-ready status.
Mesh Match for Maya adds Auto‑Skeleton & Landmark Detection – AI Without the Hype
Mesh Match for Maya now supports facial and body landmark detection plus full‑body skeleton build to accelerate character rigging workflows.
Pixar Faces, Blender Spaces: SMIRK Lets Features Wander Free
Krysidian’s SMIRK toolkit brings detached Pixar-style facial features to Blender—free and Geometry Node-powered.
Animation for All: Reallusion AccuRIG 2.0 and Friends Keep Things Moving
AccuRIG 2.0 puts 4,500+ animations a click away. Reallusion’s animation and rigging ecosystem is picking up speed.
Maya’s Jiggle Assistant: PUPbuildDynamic Does Your Secondary Motion
PuppetSoul PUPbuildDynamic for Maya is a free add-on delivering real-time secondary motion and collision on joint chains—without FX overhead.
![A stylized blue cartoon character with big eyes and a wide smile, shown in a wireframe model. The background features a gradient from blue to purple, with text overlay indicating 'Blender [Addon] Rlg Creator [Beta]'.](https://i0.wp.com/digitalproduction.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Banner_Rig_Creator_A_free_Blender_add_on_for_creating_character_rigs.jpg?resize=380%2C250&quality=70&ssl=1)
Rig Creator Beta for Blender: Faces, Relationships, and a Fresh Start
Rig Creator’s beta rebuild adds facial rig, Relationship tool, overhauled bone generators, and English names—now free for Blender users.
![A blue, futuristic aircraft with robotic features displayed in a dark, industrial environment. The image features the text 'Marmoset Toolbag 5.02 [Beta Release]' above the aircraft, highlighting software branding. The background has a metallic appearance with grid lines.](https://i0.wp.com/digitalproduction.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/502-beta-socialsbanner.jpg?resize=380%2C250&quality=70&ssl=1)
Baking, Decals, Fog and a Smudge of Beta in Marmoset Toolbag
Marmoset launches the Toolbag 5.02 beta with new features for baking, painting, fog rendering and scene management.
Mocha 2025.5: Faces, Frames & Focal Lengths
Mocha 2025.5 tracks faces, fixes mattes, solves 3D scenes with stationary cameras and adds batch export presets for speedier pipelines.
Epic’s Face‑To‑Unreal: Android Gets Free Live Link Face
Epic’s Live Link Face Android beta now offers real‑time facial mocap to Unreal—requires Snapdragon 8 Gen1+.
Blender 4.5 Beta: Nodes Get Nifty, Collada Gets the Boot
Blender 4.5 Beta brings new Geometry Nodes, USD and glTF upgrades, and drops Collada in 5.0. Here's what's new - and what’s going away.
AccuPOSE Infinity Expansion 4: Kids, Kicks & Caffeine-Free Chaos
Subscribers to Reallusion’s AccuPOSE INFINITY now get eight fresh AI motion models spanning playground high-jinks to full-contact kicks.
Maxon Acquires Autograph: A New Chapter in Compositing Tools
Maxon welcomes the Autograph team from Left Angle, aiming to integrate their compositing expertise into its suite of creative tools,
Maya 2026.1’s MotionMaker: AI Walks the Walk
Maya 2026.1 introduces MotionMaker, an AI-powered tool for rapid character animation, alongside Bifrost rigging and simulation enhancements.
3ds Max 2026.1: More Than Just a Modifier Update
3ds Max 2026.1 updates Push, Attribute Transfer and XForm modifiers, improves spline optimization and skin performance, and bumps OCIO to version 2.4.2.
Unreal Engine 5.6, Fully released. Still 60 FPS, still Smarter MetaHumans, and still possibly Fewer CPU Tantrums
Unreal Engine 5.6 brings integrated MetaHuman Creator, Control Rig Physics, 60 FPS optimization, and enhanced Sequencer tools for streamlined game development.
Nomad: Sculpting on Desktop
Nomad Sculpt enters free public beta on Windows, macOS and Linux - desktop edition includes all iPad features.
Pawn to VEX: Chess Comes to Houdini’s Viewport
Play chess in Houdini’s viewport using VEX-driven logic - no simulation needed, no rendering required.
Blender’s 2024 User Survey Results: The Good, the Bad, and the ?
Over 7,000 Blender users shared their thoughts in the 2024 survey, highlighting satisfaction levels and areas for improvement.
Wrap Gen: Because Your Mesh Deserves a Hug
Wrap Gen for Blender lets you procedurally wrap custom geometry around objects using curves and geometry nodes—no manual tweaking required.
Dogwalk: Blender’s Papercraft Pooch Takes Godot for a Spin
Blender Studio releases Dogwalk in early access, showcasing a papercraft-style micro-game built with Godot, emphasizing a streamlined Blender-Godot pipeline.
LuxCoreRender 2.10: Back on Track with Cross-Platform Support and Python Integration
LuxCoreRender 2.10 reintroduces support for Linux, Windows, MacOS Intel, and now MacOS ARM, with updated dependencies and Python bindings for seamless integration.
Rig It Like It’s Free: mGear 5.0 and UEGear 1.0
mGear 5.0 and UEGear 1.0 bring new features for Maya and Unreal Engine 5 - and both are free.
Hair Today, Cards Tomorrow: New 3ds Max Tool for Haircard Workflows
Hair Cards Tool for 3ds Max adds a non-destructive workflow for generating haircards with editing, baking and AO features.
ThinkingParticles 7.4: More Boom, Smarter Fluids, and Debugging You Can See
ThinkingParticles 7.4 adds an Explosion System, updated SPH solver, ME-L Markers for debugging, and full support for 3ds Max 2026.
Maya Gets a Memory: Smart Model Editor Adds Real Construction History
Smart Model Editor brings non-destructive modeling to Maya – sort of. It works via scene graph nodes and updates interactively.
Unreal Engine 5.6 Preview: Now with 60Hz Open Worlds and In-Engine MetaHumans
Unreal Engine 5.6 Preview introduces 60Hz open worlds, an overhauled animation toolset, in-engine MetaHuman Creator, and enhanced procedural workflows.
Free Plugin Connects Blender to Nuke – Without Alembic Detours
Free plugin bridges Blender and Nuke via FBX and OBJ – no Alembic or USD needed. Geometry and camera data flow directly into your comp.
HairFlow: Bad Hair Days Are Simulated Now
HairFlow simulates hair in Blender using simulation nodes—wind, gravity, collisions, even goosebumps. Realtime playback included.
Dungeon Assets for Free: Fab.com’s New Drop for Unreal
Fab's new Dungeon Pack delivers 110 modular assets and props for Unreal Engine - and it’s free.
Free Rigs Attached: Learn Blender Rigging Fundamentals (Without Paying a Cent)
Free Blender rigging course breaks down constraints, parenting, bones and more. Hosted by CG Cookie and taught by animator Pierrick Picaut.
UDIM Planet: Free Globe Toolset Orbits Blender, Max, Maya, Houdini, Unreal and C4D
Free add-on "Figments UDIM Globe" maps UDIM textures to globe objects—UVs are auto-generated, PBR-ready.
Browser Cloth: Wiggle It Just a Little Bit
Finally, a cloth sim that runs in your browser and doesn’t crash your machine. Click, drag, wiggle—no download, just delightful chaos.
CEUM 2025.1 Videos are online :)
CEUM 2025.II follows on 17 September, and if you missed the last one: no worries, the CEUM 2025.I talk videos are already online and ready for your next coffee break.
Normal Problem? Normal Solution: Free Blender Add-on “Shading Normal Editor” Now Available
Stylized shading made easier: "Shading Normal Editor" for Blender fixes normals for shading effects—free and ready for download.
SDF, UVs & STLs: Uniform 1.4 Goes All In
Uniform 1.4 introduces SDF modeling with full UV mapping, STL export for 3D printing, and new workflow tools for precise mesh editing and texture control.
SideFX Extends Houdini Labs: Free Procedural Bridge Tool Arrives
SideFX updates the free procedural bridge tool for Houdini, offering customizable, animatable bridge assets – ready for download on SideFX Labs.
EZ Tree: Your Next Tree’s Just a Click Away
Free, open-source, lightweight and Python-based: EZ Tree procedurally generates trees for 3D workflows – via GUI or command line.
Virtual Glass: ZEISS Enters the Simulated Optics Game
ZEISS Virtual Lens simulates cine optics for VFX and digital twins—designed for integration in workflows and compositing.
Free Mech, Fully Armed: SideFX Drops Rigged & Ready Model for UE5
SideFX releases a free, fully rigged and animated mech model, optimized for Unreal Engine 5 and ready for animation, rigging and FBX workflows.
Neat Video 6.0.5: Noise Reduction Gets a Patch-Up
Neat Video 6.0.5 squashes bugs, improves GPU performance, fixes color channel issues, and updates presets – denoising stays smooth across video workflows, even in Resolve and Fusion 20
Marvelous 2025: Now with Extra Fur, Fewer Triangles
Marvelous Designer 2025.0 refines simulation and modeling: new IK, UVs for sides and back, fur preview in 3D, better quads, modular workflow, and more.
Mark Your Calendars: ICE & CEUM Return
ICE 2025.I is coming up on 21–22 May—mark your calendar and grab your spot now, registration’s already open. CEUM 2025.II follows on 17 September!
FMX 2025: AI, Arcane, and a Light Stage Walk into a Conference
FMX 2025 unleashes Arcane secrets, Houdini hocus pocus, and a swarm of AI panels onto Stuttgart. Turquoise flags and login buttons now live!
Greyscalegorilla Studio 1.3: Less Clicks, More Kicks
Greyscalegorilla Studio 1.3 streamlines 3D workflows with Smart Send, drag-and-drop model import, and a refined UI—boosting efficiency for artists.
Weight No More: Streamlining Blender’s Weight Painting with Robust Weight Transfer
Enhance your Blender workflow with Sent From Space's free Robust Weight Transfer add-on, simplifying weight painting and improving character rigging efficiency.
LightWave 2025!
LightWave 2025 introduces RIPR for real-time HDR previews, enhanced rigging tools like Steppit, Handdit, and Pickkit, and new modeling features including SuperPatcher and Construct.
Flame 2026: OCIO, Files and Timeline Magic
Discover the seven key innovations in Flame Family 2026—from OpenColorIO to AI-enhanced video quality.
Gear 5.0 Beta 6: Rigging Tool Gets 2026-Ready
mGear 5.0 Beta 6 brings Maya 2026 support, improved guide templates, updated Shifter components, and new logic for picker selection.
Blueprints & C++: Epic’s New Tutorial Series for Unity Devs
Epic Games releases a 5-part tutorial series with Enduring Games to assist Unity developers in transitioning to Unreal Engine, focusing on Blueprints and C++ integration.
Free Assets, High Tech – No splinters to be feared!
150 free, modular workshop assets for Unreal Engine. Get ready for precision, plug-and-play, and a cheeky tech upgrade
Thinkbox MX Plugin Suite: Open-Sourced Magic in current 3ds Max Versions
Thinkbox MX Plugin Suite for 3ds Max is now available, showcasing a finely tuned open source solution that champions usability, simplicity, and stability in production pipelines.
Cineware for Unreal 2025-2: Rig, Animate, and Roll—No FBX Fuss
Maxon’s Cineware for Unreal Engine 2025-2 update delivers native rigging, skinning, and animation export from Cinema 4D to Unreal—no FBX or baking required.