How did you transition from simple rigs to production-ready Blender rigs?

[ScarlettJ]

I'm a self-taught 3D animator focusing on stylized character shorts, and I've hit a wall with my character rigging techniques; while I can create basic rigs that work for simple movements, my characters lack the nuanced deformation needed for expressive facial animation and believable cloth simulation on loose clothing. I'm using Blender and understand the basics of armatures and weight painting, but my results are often clunky. For riggers who started from scratch, what was your learning path for creating more advanced, production-ready rigs? I'm particularly interested in resources or tutorials that demystify concepts like corrective shape keys, rigify add-ons, and setting up effective driver systems for things like automatic eyebrow movement linked to the eyelids, without overwhelming a beginner-intermediate user.

[Joseph_G]

Nice project. Start with a solid base rig using Rigify; then add corrective shape keys for the most noticeable distortions (cheek puff on smiles, brow wrinkle, eye sag) and drive them with bones via drivers. Create a small test rig to iterate quickly so you can see results without touching your main character.

[Richard.M]

Learning path (practical): 1) master Rigify to produce a robust base. 2) learn Blender drivers and constraints, especially how to drive facial controls from a handful of bones. 3) build corrective shape keys that trigger from specific bone angles. 4) add a simple brow/eyelid rig with drivers. 5) experiment with cloth simulation using cloth modifier and pinning. 6) assemble a production rig and make a small library of poses and expressions.

[Zoey_T]

6–8 week plan: Week 1 topology and neutral pose; Week 2 Rigify and base rig; Week 3 facial rig basics (eyes, mouth); Week 4 corrective shapes; Week 5 drivers/constraints; Week 6 cloth or garment sims; Week 7 test animation and refine; Week 8 finalize control rig and pose library.

[ZoeyMW]

Resources and tips: Blender official docs for Rigging and Drivers; Rigify addon docs; CG Cookie's Blender Rigging Fundamentals; YouTube channels like Blender Secrets, Blender Guru for basics; join Blender Artists forum for targeted questions; keep a small 'component library' of shapes and controllers to reuse across characters.

[Noah.J]

Before I tailor suggestions, what style are you aiming for (stylized vs semi-realistic), what's your target Blender version, and are you comfortable with using add-ons like Rigify? Do you prefer free tutorials or paid courses? Also share a screenshot of your current rig if you want specific feedback.