How do you plan and test a rig for a biped with extra arms?

[Camila.P]

I'm a 3D animator working on a personal short film, and I'm struggling with character rigging for a bipedal creature that has some non-standard anatomy, including an extra set of arms. I've built a basic rig in Maya with IK/FK switching, but I'm running into issues with skin weighting and deformation, especially around the shoulders and extra limb sockets. For more experienced riggers, what is your workflow for planning and testing a complex rig before skinning? How do you approach creating custom controls and constraints for unusual limb placements while keeping the rig user-friendly for animation? What are the most common pitfalls in weight painting for multi-joint areas, and are there any specific scripts or plugins you'd recommend for speeding up the process and achieving cleaner deformations?