Walk Your Rig Before You Run

Industrial Light & Magic’s Animator Glen McIntosh discusses animation rigs and offers suggestions on how to approach a complex rig.

As tempting as it may be to jump in and begin animating, especially if you’re on a tight deadline, Glen encourages animators to take the time to learn and explore a new rig. Getting a feel for the design and trying something simple like nailing down a single pose in a frame is an initial time investment, but at the end this will save time on the project. An animator will also feel confident in their work if they feel comfortable with the new rig.

Glen also stresses the importance of breaking down the workload of a project by taking it 100 frames at a time. This is especially helpful to new animators who may otherwise feel overwhelmed by a large project.