Blender - Rigging and Animation

Rigging

Abbreviations

• ROOT, MASTER - first bone in hierarchy or sub-hierarchy (tentacle_root)

• DEF - bone contributing to deformation

• MCH - mechanism/mechanical helper bone

• ORG - original bones of metarigs from which the final rig is generated

• CTRL, CON - control bones - various bones meant to be operated by animators

• JNT - a joint

• WGT, SHP, CS - widget, shape, custom shape, etc. - meshes to represent bones

• IK, FK - bones belonging to inverse or forward kinematic bone chains

• STR, NSTR, ASTR - stretch bones, non-stretch bones, anti-stretch bones (I've also seen SCA, NSCA, ASCA as scale, non-scale and anti-scale)

• SPL - IK spline bones

• MM, MUSC - muscle mass, muscle - bones to represent and bind muscles

• POLE - IK pole bones, also usually just marked as CTRL

• CW, CCW - clock-wise, counter-clock-wise, for marking rotation direction or bones for hinges

• CEN, LFT, RGT, LF, RT, L, R - center, left, right

Rigfy Addon

• Rigfy Addon .

• The addon only creates Rigs using Meta-rigs or Meta-rig Samples.

  • Meta-rigs are special for the addon, since each Bone that makes up a Meta-rig has properties defined in the 'Rigfy Type' tab when checking the Bone in Pose Mode.

• It is not crucial that the Meta-rig be repositioned correctly and re-scaled, but it is important to ensure the proper functioning of the new rig generated.

• Settings for creating the Rig:

  • Armature -> Rigfy:

    • 'Advanced':

      • Nothing too relevant, just things related to rig overrides and rig regeneration.

    • 'Samples':

      • Useful for creating your own metarigs without using the base presets. You can assemble your own metarig like 'Lego pieces'.

  • Bones -> Rigfy Type (only in Pose Mode):

    • Bones of Meta-rigs and Samples have predefined information here; this is what makes these Bones special.

    • Special information can be defined for Bones in this tab, but it sounds advanced; I imagine it is useful for defining IK generation information, such as Chain Length.

    • The information for each "type" is explained in the documentation.

• Settings after creating the Rig:

  • The Rigfy interface in the Armature Data tab disappears when the rig is created.

  • A new interface in the 'tab to the right of the Gizmo' appears when the rig is created. This interface provides options to:

    1. Change the visibility of Bone layers.

    2. When selecting some Bones in Pose Mode, it is possible to change important properties for each of these bones.

• Characteristics of the Rigify Addon:

  • Outliner -> Properties:

    • Object tab:

      • In Custom Properties, there is an indicator for the 'rig_ui.py' script, important for the visualization and functioning of the Rigify Item tab in the View3D.

    • Data tab (Armature):

      • In Custom Properties, there is a series of numbers and letters indicating the 'rig_id'. I don't know what it is used for.

    • Bone tab:

      • There will be Custom Properties depending on the selected Bone.

        • algo_parent (red gear):

          • Various things.

        • algo_tweak (blue dots):

          • The dots on the limbs have the 'rubber tweak' property.

          • The dots on the torso, pelvis, and shoulders have nothing.

        • ~ (yellow controllers):

          • Nothing, except for the Torso, which has some.

        • algo_ik (red controllers):

          • Nothing.

        • algo_fk (green or blue):

          • Nothing.

  • Item tab:

    • Only works if the 'rig_ui.py' script is enabled to run in Blender.

    • IK Stretch:

      • Configures if the mesh will stretch when the IK controller goes far.

    • IK->FK (name):

      • Configures if this rig member is controlled by IK or FK.

        • A value of 0 means it is controlled by IK.

        • A value of 1 means it is controlled by FK.

      • Note the name, because sometimes more than one red controller uses the same configuration, so disabling one automatically disables the other.

Game Rig Tools Addon

• Game Rig Tool Addon: Explanation of functionalities .

  • I don't know if this addon is useful/relevant for GameDev.

• Game Rig Tools Addon: Explanation .

  • I don't know if I should or if it is necessary to use this workflow for Deformation Rig export.

    • I feel that due to the way Rigify defines its DEF Bones hierarchy, this addon is not necessary.

• Characteristics of the Game Rig Tools Addon:

  • Control Rig:

    • It's the Rigify rig.

  • Game Rig:

    • Blank for the 'Game Rig generation'. The generated Game Rig will automatically occupy this slot.

  • Workflow for generating a Proxy Rig from a Rigify Rig and linking the two Rigs:

    • Generate Game Rig:

      • Using the preset I created, called 'Rig Proxy'. The following changes were made:

        • Hierarchy:

          • Selected: Rigify Hierarchy Fix.

          • Disabled: Disconnect Bones.

        • Constraints:

          • Selected: None.

        • Extract:

          • Select.

        • Binding:

          • Disabled: Bind to Game Rig.

            • This option changes the target of the Control Rig's 'Armature modifier' to the Game Rig. Should not be used, doesn't make sense here.

        • Advanced:

          • Disabled: Move Bones to Collection.

    • Constraints to Armature Name:

      • Makes the 'From' Rig have constraints associated with the 'Source' Rig. That is, the 'From' Rig now follows the movement of the 'Source' Rig.

      • From:

        • Rigify Rig.

      • Source:

        • Rig Proxy.

      • Constraint:

        • Copy Transform (did not test other options).

      • Clear constraint:

        • ~Leave this deactivated, unsure.

Methods

Workflow: Rokoko

• Rokoko Addon .

• Retargeting: Rokoko Addon (1) .

• Retargeting: Rokoko Addon (2) .

• Information:

  • The act of Retargeting an animation only creates a copy of the animation with the Bones having their target changed. It is a non-destructive process.

  • Animations created as a result of Retargeting already have a Fake User, meaning they are marked to be 'saved' by Blender.

• IK influence must be set to 0 BEFORE Retargeting; otherwise, the animation will be very wrong.

• With Auto Scale, as long as the Source Rig is basically the same size as the Rigify Rig, slightly larger; I like to align the base of the spine.

  • This is somewhat questionable.

Methods to solve differences between Source and Target Bones.

• Any origin Armature:

  1. Do not Retarget this Bone.

     • For this, just leave the "output" empty for this Bone's Retargeting.

     • This may generate slight animation inaccuracies, requiring manual corrections for this Bone.

     • This often happens unintentionally, e.g., when Retargeting from Human -> Dinosaur, etc.

  2. Retarget this Bone, ignoring functional differences between Bones.

     • For this, just normally fill the "output" for this Bone's Retargeting.

     • This may generate slight animation inaccuracies, requiring manual corrections for this Bone.

• Rigify origin Armature:

  1. Edit the Rigify Armature during generation so that the Pivot Position matches behavior between Armatures.

     • Select 'spine' Bone -> Rigify Type -> Pivot Position -> change from 2 to 1.

     • This makes the final result more accurate but interferes with 'spike_fk.001' (second vertebra from bottom up).

  2. Use a "Rig Proxy" method.

     • This makes the final result more accurate and keeps the IK Controllers intact, but it is laborious and manual.

Main Rig: Rigify Rig

• % Tip to fix strange rotation issues when creating a Rigify Rig using a Meta-rig .

  • This is supposedly a common problem. I've seen videos about it, but the process above solved my problem with Coraline.

Method: Create a Rigify Rig

• Create a Meta-rig.

• Reposition the Meta-rig correctly on the desired mesh.

  • Apply scale.

• Create a Rigify Rig using this Meta-rig.

  • After that, the Meta-rig can be deleted, but it is highly recommended not to delete it as it may be useful for future modifications; just toggle its visibility.

• Join the Rigify Rig with the Mesh using 'Armature Deform with Automatic Weights'.

• Fix Weight Paint.

  • To see deformative Bones, I enable DEF in the Rigify Rig's Bone Collection and disable everything else. After Weight Painting, I revert visibility.

  • This can be done later, anytime.

Retargeting: Anywhere -> Rigify

• Obtain a Source Rig for Retargeting.

  • Ideally, the Rig should have correct proportions for limbs.

    • I had problems with the Rig I made with the Mixamo interface.

    • Maybe take a generic Mixamo Rig and adapt it for more ~compatible limbs.

• >  Use the Rokoko Workflow.

• For Mixamo:

  • Compatibility:

    • I choose to solve the 1st and 2nd vertebrae problem of Rigify via Rokoko, instead of other methods.

  • Setup:

    • m:hips = torso

    • m:spine = -

    • m:spine1 = spine_fk.002

    • m:spine2 = spine_fk.003

    • m:neck = neck

    • m:head = head

    • m:leftShoulder = shoulder.L

    • m:rightShoulder = shoulder.R

    • ~the rest just associate the '_fk's.

  • With this setup, there are still differences from the Proxy method:

    • The Torso frame moves and rotates, while the Proxy method only moves.

• For other places:

  • Compatibility:

    • I choose to solve the 1st and 2nd vertebrae problem of Rigify via Rokoko, instead of other methods.

• Bake animations:

  • For FK:

    • No Bake is needed. Retargeting the animation already guarantees an animation driven only by FKs.

  • For IK:

    1. 'Bake IKs Rigify' method.

Retargeting: Anywhere -> Rigify; with functional IKs, via Retarget from a Source FK to a Target IK

• Review:

  • There were issues with Rokoko Addon Retargeting presets, which don't save Custom Entries and seem incompatible between 2 different Mixamo Rigs, even if both have the same names.

  • The method works and can be interesting but involves a lot of manual work, often adapting FK behavior to IK or creating new Bones in the Source for coherent Retargeting.

  • It always gives the impression that a lot of polishing is needed for a satisfactory result.

• Information:

  • Retargeting: Make a Source FK Bone Retarget to a Target IK Bone .

  • This method is more useful when:

    • Limbs have both IK and FK; as in Rigify.

    • IK Poles do not need linking; as in Rigify.

• Create a Rigify Rig.

  • I chose to solve the 1st and 2nd vertebrae problem via Rokoko, instead of other methods.

• Obtain a Source Rig for Retargeting.

• Use Rokoko workflow for Mixamo -> Rigify Retargeting +  Retarget from a Source FK to a Target IK.

  • I had problems Retargeting Mixamo hands to Rigify, since the Mixamo Rig has hands but they aren't animated and have no slots in Rokoko Addon's Retarget tab.

    • I tried giving the Mixamo Rig hands Keyframes to Retarget the Source hand FK to the Target hand IK.

      • This didn't work well, as the Target hand was offset after Retarget, but the idea works.

    • I had issues saving Retarget presets here, as Rokoko Addon apparently doesn't save Custom Entries.

  • I think the best option is to simulate controllers in the Source Rig:

    • Retargeting: Retarget IKs via Pole simulation {42:00 -> 53:10} .

    • Can use 'Retarget Helper addon' to facilitate pseudo-poles creation.

Pseudo-Retargeting: Using Mixamo animations, with functional IKs, using a Rigify or Custom Rig

• Review:

  • This method is inspired by 'Workflow: Using animations from anywhere, with functional IKs, using Retargeting, using a Rigify Rig, making IKs copy FK movements, with a Rig Proxy'.

  • This method only makes things more confusing and hinders Baked Action playback due to the large number of constraints between Rigify Rig and Proxy Rig, similar to the method it is inspired by.

  • I consider this method an improved version, simplifying the Workflow by removing redundancy of using a Rig Proxy AND  Retargeting with Rokoko Addon, since this method doesn't use Rokoko Addon.

• Information:

  • Uses a generic 'Mixamo' / 'Rokoko Studio' Rig as Intermediate Rig, establishing Constraints to the Target Armature.

  • Advantages:

    • Removes the need to redo this method for each animation / removes Retargeting between Source and Target Armature with Rokoko Addon.

    • The bone names are fixed for a workflow, so new animations can just be placed in the Intermediate Rig, working without issues due to bone name matching.

    • Can be used for any Rig.

• Create a Rigify Rig.

• Obtain a Mixamo Rig.

• Define Constraints between Mixamo Rig and Rigify Rig; Rigify Rig will copy Mixamo Rig movement.

  1. Method 1:

     • Use 'Child Of' between Target Armature IKs and Mixamo Armature FKs

       • Retargeting: Using 'Child Of' modifier on Target Armature pointing to Source Armature .

         • This video creates a "Workflow 'Rokoko Studio -> Rigfy'".

       • Maybe this only works if Target and Source Armatures have the same proportions, as alignment is needed.

  2. Method 2:

     • Using 'Copy Transforms' on FKs and 'Child Of' on IKs, then Bake:

       • Summarized, this corresponds to 'Workflow: Using animations from anywhere, with functional IKs, using Retargeting, using a Rigify Rig, making IKs copy FK movements, with a Rig Proxy'.

• Bake animations:

  • For FK:

    • No Bake needed. Retargeting ensures animation driven by FKs.

  • For IK:

    1. 'Bake IKs Rigify' method.

    2. 'Constraints IK->FK + Bake via Pose -> Bake Action' method.

Retargeting: Using animations from anywhere, with functional IKs, making IKs copy FK movements with a Rig Proxy

• Review:

  • This Workflow is an overly complicated and unnecessary version of 'Workflow: Using animations from anywhere, with functional IKs, using Retargeting, making IKs receive FK Retarget'. A Rig Proxy is not needed.

  • This method only makes things confusing and hinders Baked Action playback due to many constraints between Rigify Rig and Proxy Rig.

  • This method is based on the poor strategy in this video: Retargeting: Retarget using Constraints and Bake between Target Armature and an Intermediate Rig .

• Create a Rigify Rig.

• Setup the Rigify Proxy Rig:

  • Append the 'Rig Proxy Basis Human' I made.

    • How it was made:

      • Use 'Game Rig Tools Addon' to create a Proxy Rig using the Rigify Rig.

        • Pick bones:

          • All '_fk' (green).

          • All 'spine_fk' (blue).

          • Torso (yellow cube).

          • Neck, Head.

      • Fix the Proxy Rig:

        • Fix parenting of lower torso region between 'spine_fk', 'spine_fk.001', and 'spine_fk.002'.

        • Make 'torso' a "child" of the Proxy Rig root bone movement ('spine_fk'), using 'Child Of' constraint on torso Bone.

        • Change 'Child Of' constraint settings to:

          • Disable all 3 rotation axes.

          • Check Set Inverse.

• Use 'Game Rig Tools Addon' to make Rigify Rig follow Proxy Rig movement.

• Obtain a Source Rig for Retargeting.

• Use 'Rokoko Addon' to Retarget the animation  embedded in the Source Rig (e.g., Mixamo Rig) to the Target Rig (created Proxy Rig).

  • You can import 'Rokoko - Rig Mixamo to Rig Proxy Basic Human.json' so naming in the Addon is automatic.

• Bake animations:

  • For FK:

    1. 'Bake via Pose -> Bake Action' method.

  • For IK:

    1. 'Bake IKs Rigify' method.

    2. 'Constraints IK->FK + Bake via Pose -> Bake Action' method.

Main Rig: Mixamo Rig

Pseudo-Retargeting: Using Mixamo animations with functional IKs

• Using the Mixamo website to create the initial Armature:

  • Mixamo: Explanation of the Mixamo workflow; Using the website for Rigging and Addon for IKs {7:07 -> 9:37}, applying multiple animations to the model {12:55 -> 14:56} .

    • The addon allows snapping IK -> FK, and FK -> IK, as shown at the end of the video.

  • Mixamo + Rigfy: Using Rigfy's face on a Mixamo armature + how to merge Armatures into one .

  • Mixamo: Simple tips for Mixamo workflow; Textures, Weight Paint, Limitations, Re-import to the site .

  • Do not download the model using 'Original Pose', as it seems incompatible with Blender.

  • Characters with capes do not have animated capes. The animations only animate the basic generic skeleton for any character.

• Import:

  • Mixamo: Fixing import problems of some Mixamo models .

    • The Retarget Helper addon is used.

  • I had many  issues when applying 'Apply Scale' to the Mixamo Rig or Mesh. This creates several problems with the mesh and rig origin points, but the biggest issue is with animations, which have very high and disproportionate parameters, only making sense if default disproportionate scales are used.

• Using the Mixamo Addon to generate IK and controllers:

  • Mixamo Rig comes without any controllers but can use the Mixamo Addon  to create controllers for the Rigs. Addon options are in the right-hand panel of the 3D View.

  • Although Retargeting other Armatures to this Armature is possible, by default it is limited to Mixamo animations.

• Step-by-step:

  • To have a character with multiple animations, you only need a T-Pose Rig with the Mesh internally, serving as a base .

    • The T-Pose animation can be deleted without issues.

  • After importing the animation, the instantiated Rig/Mesh can be deleted, since the only useful data is the animation it carries.

  • Files with new Mixamo animations can be imported. These files may contain Rigs and/or Meshes, but it doesn't matter, as the only important data is the animation included with the file.

  • To add a new animation, simply click the T-Pose Rig and add the downloaded animation to it.

    • This works because all animations reference the same Bones, as all Mixamo Bones have the same name regardless of the character.

  • If the character has a texture, it is important to Export the file to glTF at least once, so that textures stored internally in the .blend file are 'spit out' to the File System.

• ~Bake the animations?

Animation

Animation Editors

• Timeline .

• Actions .

• Dope Sheet.

  • Dope Sheet Editor .

  • Action Editor .

  • Grease Pencil Editor .

  • Shape Key Editor .

    • I do not know  why a Shape Key Editor is necessary. Why can't a Shape Key Keyframe be placed inside an Action? The separation between 'Animations without Shape Keys' and 'Animations with only Shape Keys' seems unnecessary and silly.

  • Mask Editor: ?.

  • Cache File: ?.

• Graph Editor .

• Non-Linear Animation Editor:

  • General .

  • Using the Pin icon that appears when editing a track .

  • 'Stashing' .

    • This video  explains the use of Stash, to store animations inside an object's NLA Editor. This is useful for importing objects.

  • 'Meta Strips' .

    • Just a way to group strips. The name is silly.

  • Right-hand panel properties .

• Pose Library .

  • The Pose Library should be managed through the Asset Browser  tab; the mini-tab in Pose Mode is just a shortcut.

    • Asset Browser .

  • To add new Poses to the Pose Library, the Asset Library selected in the Asset Browser must be 'Current File'; otherwise, the options to add Poses are disabled.

• Drivers.

  • Drivers .

  • Driver Editor .

Linking animations to an Object

• When adding a new animation to an object via Action Editor or '< New >' in the NLA Editor, the mesh gets a "link" to that animation.

  • This may not be desirable most of the time, especially when using the NLA Editor to organize animations.

• This "link" can be checked in the following ways:

  • Check if there is any animation in the 'orange slot' ("animation slot") of the NLA Editor.

  • Check if there is any animation inside the Mesh, in the 'Outliner -> View Layer' tab.

    • Editing an Action via 'Start Editing Stashed Action' in the NLA Editor makes the animation appear in this session, but after finishing the edit, it disappears.

  • Check if there is any animation open in the Action Editor.

    • Editing an Action via 'Start Editing Stashed Action' in the NLA Editor makes the animation appear in this session, but after finishing the edit, it disappears.

Comparison of Animation Editors

• The difference between Timeline and Dope Sheet Editor is:

  • Timeline advantages:

    • Allows changing Playback options (sound, display, etc.) and Keying options (placing a new keyframe).

    • Allows controlling animation playback: Play, Pause, rewind, etc.

  • Dope Sheet Editor advantages:

    • Allows slightly deeper editing of animation keyframes; e.g., handle visualization.

• Difference between Dope Sheet Editor and Action Editor:

  • Dope Sheet Editor advantages:

    • Can view multiple actions from different meshes, while Action Editor only shows 1 action at a time.

    • Can view and edit animation of any mesh, regardless of which mesh is selected. Action Editor only shows animations of the selected mesh.

      • Even with 'Only Show Selected' unchecked; this option doesn't make any difference when using Action Editor.

  • Action Editor advantages:

    • Can rename, create new Actions, save an Action (click the shield icon), and unlink an Action from a mesh; animations are never deleted here.

    • Has an extra option in the Marker tab.

    • Can interact with the NLA Editor.

    • Right-hand panel is always open, without selecting a random track in the Action; tabs of both editors are identical.

  • Apart from these differences, both are exceptionally similar.

• What to use:

  • Use only Timeline and Action Editor; Dope Sheet Editor is replaceable and obsolete compared to Action Editor; Timeline has the same advantages as Dope Sheet Editor over Action Editor.

Animation Editing

Workflow: Using NLA Tracks (Timeline + NLA + Action Editor or Dope Sheet Editor style)

• Creating animations for a new object:

  • Options:

    1. Select the object and create Keyframes for it (pressing I).

    2. Select the object and click 'New' at the top center of the Action Editor.

  • Either option gives the mesh an "Animation Slot". A 'Push down' can be done on this animation to move it into an NLA Track.

    • The object cannot  have more than 1 "Animation Slot" associated with it.

    • The object can  have more than 1 Animation Track associated with it.

  • The animation filling the "Animation Slot" occupies the orange region of the NLA Track; i.e., the "Animation Slot" corresponds to an animation that belongs to an object but has never been 'Pushed down'.

• Creating new animations:

  • Options:

    1. Click '< No Action >', go to the right-hand side of the NLA Editor, and click 'New'.

       • Problem:  Animations created here are protected. While used in an NLA track, they are protected. Otherwise, they are not.

         • To fix this, open Action Editor, select the animation, and click the shield icon. Then check X to prevent linking the animation to the selected mesh.

    2. Action Editor Only  Click 'New' at the top center of the Action Editor.

• Deleting existing  animations:

  • Options:

    1. Go to 'Outliner -> Blender File -> Actions' and delete the desired animation.

• Adding new Tracks:

  • Options:

    1. Click 'Add -> Add Tracks' in the NLA Editor.

    2. Create a new Action and 'Push Down' it. Can be done via:

       1. 'Push down action' button in NLA Editor.

       2. 'Push down' button in Action Editor.

• Removing Tracks:

  • Options:

    1. Select the track in the left-hand side of the NLA Editor and press Delete or X.

    2. Click 'Edit -> Delete Tracks' in the NLA Editor.

• Adding existing  animations to a Track:

  • Options:

    1. Press 'Shift + A' in the NLA Editor.

    2. Click 'Add -> Add Action Strip' in the NLA Editor.

  • By default, a track/~some element of the track should be selected.

  • If the Timeline is over an animation within the track, the new animation will be added to a new  track.

  • If the Timeline is not over an animation within the track, the new animation will be added to the same  track.

• Removing animations from the Track:

  • Options:

    1. Select the animation in the track and press Delete or X in the NLA Editor.

    2. Click 'Edit -> Delete Strip' in the NLA Editor.

• Make NLA Editor stop affecting an object without Tracks:

  • Options:

    1. Click 'Remove Empty Animation Data' on the left side of the NLA Editor; this deletes any empty Tracks.

Workflow: Using Loose Actions (Timeline + Action Editor)

• Creating animations for a new object:

  • Options:

    1. Select the object and create Keyframes for it (pressing I).

    2. Select the object and click 'New' at the top center of the Action Editor.

  • Either option gives the mesh an "Animation Slot".

    • The object cannot  have more than 1 "Animation Slot" associated with it.

• Creating new animations:

  • Options:

    1. Click 'New' at the top center of the Action Editor.

    2. Click 'New Action' icon at the top center of the Action Editor; it is between the Shield and X icons.

• Deleting existing  animations:

  • Options:

    1. Go to 'Outliner -> Blender File -> Actions' and delete the desired animation.

• Limitations:

  • This method makes combining animations more difficult.

Animation Baking

Rigify Bake: Action Snap 'IK->FK'

• When to use:

  • .

• Click the 'Action' button in 'IK->FK (~IK_name)' for each IK Bone in the Rigify Addon 3D View panel.

• How it works:

  • Automatically performs 'Snap IK->FK' for each frame of the current animation, then creates a Transform Keyframe for that bone.

  • Works regardless of whether the Rigify Rig is in IK or FK mode.

• When baking:

  • Generated Keyframes will overwrite current Keyframes of the current animation.

    • Replacement is only  done on IK Bone Keyframes; if the animation is FK and 'Slow IK Bake' is done, the animation will contain both FK and IK Bone Keyframes.

  • Created Keyframes:

    • Action 'IK->FK (foot)':

      • foot_heel_ik

      • foot_spin_ik

      • foot_ik

      • toe_ik

      • thigh_ik

    • Action 'IK->FK (hand)':

      • hand_ik

      • upper_arm_ik

• (Optional) Fix imperfections:

  • Sometimes it’s better to do this while the animation is 'paused', or perhaps 'paused at frame 0', or maybe with Rig in Clear Transform.

  • IK keyframes for 'upper_arm_ik' can sometimes bug. Often, these keyframes can be safely deleted.

  • Note: 'Slow IK Bake' results are slightly inaccurate compared to FK animation. Can be checked by turning off Rig IKs before deleting FK Keyframes. However, the motion difference is almost imperceptible.

• If you want the animation to contain only IK Bones (for clarity and consistency), Keyframes of exclusive FK Bones  can be safely deleted.

  • 'Exclusive FK Bone Collections' are based on 'Leg (FK)', 'Leg (Tweak)', 'Arm (FK)', and 'Arm (Tweak)'. 'spine_fk's have no IK counterpart, i.e., 'spine_fk's are regular Bones , as are 'torso', 'hips', 'shoulder', 'neck', 'head', 'root'.

  • Tweak Bones  are regular Bones , but as no ready animations affect Tweak Bones, any Keyframe with 'tweak' in the name can be safely deleted.

• Tip for deleting Keyframes: hide the exclusive FK Bones  Bone Collections in the View3D tab, press A (select all), and delete their tracks in the Action Editor.

General Bake: Pose -> Bake Action

• When to use:

  • .

• Rigify Rig -> Pose Mode -> Select all Bones -> Bake Action.

  • 'Frame Step' = 1.

    • Unknown purpose.

  • Uncheck 'Only Selected Bones'.

    • Leaving checked can hinder animation playback when muting Armature constraints.

    • Leaving unchecked allows animation playback when muting Armature constraints.

    • Despite the same number of Tracks in the 2 generated animations, unchecking 'Only Selected Bones' creates more keyframes for hidden bones.

      • Example: simple walk comparison in Godot showed 20 more Deformation Bones tracks for the 'unchecked' case than the 'checked' case.

    • This option is tricky and hard to decide. If doing 'Clear Constraints', keep it checked; otherwise, leave unchecked.

  • Check 'Visual Keying'.

  • Uncheck 'Clear Constraints' and 'Clear Parents'.

    • Leaving these checked breaks the relationship between Rigify Rig and Proxy Rig.

  • 'Bake Data' = Pose.

General Bake: (IK->FK Constraints + Bake) + (Pose -> Bake Action)

• When to use:

  • .

• Makes Target Rig IKs use 'Copy Rotation' / 'Child Of' from corresponding Source Rig FKs or Target Rig itself.

  • Not preferred, as constraints handling can be tricky if you want to disable them.

  • Observed '~unintended snap' in 'Red IK controller arrows'; seems characteristic in some videos.

    • Causes a ~teleport effect of the limb, which is bad.

• Bake using 'Bake via Pose -> Bake Action'.