Bones
An armature that deforms artwork when it moves.
A bone is a segment with a start and an end that can be parented to another bone. Move a bone and the artwork weighted to it deforms — which is how you animate a character by posing a skeleton instead of redrawing shapes.
Bones form a hierarchy. Rotating an upper arm carries the forearm and the hand with it.
When to reach for it#
- Characters and creatures.
- Mechanical arms, cranes, anything jointed.
- Any artwork where one movement should carry several parts.
Parameters#
Which bone this one hangs from. The chain determines what carries what.
Segment length. Bone length affects how weights fall off, so it is worth getting roughly right before painting weights.
The main thing you animate. Rotation is relative to the parent, so a whole limb can be posed from the shoulder.
Things that catch people out#
The bind pose is the reference the deformation measures against. Move bones before binding and the artwork inherits the offset permanently.
See also#
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