There are so many rigs available, it can be tough to decide which ones to use! Luckily we have some favorites here at the JDA Workshop that we recommend for our students. We’ve split them into categories below.
These rigs are where you should start if you’re new to animation. Use them to learn fundamentals, master the 12 principles, and lay a solid foundation to build on with more complex rigs later on.
With these rigs you’ll have everything you need to learn the fundamentals of animation. We even use some of these rigs here at JDA Workshop! They include a bouncing ball, a ball with a tail, a pendulum, and a ball with legs.
Created by Ugur Ulvi Yetiskin
Grab them here
Similarly, this is another great group of rigs to practice basic animation exercises. It includes a bouncing ball, a ball with tail, and a pendulum. We use some of these at the workshop too!
Created by Carlos Contreras
Grab them here
These two rigs are great for when you’re ready for something a bit more complex than a bouncing ball, but aren’t quite ready for full body mechanics yet. Fantastic for practicing squash and stretch, anticipation, staging, and appeal with simple, easy to use rigs.
Created by Joe Daniels
Once you’ve master the basics, you can introduce more complex full body rigs to begin working on your body mechanics, and eventually on your pantomime acting. Here are some of our favorites for this type of work.
These rigs are fantastic. They have pretty much every feature you could want in a body mechanics rig, plus they can be customized with different textures for robotic or human versions. They’re also really fantastic for pantomime shots.
Created by Josh Sobel
Grab them here (note that this is the “family bundle” but Josh also sells smaller packages with just some of the rigs for a lower price, and even a free pair of proxy rigs if you’d like to try them out first, so be sure to check out his full store for all the options)
Also, my students get a discount code for Josh’s store so if you’d like to grab these rigs for a little bit cheaper be sure to sign up for a mentorship!
This is the same link as the above Ulitmate Rigs, since within that package there are also a couple really nice body mechanics rigs: Ultimate Bony and Ultimate Beefy. Simple, easy to use (and free!) rigs to get started with body mechanics.
Created by Ugur Ulvi Yetiskin
Grab them here
These rigs are another great option for practicing body mechanics! Really well made and lightweight, perfect for getting started on more complex exercises.
Created by Joe Daniels
Grab them here
Kiel Figgins is a veteran animator who has also created dozens of rigs for folks to use for their own animation projects. In his store you’ll find tons of options to practice with, including bipeds, quads, creatures, mechs, props, and even some environments. He’s even thrown in some free rigs if you’d like to get a taste.
Created by Kiel Figgins
Check out his store here
Agora has a TON of awesome rigs for personal and student use, including a lot of fun fan rigs of Marvel characters, Pokemon, Ninja Turtles, Mario, and Street Fighter, and more! Plus they’ve got props and sets as well. A great resource!
Created by Agora
Check out their rigs here
Got a handle on body mechanics and pantomime acting? Time to dive into full featured rigs ready for all your acting needs. The following rigs all have high quality facial rigs capable of expressive facial posing and lip sync.
Another set of really high quality rigs, a fantastic choice for acting work. Both have unique, appealing designs, and there are a few different outfit options available as well, plus Apollo also has a variant. They’re also sold separately if you only want one.
Created by Ramon Arango
Check out his store here
Tired of animating humans? This rig is a great option if you’d like to try a shot with an animal/human hybrid. Super appealing design!
Created by Lawrence Cordero
Grab the rig here
Another great option for working on acting exercises is the Aisha rig. A super appealing design with two different outfit options included
Created by Sagar Arun
Grab the rig here
These four rigs are another great option for your acting shots, with lovely, appealing designs that work well together for multi character shots as well. Plus, Dana comes with a few different hairstyles.
Created by Gabriel Salas
Grab the rigs here
The Vittorio rig is another fantastic option for your acting needs, he comes with a picker as well as Maya and Arnold shaders. The Deluxe version also has clothing variants.
Created by Hector Abraham Torres
Grab the rig here
Tyler is another awesome rig for all your acting needs with different clothing options, a picker, and a pose library included.
Created by All Things Animation
Grab the rig here
