Recruiter's Glossary

Examples: Skeletal Animation • Asset Pipeline • Draw Call

Animation Rigging

Term from Video Game Development industry explained for recruiters

Animation Rigging is like creating a digital skeleton inside video game characters or 3D models that allows them to move naturally. Think of it as putting invisible puppet strings on a character that animators can use to make them walk, run, or perform actions. It's similar to how a puppeteer controls a marionette, but in the digital world. This is a crucial step between creating a static 3D model and making it move in games. Without rigging, characters would be like statues - they might look great but couldn't move. This skill is essential in both video game development and animated movies.

Examples in Resumes

Created advanced Animation Rigging systems for main character movements in a AAA game title

Optimized Animation Rig setups for better game performance across multiple characters

Developed custom Animation Rigging tools to speed up character animation workflow

Implemented complex Character Rigging solutions for a team of animators

Typical job title: "Technical Animators"

Also try searching for:

Character TD Character Technical Director Technical Animator Character Rigger Animation Technical Director Character Setup Artist Rigging Artist

Where to Find Technical Animators

Online Communities

Job Boards

Professional Networks

Example Interview Questions

Senior Level Questions

Q: How would you approach rigging a character that needs to transform between human and animal forms?

Expected Answer: A senior rigger should explain their problem-solving process, including planning the skeleton structure that works for both forms, creating a system for smooth transitions, and ensuring the setup is efficient for animators to use.

Q: Tell me about a time you improved a rigging pipeline to make it more efficient.

Expected Answer: They should describe specific examples of creating tools or systems that helped their team work faster, showing both technical knowledge and understanding of production needs.

Mid Level Questions

Q: How do you ensure your character rigs are animator-friendly?

Expected Answer: Should discuss creating clear controls, maintaining consistent naming conventions, and getting feedback from animators to improve usability.

Q: What's your process for testing a completed character rig?

Expected Answer: Should explain checking range of motion, stress testing movements, and verifying that all necessary animations can be achieved with the rig.

Junior Level Questions

Q: Can you explain what a control rig is and why it's important?

Expected Answer: Should be able to explain that control rigs are the interfaces animators use to pose characters, like digital puppet controls, and why they need to be intuitive to use.

Q: What's the difference between FK and IK in rigging?

Expected Answer: Should explain in simple terms that these are two ways to control joint chains - FK (Forward Kinematics) moves joints one at a time, while IK (Inverse Kinematics) moves entire chains from an end point.