Chapter 2 – Rigging notes weights anchors blend areas

Chapter 2: Rigging Notes (Weights, Anchors, Blend Areas)

Created by Sarah Choi (prompt writer using ChatGPT)

Rigging Notes (Weights, Anchors, Blend Areas)

1. Why Rigging Notes Matter to Costume Concept Artists

When you hear “rigging,” it’s easy to think, “That’s 3D’s job.” But if you’re designing costumes for games, rigging is one of your closest invisible collaborators.

Every time a character bends their knee, raises their arm, twists their spine, or swings a weapon, the rig is deciding how the mesh deforms. Your costume lives on that deformation. If you design without any awareness of rigging, you risk:

Armor that crushes or floats in motion.
Cloth and straps that shear unnaturally at joints.
Emblems and motifs that warp until they’re unreadable.
Extra work for Character Art, Rigging, Tech Art, and Animation.

Rigging notes are your way of meeting those teams halfway. They’re not detailed tech docs—you’re not writing skinning code—but they’re clear visual and written hints about:

Weights – where the costume should move with the body and where it should stay rigid.
Anchors – where pieces are attached to the skeleton or to other costume parts.
Blend areas – where deformations can be softened, faded, or shared between bones.

This article is written equally for:

Concept‑side costume artists, who shape the visual and narrative logic of the wardrobe.
Production‑side costume artists, who refine concepts into structured handoff packages.

We’ll frame rigging notes as a key tool for partnering with Character Art, Rigging, Tech Art, Animation, Narrative, UI, and Audio, focusing on metrics, motion, story, and interaction.

2. The Rigging Lens: Thinking in Bones and Deformation

You don’t need to know every technical detail, but adopting a rigging lens changes the way you design.

Under the surface, your character has:

A skeleton (bones and joints) representing motion.
Skin weights telling each vertex how much to follow which bones.
Blend areas where influences from multiple bones mix to create smooth bending.

Your costume sits on top of this and roughly falls into three broad behavior types:

Rigid with bone – hard armor that rotates or translates as one piece with a bone.
Softly weighted – cloth, leather, skin‑tight suits that deform with the body.
Secondary motion – extras that use special bones or sims (capes, tassels, chains).

Rigging notes are your way of saying, “This shoulder plate acts like a rigid shell anchored here,” or “This leather sleeve stretches with the arm, but this engraved band should stay as round as possible.”

3. Metrics: Understanding the Rig’s Limits

Before you can write useful rigging notes, you need a sense of what the rig actually does.

3.1 Movement Ranges and Weight Behavior

The rig defines how far each joint can move and how weights blend across those movements. For example:

A shoulder may rotate up, forward, and back through a wide range.
A knee mostly flexes and extends in a single plane.
The spine twists and bends with multiple bones sharing the deformation.

As a costume concept artist, knowing this gives you a mental checklist:

“If this emblem crosses the spine, it will twist and stretch a lot.”
“If this armor ring sits directly on the elbow joint, it will deform heavily unless treated as a rigid shell.”

3.2 Comfort vs. Extreme Motion

Rigging often supports both:

Comfort motion: idle breathing, light gestures, walking.
Extreme motion: combat, acrobatics, cinematic poses.

Your rigging notes should acknowledge both:

“This collar must clear head tilt and twist—avoid rigid spikes right behind the jaw.”
“These knee guards should look good in deep crouch; design shape and placement accordingly.”

Production‑side artists can work with Rigging and Animation to define a small set of reference poses that concept artists use for testing and for annotating rigging notes.

4. Weights: Where the Costume Stretches and Where It Doesn’t

Weights determine how much a vertex follows a particular bone. Even at a high level, thinking about weights helps you design more intelligently.

4.1 Soft‑Weighted Regions

Soft‑weighted regions are where the costume flexes and stretches with the body:

Tight jackets over the torso.
Cloth pants and leggings.
Sleeves attached directly to the arm.

As a concept artist, you can assume these areas will deform with the underlying anatomy, so:

Surface patterns and lines will bend as the body bends.
Seams and darts can be used to hide or reinforce deformation lines.

Rigging notes here might say:

“This under‑suit is fully soft‑weighted; panel lines follow muscle direction.”
“Decorative stripes are aligned with deformation to avoid ugly shearing.”

4.2 Rigid or Semi‑Rigid Regions

Rigid regions should not stretch or collapse much:

Armor plates.
Hard shin guards and knee pads.
Rigid corsets, bracers, and greaves.

These parts often get their own rigid weighting to one or a few bones, and sometimes extra helper bones. As a designer:

Avoid wrapping rigid elements directly across joints (e.g., a metal ring exactly on an elbow crease).
Use panel breaks to keep rigid shapes on one side of a joint where possible.

Rigging notes might say:

“Forearm bracer remains rigid with forearm bone; design avoids crossing elbow crease.”
“Chest plate is rigid across upper torso; bottom edge sits above bending area of the waist.”

4.3 Blend Areas

Blend areas are the transition zones between rigid and soft‑weighted regions:

Where a metal pauldron meets a soft sleeve.
Where a rigid chest piece transitions into a flexible abdominal section.

As a costume artist, you can design blending geometry and materials:

Soft padding, straps, or flexible paneling between armor and cloth.
Overlapping plates that can slide, giving Rigging something to work with.

Your notes can highlight:

“These ribbed segments are designed as blend areas between rigid chest and soft belly—intended to bend without breaking design.”

5. Anchors: Where the Costume Connects to the Rig

Anchors are the specific areas where costume elements are attached to the skeleton or to other pieces.

5.1 Structural Anchors

These are major points where costume weight and motion are supported:

Belts anchored to the pelvis.
Harnesses anchored to the chest and upper back.
Capes anchored to the collarbones or upper back.

When you define anchors clearly, Rigging and Tech Art can:

Place bones or constraints in those locations.
Ensure motion feels natural: capes pivot where they attach, belts rotate with hips.

Rigging notes might include callouts like:

“Cloak anchors to two points just behind clavicles, under shoulder plates.”
“Holster loops attach at belt ring on right hip, not to thigh directly.”

5.2 Visual vs. Functional Anchors

Sometimes the visual anchor (where something looks like it’s attached) and the functional anchor (where it’s actually rigged) need to differ slightly for performance or deformation reasons.

As a concept artist, your notes can:

Suggest both: “Visually connected here, but okay if rigging slightly offsets anchor for cleaner motion.”
Give permission: “Decorative chain can be rigged to chest bone even though it appears to hang from collar medallion.”

Production‑side artists often negotiate these small offsets with Rigging and Tech Art and then adjust the concept callouts to reflect the final practical solution.

5.3 Secondary Motion Anchors

Elements like tassels, charms, and dangling accessories need stable anchors:

Earring anchors at ear bones.
Tassels anchored to helmet edges.
Chains anchored to belt loops.

Notes here help Rigging and Tech Art decide whether to:

Use simple secondary bones.
Use lightweight physics or sim solutions.

6. Blend Areas in Detail: Designing for Smooth Deformation

Blend areas are often the difference between a costume that moves believably and one that collapses.

6.1 Joint Neighborhoods

Every joint has a neighborhood where deformation is most intense:

The area above and below the knee.
The region around the elbow crease.
The lower ribs and upper pelvis around the waist.

Good costume design acknowledges these neighborhoods and uses blend areas to:

Transition from rigid to soft.
Provide visual breakup that matches underlying deformation.

6.2 Visual Devices That Help Blending

You can design:

Straps and buckles that visually span the blend area, hiding small distortions.
Layered panels that overlap and can be rigged to slide.
Quilted or ribbed sections that naturally compress and stretch.

Notes might say:

“Segmented abdominal plates are designed to compress and expand with spine bending.”
“Ribbed elbow panel is a blend area; expected to stretch slightly.”

Production‑side artists can refine these cues into more precise rigging notes and diagrams.

7. Partnering with Character Art

Character Art transforms your shapes into a working mesh, so your rigging notes are a direct collaboration with them.

7.1 Clear Separation of Elements

Your notes should help Character Art understand:

Which pieces are separate geo for rigging and animation.
Which pieces can be merged to save budget.

For example:

“Cape is separate mesh; collar trim is part of chest piece.”
“Knee armor is separate object; shin guard and boot are fused.”

This affects how weights and anchors are set up and how much flexibility Rigging has.

7.2 Respecting Topology and Deformation

While you don’t draw topology, you can:

Avoid placing tiny, critical details exactly where the body bends hardest.
Place seam lines where they support likely edge flow (along muscles or bend lines).

This makes it easier for Character Art to create clean deformation and for Rigging to weight efficiently.

8. Partnering with Rigging & Tech Art

Rigging and Tech Art are the primary audience for your rigging notes.

8.1 What Rigging Needs to See in Your Notes

Useful rigging notes answer:

Which pieces are rigid vs. soft vs. sim.
Where the main anchors are for capes, holsters, harnesses.
Where you prefer visual stability (logos, motifs) vs. where you accept distortion.

You might mark:

“Faction emblem on chest should stay as stable as possible; avoid heavy stretching.”
“Skirt hem may compress slightly when crouching; acceptable so long as silhouette holds.”

8.2 What Tech Art Needs to See

Tech Art cares about:

Complexity of sim and bones.
Potential collision hotspots.
Where blend areas are intended to absorb motion.

Your notes can highlight:

“Cloak: sim priority, medium resolution, may collide with backpack—open to simplification.”
“Hip scarf: optional sim; could be simple bone chain if budgets are tight.”

Production‑side artists often convert these into consistent legend‑based maps (color‑coded areas for sim vs. rigid vs. blended) as part of final costume packages.

9. Partnering with Animation

Animation feels the consequences of your rig‑awareness (or lack of it) every day.

9.1 Motion‑First Design

When sketching or painting costumes, think about:

How the costume looks in key poses and arcs.
Which elements accentuate motion (flowing cloth, swinging straps).

Your rigging notes can support this by:

Calling out pieces that should lag slightly or lead motion (with sim or bone chains).
Identifying areas where Animation should avoid extreme pushes (e.g., “This rigid collar limits head tilt a bit; see notes.”).

9.2 Avoiding Animation Lock‑In

Some costume designs inadvertently force Animation into a corner:

Massive shoulder armor that blocks arm raises.
Overly tight skirts that prevent deep crouches.

Partnering means being open to feedback:

If Animation says, “We need X range of motion,” consider redesigning blend areas and anchors.
Update your rigging notes and visuals to reflect any compromises: shorten plates, add slits, move weights.

10. Partnering with Narrative, UI & Audio

Rigging notes even touch Narrative, UI, and Audio, indirectly.

10.1 Narrative: Where Stability or Restriction Is Story

Sometimes narrative wants:

A character whose armor is restrictive, signaling status or sacrifice.
A dancer whose costume flows dramatically with motion.

Your rigging notes make this intention clear:

“Collar intentionally restricts full head tilt; character carries that stiffness as part of their persona.”
“Skirt designed to flare on spins; sim priority to support dancer archetype.”

This helps Animation, Rigging, and Tech Art understand where to lean in and where to compromise.

10.2 UI: Keeping Reads Stable

UI relies on stable shapes and motifs:

Class and team emblems.
Face and head silhouettes.

Rigging notes can support UI readability:

“Shoulder icon remains on relatively rigid plate; designed to stay readable during combat.”
“No critical UI colors on highly deforming areas (inner thighs, underarms).”

10.3 Audio: Where Movement Creates Sound

Audio may add:

Clinks for armor.
Swishes for cloth.
Rattles for chains and charms.

Rigging notes indicating how and where things move help Audio decide:

Which elements should have audible presence.
Which are mostly static and don’t need sound.

For example:

“Hip chain designed to jostle on sprint and attack; small but noticeable sound cue.”

11. Practical Ways to Write Rigging Notes

Rigging notes don’t need to be long. They just need to be clear, visual, and consistent.

11.1 Color‑Coded Overlays

On a turnaround or pose sheet, you can overlay:

One color for rigid elements.
Another for soft‑weighted elements.
Another for sim or secondary motion.

You can also mark:

Anchor points with small icons or dots.
Blend areas with gradient or cross‑hatch patterns.

11.2 Short Annotations, Not Essays

Keep text notes short and specific:

“Rigid with forearm bone; no bend over elbow.”
“Blend area—ribbed panel designed to stretch.”
“Sim candidate; medium weight fabric, knee‑length.”

11.3 Shared Legend Across the Team

Work with Character Art, Rigging, and Tech Art to define a shared legend:

Consistent colors for rigid/soft/sim.
Standard symbols for anchors and special bones.

This makes your notes readable to anyone on the project, not just those who know your personal shorthand.

Production‑side artists are typically responsible for enforcing and maintaining this standard.

12. Concept‑Side vs. Production‑Side Responsibilities

12.1 Concept‑Side Costume Artists

Your goals with rigging notes are to:

Show that you’ve thought about how the costume moves, not just how it looks.
Highlight where story and role require special motion treatment.
Flag potential problem zones early so other departments can respond.

You don’t have to solve everything—just frame the conversation well.

12.2 Production‑Side Costume Artists

Your goals with rigging notes are to:

Turn concept intent into consistent visual documentation.
Align rigging notes with actual rigs, base meshes, and tech constraints.
Provide clear material to Character Art, Rigging, Tech Art, Animation, UI, and Audio in the final costume package.

You’re the bridge between expressive intent and practical implementation.

13. From Pretty Paintings to Rig‑Aware Costumes

Rigging notes—weights, anchors, blend areas—might seem technical at first glance, but they’re really about respecting motion and partnering across disciplines.

For concept‑side costume artists, learning to think in weights and anchors makes your designs more believable and reduces friction later in the pipeline. You’re still designing fantasy, but it’s fantasy that can actually move.

For production‑side costume artists, formalizing those thoughts into clear overlays and callouts turns the costume into a shared blueprint for Character Art, Rigging, Tech Art, Animation, Narrative, UI, and Audio.

When rigging awareness becomes part of your everyday costume design language, you no longer hand off a static painting. You deliver a moving character system—a costume that makes sense in motion, supports the story, interacts cleanly with the game’s systems, and feels great in the hands, eyes, and ears of the player.