Use this page as your Week 5 reference for moving from simple bendy limbs into a full character rigging workflow: prepared artwork, bones, IK controllers, auto-rigging, walk-cycle tools, and clean animation tests.
By the end of this reference, you should understand how DUIK Angela turns layered artwork into a controllable character rig. Your goal is not a perfect production rig yet. Your goal is a rig you can pose, test, fix, and animate without losing control of the character.
🎥In-Class Follow-Along
For class today, we are following the DUIK Angela Jumpstart tutorial and using the matching Google Drive starter assets. Download the ZIP first, keep the video open, and work through the rigging steps in order with the provided artwork before trying this on your own character.
RubberHose is fast limb animation. DUIK Angela is a deeper rigging system. It can build bones, controllers, inverse kinematics, walk cycles, springs, loops, and reusable animation helpers. That power is useful, but only if the artwork is organized first.
📁Use The Starter Assets
Download the DUIK Angela Jumpstart assets before class. Use the provided artwork first so you can learn the rigging workflow without fighting messy layer prep. Once the process makes sense, you can adapt the same steps to your own character.
10 min warm-up: Watch this first if you need a quick mental model before the main class tutorial.
56 min in-class follow-along: This is the main tutorial we are watching together. Use it with the Google Drive starter assets linked at the top of this page.
16 min support reference: Use this if you need another full-body rigging walkthrough after the in-class video.
DUIK Jumpstart Cheat Sheet
Small Tips From The Video That Prevent Big Problems
Use circular joints: Elbows, knees, hips, shoulders, wrists, and ankles should overlap with clean circle-like joint areas so rotations do not reveal seams.
Plan the camera crop early: Illustrator layers behave like flat artwork once rigged. If you need close-ups, build the character larger instead of relying on continuous rasterize or shape-layer conversion.
Name layers clearly: Use readable labels such as R_Arm, R_Forearm, R_Hand, L_Thigh, L_Calf, and L_Foot. Label from the character's right/left, not the viewer's, if possible.
Design for the motion: A 3/4 pose gives more acting range. A true side/profile pose is usually better if the main goal is only a walk cycle.
Add a slight limb bend: A small bend in the arm or leg helps DUIK understand which direction the elbow or knee should solve.
Import correctly: Bring Photoshop or Illustrator artwork into After Effects as a composition and choose Retain Layer Sizes.
Use Rookie mode: In DUIK settings, switch the UI to Rookie while learning so the buttons show text labels.
Make a rigging workspace: Put the timeline on the side, keep Project/Effects visible, dock DUIK, and save the layout as a Character Rigging workspace.
Duplicate comps in stages: Keep separate versions for artwork, bones, rig, and animation so you can go backward without rebuilding everything.
Give yourself timeline room: Set the comp to at least 30 seconds before rigging so you are not extending layers later.
Follow-Along Checkpoints
0:00-8:00 • Artwork Prep
Check circular joints in outline view.
Confirm artwork resolution is large enough for your closest crop.
Name all body-part layers before importing.
Decide whether the character needs 3/4 acting range or profile walk-cycle clarity.
8:00-14:00 • Setup + DUIK Basics
Open DUIK Angela from Window.
Check the DUIK version if your interface looks different.
Switch to Rookie mode for labeled buttons.
Use Open Cutout/meta rigs as a design reference, even if you build the rig manually.
14:00-28:00 • Bones
Move anchor points to the actual joints first.
Hold Command/Control while dragging anchor points to snap to guide shapes.
Select limb artwork from root to tip before generating bones.
For legs, place toe and heel bones carefully because foot roll depends on them.
28:00-38:00 • Auto-Rig Cleanup
Hide bone visibility after auto-rigging to reduce clutter and lag.
Do not edit DUIK marker tags; DUIK uses them to track generated layers.
Use Add Zero on controllers immediately so zero/zero returns to the neutral pose.
Lock and shy artwork/bones so students animate controllers, not art layers.
38:00-48:00 • Walk/Run Cycle
Select all relevant controllers before running the walk/run cycle.
Open settings first to verify DUIK detected the correct body controls.
Use cycle duration in frames to set the work area; use one frame less than the loop length.
Invert walk speed if the character walks the wrong direction.
48:00-56:00 • Animation Polish
Keyframe General Motion from 0 to 100 to ease into the walk cycle.
Pose body/head controllers to transition from neutral into the walking pose.
When moving from walk to run, also adjust step amplitude, step frequency, body lean, and foot rotation.
Use DUIK Copy Animation/Paste Animation when copying controller keyframes across layers.
The DUIK Workflow
1. Prep
Separate body parts into clean layers before rigging.
2. Bones
Add a skeleton that matches the character's joints.
3. Rig
Use DUIK controls and IK so limbs can be posed.
4. Test
Pose extremes and find broken pivots early.
5. Animate
Block the action first, then polish timing and arcs.
Name: Use clear layer names like L_UpperArm, R_Hand, Head, Torso.
Overlap: Artwork should overlap slightly at elbows, knees, shoulders, and hips.
Anchor: Move anchor points to real joints before animation gets messy.
Guides: Add small guide circles on joints so you know exactly where rotations should happen.
Neutral pose: Start from a clean standing pose with readable limb spacing.
Built-in bend: Give arms and legs a slight bend so IK solves in the intended direction.
Simple shapes: Avoid tiny details until the rig moves correctly.
Hierarchy: Know what should follow what before parenting everything.
Save version: Duplicate the project before heavy rigging experiments.
Rigging Concepts
Bones
Bones are the skeleton of the rig. They define where the character bends and how the body structure is understood by DUIK.
Shoulder to elbow to wrist
Hip to knee to ankle
Spine and neck for torso/head control
Controllers
Controllers are the handles the animator grabs. Students should animate controllers, not hunt through artwork layers.
Hand controls
Foot controls
Body/root controls
IK
Inverse kinematics lets the end of a limb drive the chain. Move the hand control and the forearm/upper arm solve together.
Great for planted hands or feet
Useful for walk cycles
Needs clean joint direction
Quick Help Videos
3 min: Quick IK setup. Use this as the fast rescue video when you only need hand or leg IK.
54 min: Slower humanoid rigging walkthrough. Best when you need a more detailed step-by-step reference.
20 min: Face rigging reference if you want mouth, eyes, expressions, and slider controls.
Shorts / Fast Refreshers
Use Shorts Correctly
Shorts are good for seeing the order of operations quickly, but they are not enough to debug a broken rig. Use them as memory refreshers after the longer lesson videos.
Watch once for the sequence.
Pause and recreate one step.
Switch to a full tutorial when something breaks.
Advanced / Optional References
45 min: Full 2D character animation workflow. Good when you want a deeper end-to-end example.
26 min: Character animation from setup through motion. Useful bridge between rigging and performance.
4 min: Animal rigging reference. Useful if you want to rig a creature instead of a human character.
Common Problems
⚠The Limb Bends Backward
The joint direction, built-in limb bend, or IK side is probably wrong. In the hand/foot controller, check the IK side value and try switching it from 100% to -100%, or the reverse.
⚠Artwork Falls Apart
The layers were not prepared enough before rigging. Go back to separation, overlap, circular joints, naming, anchor points, and clean hierarchy.
⚠You Cannot Return To Neutral
You probably skipped Add Zero. After auto-rigging, select controller layers and use DUIK's Add Zero so typing 0,0 on a controller brings it back to its starting pose.
⚠The Comp Is Impossible To Read
Lock and shy the artwork and bones, hide bone visibility, move controller icons off the artwork, and animate only the controller layers.
⚠The Walk Goes Backward
Invert the walk speed value. A positive value walks one direction; the negative version walks the opposite direction.
⚠The Knees Pop Straight
The steps are stretching too far. Lower the body controller slightly, adjust step amplitude/frequency, and avoid poses where the leg fully locks straight.
⚠The Loop Has A Hitch
Check DUIK's cycle duration in frames and set your work area to one frame before the repeated frame. For a 24-frame cycle, preview frames 0-23.
⚠Rig Works, Animation Feels Stiff
That is an animation problem, not only a rig problem. Add anticipation, arcs, offset timing, and follow-through after the pose test works.
Practice Export
InterMD_DUIK_Test_StudentName_YYYYMMDD_v01.mp4
Render a 5-8 second pose test showing your DUIK rig in at least three readable poses: neutral, extreme reach/step, and a small animated action. The goal is proof that the rig can be controlled.
💡Rigging Tip
Rigging is debugging. If the rig breaks, do not panic. Isolate one limb, fix one control chain, then test again. Clean rigs are built through small checks, not one giant perfect setup.