Character rigging on Bowser’s Fury focused on supporting highly expressive, stylized animation while remaining robust enough for gameplay-driven interaction. I was responsible for creating and implementing character rigs that balanced animator-friendly controls with the technical demands of real-time performance, ensuring characters could transition smoothly between gameplay states, cinematics, and dynamic interactions.

Each rig was tailored to the unique needs of the character, from large, powerful forms requiring stable deformation and clear posing, to smaller or more whimsical characters that relied on exaggerated motion and expressive silhouettes. Particular attention was given to control layout, deformation quality, and predictable behavior under extreme poses, allowing animators to push performances while maintaining consistency and reliability throughout production.

To support both gameplay-driven behavior and animator-authored motion, I developed a custom script node that allowed rigs to switch dynamically between two control states. One state was driven programmatically by game logic, while the other handed full control to the animator, enabling precise authored animation without interference from runtime constraints.

The system was exposed through a dedicated rig attribute, allowing animators to toggle states cleanly and predictably. Under the hood, the script node managed constraint blending, hierarchy influence, and keyframe handoff to ensure smooth transitions between modes. This approach gave animators the flexibility they needed for expressive performances while preserving the technical requirements of gameplay-driven motion, resulting in a workflow that was both robust and intuitive during production.

To support animator workflows, I developed a set of Python-based animation tools within Autodesk Maya focused on improving efficiency and preserving motion quality during complex rig interactions. These tools were designed to work seamlessly with the dual-state rig system, allowing animators to switch cleanly between IK and FK control modes while maintaining pose integrity and animation continuity.

One of the key tools was an Animation Retiming Tool that allowed animators to define joint selection sets and apply controlled time offsets to their motion. This made it possible to quickly introduce secondary motion such as overlapping swings, follow-through, and subtle sways without manually adjusting individual keyframes. By giving animators intuitive control over timing and offsets, the tools helped enhance motion polish while keeping iteration fast and predictable.