Uploaded January 2023 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
🎓 ANIMATION PRINCIPLES FOR MOTION DESIGNERS - $100 OFF (ends Nov 21)
Learn the 8 core principles that separate good motion design from great motion design.
👉 jakeinmotion.com/animation-principles-for-motion-designers
Don't forget to share your results and tag me @jakeinmotion and @rxlaboratories!
Get Duik Ángela: rxlaboratory.org/tools/duik-angela
Download my characters & project files: jkinmo.com/qgq3ku
Buy my shirt: jake-in-motion.creator-spring.com
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Duik Ángela is here, and I've got the complete guide to help you start rigging and animating characters in After Effects! Character rigging and animation is a complicated subject that takes a lot of practice to get the hang of, which is why it's so important that you really understand what you're doing before you start. Fortunately, I've created this complete beginner's guide to rigging and animating your first character using Duik Ángela. You're going to learn what kinds of considerations you need to make when designing a character for rigging, how to build a skeleton using Duik's bones system, how to automatically rig the character with Duik's auto-rig feature, the best way to clean up your rigged comp for easy access to only the controls you need, and how to use Duik's auto walk and run cycles feature to animate your character. It's a lot, but it's all here. I promise that once you're done watching this tutorial you'll have a firm grasp on everything you need to rig and animate your own characters in After Effects.
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🤝 Support more YouTube tutorials through Patreon: patreon.com/jakeinmotion
🎓 Learn from me in other places:
Skillshare: bit.ly/jbskill
Explainer Camp: schoolofmotion.com/explainer-camp
Photoshop + Illustrator Unleashed: schoolofmotion.com/photoshop-and-illustrator-unleashed
🚶 Follow me online:
Instagram: bit.ly/jbinst
Twitter: bit.ly/2tOX7ui
🏷️ Tag me on Instagram @jakeinmotion if you learned something from me!
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:43 Character Artwork Prep
06:34 Setting Up After Effects
11:23 OCO Meta-Rigs
14:06 Creating Bones
15:48 Placing Bones Automatically
21:05 Bones From a Path
23:42 Creating a Spine
25:33 Leg Bones
27:06 Auto-Rigging Your Character
28:30 Rig & Comp Cleanup
31:30 Rig Controls
38:48 Auto-Walk/Run Cycles
41:24 Walk-Run Cycle Parameters
44:34 Adjusting the Arms Rotation
47:07 Correcting Knee Pops
48:27 Animating Your Character
51:45 Transitioning to a Run
55:54 Wrap Up
🎓 ANIMATION PRINCIPLES FOR MOTION DESIGNERS - $100 OFF (ends Nov 21)
Learn the 8 core principles that separate good motion design from great motion design.
👉 jakeinmotion.com/animation-principles-for-motion-designers
Don't forget to share your results and tag me @jakeinmotion and @rxlaboratories!
Get Duik Ángela: rxlaboratory.org/tools/duik-angela
Download my characters & project files: jkinmo.com/qgq3ku
Buy my shirt: jake-in-motion.creator-spring.com
---------------------------------------
Duik Ángela is here, and I've got the complete guide to help you start rigging and animating characters in After Effects! Character rigging and animation is a complicated subject that takes a lot of practice to get the hang of, which is why it's so important that you really understand what you're doing before you start. Fortunately, I've created this complete beginner's guide to rigging and animating your first character using Duik Ángela. You're going to learn what kinds of considerations you need to make when designing a character for rigging, how to build a skeleton using Duik's bones system, how to automatically rig the character with Duik's auto-rig feature, the best way to clean up your rigged comp for easy access to only the controls you need, and how to use Duik's auto walk and run cycles feature to animate your character. It's a lot, but it's all here. I promise that once you're done watching this tutorial you'll have a firm grasp on everything you need to rig and animate your own characters in After Effects.
---------------------------------------
🤝 Support more YouTube tutorials through Patreon: patreon.com/jakeinmotion
🎓 Learn from me in other places:
Skillshare: bit.ly/jbskill
Explainer Camp: schoolofmotion.com/explainer-camp
Photoshop + Illustrator Unleashed: schoolofmotion.com/photoshop-and-illustrator-unleashed
🚶 Follow me online:
Instagram: bit.ly/jbinst
Twitter: bit.ly/2tOX7ui
🏷️ Tag me on Instagram @jakeinmotion if you learned something from me!
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:43 Character Artwork Prep
06:34 Setting Up After Effects
11:23 OCO Meta-Rigs
14:06 Creating Bones
15:48 Placing Bones Automatically
21:05 Bones From a Path
23:42 Creating a Spine
25:33 Leg Bones
27:06 Auto-Rigging Your Character
28:30 Rig & Comp Cleanup
31:30 Rig Controls
38:48 Auto-Walk/Run Cycles
41:24 Walk-Run Cycle Parameters
44:34 Adjusting the Arms Rotation
47:07 Correcting Knee Pops
48:27 Animating Your Character
51:45 Transitioning to a Run
55:54 Wrap Up
