I NEED A MAYA RIGGER

I need to find Maya character rigger for my short film!

Finding quality riggers to handle your characters for short films is one of the hardest tasks in front of independent filmmakers working in CG. This page is created to help you find the right rigger or rigging tools for your film. ~Good luck!

How much will a quality character/creature rig cost me?

  • The cost of a rigger varies from person to person depending on their experience and the complexity of the rig design. Below, is a simplistic breakdown
  • Most experienced riggers working in features and game production make anywhere from $2,000-4,000 a week. A feature rig can take upwards of 2-12 months to build while a game rig can take from 2 weeks to a month on average.
  • This, of course, all depends on the complexity of the character design.

Cartoony rigs are easier. Robots (Pac Rim) and creatures (LOTR) are the most difficult.

  • Student/Nice Guy: Free-$500
  • Intermediate: 500-1000$
  • Advanced/Experienced/Senior: $2500-3k per rig

How to write an ad to find a character rigger?

A couple rules first:

  1. Do not post an ask for free rigging on a job board
  2. Be very clear about pay and expectations in your ad.

Example Rigging request Ad for forums:

Hi, my name is xxxxxxxx and I am a 3rd-year xxxxx student at xxxxxx, directing a CG thesis film called “XXXXX”. XXXXXX is a romantic comedy, exploring themes of xxxxxx using CG animation techniques rendered in a stylized way. I am looking to hire a rigger, to rig our xxx characters/creatures. Offers specifics regarding rig needs and movement clarification.

The ideal candidate:

  • Is in LA, and able to visit XXX to talk through the requirements of this rig in detail in person
  • Is team-oriented and able to successfully take direction from a supervisor
  • Is adaptable, flexible and accepting of change
  • High consistent standard of quality and speed
  • Has rigged similar models previously

This is a paid/unpaid(?) position. The rigger will get full credit and special thanks.

This film is xxx sec long and will be submitted to animation festivals.  The film will NOT be used in a commercial context. So, making money is NOT the goal.

Let me know if you or you know someone who is interested.

I can share more information including the character mesh and details.

Specific Overview of rigging needs:
– Single/Multiple Character(s)
– Bipedal/Quad
– FK/IK spine, toes and fingers
– Foot control with roll at ball and toe
– Bone Driven face controls
– Squash and stretch controls
– Needs IK and FK controls on feet spine, arms, and legs, tail? etc.
– Twist for pole vectors

It would be nice if:
– You can create FK/IK switches in arms.
– You take pride in what you do but can take critique/feedback and implement it.
– You can work independently and get work done on time.
– You understand how to fix topology on a pre-made model and get the deformations to move cleanly.

If you are interested, please send me links to your reel and/or website videos with your work.

A little about me – websitexxxx.com
Thank you for your time,
Your name

  • Rapid Rig $40
  • Auto Rig $120
  • TSM: The Set-up Machine $99 (Not my personal favorite as the rigs are limited and very heavy, but it can rig a character quickly. Maybe use for background characters?)
  • Advanced SkeletonDirect Download FREE! Advanced Skeleton also rigs faces quite nicely. Modular rig creation tool. It gives you nice Picker as well. Managing the controls are easier on Advanced Skeleton, than TSM.
  • MGear 1.0

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