--- title: "Rig and animate your 3D model" nav_title: "Rig and animate" summary: - "Rigging builds a skeleton and binds it to the mesh: filter the model bar by 3D input and search for rig to find Rodin Hyper3D Rigging, Cartwheel, Uthana, Tripo and Meshy." - "Each extra animation is baked into the same file as its own clip." - "Text to Motion turns a description into animation, and Video to Motion captures a filmed performance." description: "Rigging and animation for a 3D character: compare the rigging models (Rodin, Cartwheel, Uthana, Tripo, Meshy), rig with Rodin Hyper3D Rigging, then generate motion from text or from a video." section: 3d order: 50 type: guide level: Build roles: [creator, artist, art-director, marketer, team-lead, admin, developer] time: { read: 8, do: 15, wait: 5 } needs: ["A processed 3D model of a character", "A reference image of the character, for Rodin Hyper3D Rigging"] last_verified: 2026-11-10 models_checked: ["Rodin Hyper3D Rigging", "Cartwheel Video to Motion", "Uthana Character Rigging", "Meshy Rigging"] hero: 3d/rig-and-animate-3d/ch-01-rigging-models.webp video: tutorials/3d-lesson-5-rig-and-animate.mp4 video_caption: "Rig and animate" thumb: 3d/thumbs/lesson-5-rig-and-animate.webp chapters: - { at: 0, title: "Rigging models", image: "/media/images/3d/rig-and-animate-3d/ch-01-rigging-models.webp" } - { at: 41.28, title: "Rodin Hyper3D Rigging", image: "/media/images/3d/rig-and-animate-3d/ch-02-rodin-hyper3d-rigging.webp" } - { at: 108.68, title: "The rigged character", image: "/media/images/3d/rig-and-animate-3d/ch-03-the-rigged-character.webp" } - { at: 144.35, title: "Text to Motion", image: "/media/images/3d/rig-and-animate-3d/ch-04-text-to-motion.webp" } - { at: 184.4, title: "Video to Motion", image: "/media/images/3d/rig-and-animate-3d/ch-05-video-to-motion.webp" } related: [process-3d-models, opus-and-astra-3d, export-3d-to-engines-and-dcc] pdf: true run_in: [model_cartwheel-video-to-motion, model_uthana-character-rigging, model_meshy-rigging] updated: 2026-11-10 canonical: https://learn.scenario.com/3d/rig-and-animate-3d --- Last updated: 2026-11-10 # Rig and animate your 3D model > Rigging and animation for a 3D character: compare the rigging models (Rodin, Cartwheel, Uthana, Tripo, Meshy), rig with Rodin Hyper3D Rigging, then generate motion from text or from a video. In short: - Rigging builds a skeleton and binds it to the mesh: filter the model bar by 3D input and search for rig to find Rodin Hyper3D Rigging, Cartwheel, Uthana, Tripo and Meshy. - Each extra animation is baked into the same file as its own clip. - Text to Motion turns a description into animation, and Video to Motion captures a filmed performance. This lesson adds a skeleton to a 3D model, and makes it move. ## Rigging models ![Film still: Rigging models](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/064ca9c58ba4516a725ab129ecd285913d8594b13e6d7de456a067cb98a7b718.webp) Rigging builds the skeleton and binds it to the mesh. Once the model is rigged, you can animate it. Open **Create**, then **3D**. In the model bar, filter by **3D input** and search for **rig**: Rodin Hyper3D Rigging, Cartwheel, Uthana, Tripo and Meshy. The settings are similar. Every rigger needs a 3D model. Then, depending on the model, you pick an animation to apply, set the character height, say if it faces front, or add an image. ## Rodin Hyper3D Rigging ![Film still: Rodin Hyper3D Rigging](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/0472e2f67fb0366a41bfe6fe820170bfe8c670ac66f98658d54523e475029a22.webp) **Rodin Hyper3D Rigging** has the most options. - **Inputs.** The model to rig, and a reference image of the character. The image helps pick the skeleton, and the textures are regenerated from it. - **Skeleton.** **Auto** reads the image, or pick a fixed type like **Human**. **Custom** lets you describe an unusual skeleton in a few words. - **Skinning method** sets how the mesh follows the bones: **Shell** is general purpose, **Core** is tuned for humanoids. - **Animations.** Pick up to ten stock animations made for the skeleton, here **happy idle**, or add your own FBX files. - **Material** sets how the textures are exported, here **PBR**. **Output Format** is GLB, FBX or USDZ. Click **Generate**. ## The rigged character ![Film still: The rigged character](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/eafdde0fc09b3aee337e253c0a8bab2add987ad050ade70f100dfd90402fe522.webp) The character is rigged, and the idle animation plays right away in the viewer. The panel on the right lists the skeleton, the skinning and the animation used. The skeleton has 52 bones, from the hips and the spine down to the fingers. Add more animations, and each one is baked into the same file as its own clip: here, idle, walking, running, dancing and boxing. ## Text to Motion ![Film still: Text to Motion](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/a8a9c6168a5c4eed8955ff3c434d46f27d665da305ea7d36a00cb2967862c4d5.webp) Text to Motion models turn a description into a skeletal animation: NVIDIA Kimodo, Viggle, Uthana, Meshy and Cartwheel. They all take a **prompt** and a **duration**. Depending on the model, you can apply the motion to your own character, guide how closely it follows the prompt, pick the rig, or set the frame rate. Kimodo chains prompts, here a jab, a cross and a hook, then a dodge and an uppercut. Cartwheel adds face and hand poses. ## Video to Motion ![Film still: Video to Motion](https://ufgc0c9mhl4ueq76.public.blob.vercel-storage.com/academy/7d3615a852e5066333c2d8176f290efaafaf48f5b13ff938240c5ab3a0ffebbf.webp) Video to Motion goes the other way: film a person, and the model captures the performance as 3D animation. Viggle, Uthana and Cartwheel offer it. All three take a **video** and set the frame rate. Uthana and Cartwheel can apply the motion to your own character. Viggle lets you pick the rig and smooth the result, and Cartwheel can track up to four people, with facial capture. Here, Cartwheel applies the movement straight to our character, rigged in the same step. Source: https://learn.scenario.com/3d/rig-and-animate-3d