Looking for a Rig for A lego minifigure ( using Blender)

[GedweyGarm]

Hello!

How are you today?

I do hope this is a good spot to post this! ..... Any how I am looking for some one who could make a Fully animated Minifigure Rig using the stander Lego Minifigure from Ldraw, Such as one like this picture I took in MLcad http://i.imgur.com/GrO6yAl.png?1 . I would like it to be fully like the ones in Lego games and TV show etc ( I can make a rig but I can only make one that works like a Minifigure would In the real world).

I am not all that good with animating etc as of now and I am busy with school so if some one could help me out that would be awesome and it would be nice to have a rig that any one can use and access.

Have a good day and I hope some one can help!

~GedweyGarm

PS if you want to do this and need the Minifigure file in .obj or what have you tell me and I will upload one to dropbox!

Edited August 9, 2015 by GedweyGarm

[TotalyWicked]

HI.

Generally speaking LDraw file are not good for quality animation.

its due to the geometry and low-poly count.

I think you would be better off making a model from 0...

here is a link for one http://blenderartists.org/forum/showthread.php?219502-Lego-Minifig-Model

Simple tutorial how to rig a mini fig

[GedweyGarm]

HI.

Generally speaking LDraw file are not good for quality animation.

its due to the geometry and low-poly count.

I think you would be better off making a model from 0...

here is a link for one http://blenderartist...o-Minifig-Model

Simple tutorial how to rig a mini fig

I was hoping some one could make a good rig but maybe that can not be done and yes I have looked at both of the links you posted many times before! thank you for the response!

[TotalyWicked]

it can be done,

not sure if somebody will do it for you..

I am also sure with a bit more googling you can find a good hi-poly rig.

here is another rig..

http://www.bricksinmotion.com/forums/topic/14737/the-minifig-rig-v12-is-up/

[GedweyGarm]

it can be done,

not sure if somebody will do it for you..

I am also sure with a bit more googling you can find a good hi-poly rig.

here is another rig..

http://www.bricksinm...-rig-v12-is-up/

Thank you for the info! Maybe I will get the time to make a rig but I do not think so now that school has started back up!

[TotalyWicked]

Do not give up.

3d modeling and animation takes practice, every time you do something you get better and better at it.

Sounds like you are interested in animation more than modeling.

so try to import a ldraw mini fig and make a simple rig or just use a rig from links above. Then try to make simple animations. walking/running cycle, then do a jump, etc..

use about 30 frames for each animation cycle.

walk/run cycle should be easy to do. set up 5 key points.

1 left leg forwards right leg back

2 both legs a centered

3 right leg forward left leg back

4 both legs a centered

5 left leg forwards right leg back this is where your loop starts and ends.

make arms do opposite. IE when left leg is forward right arm is back.

add a little bounce movement,

stylize it to your preference.

and you are done...

then maybe you can use what you created to make a full short animation, EX: mini fig running through an obstacle course.

[GedweyGarm]

Do not give up.

3d modeling and animation takes practice, every time you do something you get better and better at it.

Sounds like you are interested in animation more than modeling.

so try to import a ldraw mini fig and make a simple rig or just use a rig from links above. Then try to make simple animations. walking/running cycle, then do a jump, etc..

use about 30 frames for each animation cycle.

walk/run cycle should be easy to do. set up 5 key points.

1 left leg forwards right leg back

2 both legs a centered

3 right leg forward left leg back

4 both legs a centered

5 left leg forwards right leg back this is where your loop starts and ends.

make arms do opposite. IE when left leg is forward right arm is back.

add a little bounce movement,

stylize it to your preference.

and you are done...

then maybe you can use what you created to make a full short animation, EX: mini fig running through an obstacle course.

Thank you for all the help!

I am very interested in animating and can make a Rig for a Lego guy but not like the ones in the lego video games :-/

I found the walk/run Cycle thing very interesting I never really do that I just attache the bones to the mesh and do the animation by hand every time I need some one to walk/move etc. I will have to try that if I get the time! You are very helpful and I am very thankful for it

Have a good day

~GedweyGarm

[3D LEGO]

GedweyGarm,

The rigged models seen in LEGO games have a somewhat unique behavior to their animation style. With a person, animal or even a robot you can skin to a bone system and have at animating it. What LEGO game developers on the other hand have chosen to do is create a deformable mesh that almost does not rely on bones. Correct me if I am wrong but my understanding of rigging and bones leads me to that conclusion. But there may still be ways to incorporate a bone structure into such a model but that is beyond my ability to help. Here is another thought: Look into how things like snakes are rigged as that might lead you to what you are in need of.

If you want to save on modeling time you could see about bringing in a LDcad model of a minifig and converting it to a deformable mesh. But like I said earlier I am unable to provide any more help.

I hope something I provided is of help to you.

3D LEGO

[GedweyGarm]

GedweyGarm,

The rigged models seen in LEGO games have a somewhat unique behavior to their animation style. With a person, animal or even a robot you can skin to a bone system and have at animating it. What LEGO game developers on the other hand have chosen to do is create a deformable mesh that almost does not rely on bones. Correct me if I am wrong but my understanding of rigging and bones leads me to that conclusion. But there may still be ways to incorporate a bone structure into such a model but that is beyond my ability to help. Here is another thought: Look into how things like snakes are rigged as that might lead you to what you are in need of.

If you want to save on modeling time you could see about bringing in a LDcad model of a minifig and converting it to a deformable mesh. But like I said earlier I am unable to provide any more help.

I hope something I provided is of help to you.

3D LEGO

Thank you I will see if I can get some time tomorrow to try this out!

~GedweyGarm

[GedweyGarm]

GedweyGarm,

The rigged models seen in LEGO games have a somewhat unique behavior to their animation style. With a person, animal or even a robot you can skin to a bone system and have at animating it. What LEGO game developers on the other hand have chosen to do is create a deformable mesh that almost does not rely on bones. Correct me if I am wrong but my understanding of rigging and bones leads me to that conclusion. But there may still be ways to incorporate a bone structure into such a model but that is beyond my ability to help. Here is another thought: Look into how things like snakes are rigged as that might lead you to what you are in need of.

If you want to save on modeling time you could see about bringing in a LDcad model of a minifig and converting it to a deformable mesh. But like I said earlier I am unable to provide any more help.

I hope something I provided is of help to you.

3D LEGO

WOW! Thank you thank you THANK YOU! I spent most of last night messing with a minifig from MLCad and it soon became clear to me that the model was far to messy! So I have started modeling my own minifig ... The arms and hands are the only prats I am having problems with ARG! The Head and Torso work fine and the Legs should but have not tested them out much as well as the hips.

Thank you so much It might take some time for me to get it done but I think I can!

[Umbra-Manis]

If you need a cleaner model, just export one from Mecabricks in your preferred format.

[GedweyGarm]

If you need a cleaner model, just export one from Mecabricks in your preferred format.

I did not think of using Mecabricks! been a good bit so I gave it a try! It is just as "un clean" as the Ldraw one sadly I suspect its is that they are accurate to the Lego in real life. So for animating using Deformed Meshes I need a different one sadly!

[TotalyWicked]

problem is the original ldraw geometry, it's low poly, with geometry not optimized for animation.

when you rig a model you would have to add additional loops where bones are..

ie if you want a leg to bend at the knees, you would add loops and weight bones accordingly.

not to mentioned unnecessary polygons. ie, logo on torso is geometry, when a texture would work much better

if you would like to do a lego movie animation, I am sure unedited ldraw model would work just fine.

if you going for lego games look then you would need to edit geometry accordingly, to acomindate additional bones and joints.

[GedweyGarm]

So i have created a Lego man in Blender and have rigged him so he should work very smellier to the lego video games .... I hope haha. he is not all that good ( arms, legs and maybe hands) but it will have to do. Sadly I am out of town tell next week so me rendering desktop is at home, can not really take that on a plane......

Will post an update once I am back in town.

Have a good day guys!

~GedweyGarm

[TotalyWicked]

Curious to see what you got so far

[Dilvish]

Can stuff like this be extracted from Lego games? I mean the models and rigging have to be readable by some software, don't they?

[GedweyGarm]

Can stuff like this be extracted from Lego games? I mean the models and rigging have to be readable by some software, don't they?

Sadly I can not fined something that will do the models and rigs etc but I can use riping tools to get models but they are not 100% all that good and the Lego Man I take out is not all that good ( not as good to animate as in very very bad) I would love it if some one could fine out how to do this ( models are what I want a lot of) but that is a conversation for some other time.

[BallisticBricks]

I Just made a post with a download link to my rig.

http://mecabricks.com/en/forum/topic/351

[Dilvish]

Ahhhh, your rig does not bend at the knees or elbows! Hence why my suggestion to rip a rig from a video game.

[Scrubs]

Hey, I know it is not free, but I put a very accurate Blender version of the minifig on the Mecabricks Shop today. It includes mold lines as well. It is only rigged as per a real minifig but I am sure it would be easy to do as the geometry is well defined and supports subdivision.

Anyway it is another option.

[Dilvish]

On 7/28/2016 at 6:55 AM, Scrubs said:

Hey, I know it is not free, but I put a very accurate Blender version of the minifig on the Mecabricks Shop today. It includes mold lines as well. It is only rigged as per a real minifig but I am sure it would be easy to do as the geometry is well defined and supports subdivision.

Anyway it is another option.

I see you updated this recently. I wish someone talented would build some poses. I have been working on a video game and need animated sprites.