So to start, let me introduce one of my proud creations, my very own robot rig with 23 joints!
It was a very complex but fun process, so I’d like to share my learnings with everyone.
Here’s how to build a custom character in Roblox!
1. Build your character.
The most basic requirement is an idea, but how do we make this idea a reality?
Building characters can be done any way you want, it doesn’t even have to be a humanoid structure but, a good idea is to make it as few parts as possible. Once you finish building your character, if you have too many extra parts, I recommend unioning the ones that go together so the rigging process is a lot easier, like what I did in this image:
2. Name your body parts
Naming is one of the most important parts of making a custom character. If you have a humanoid-shaped character, Ideally, you’re going to want to make the naming about the same as a normal character, or else the animation editor likes to throw a bit of a fit. As you can see in this image, I named all my parts based off of the normal character, and added a few other custom names in there such as “RightWrist” or “LeftAnkle”.
The single most important part is the HumanoidRootPart (HRP for short). The HRP is the command center that the humanoid bases all of its actions on, every rig needs to have one. The HRP should be placed right above the legs and cover the entire torso for best results. You don’t HAVE to make it that size, but it’s recommended. Here’s what mine looks like:
(Transparency set to 0.5 so you can see it.)
3. Start rigging!
Rigging is the most simple, but in some cases, the most confusing part of all of this. For this process, I recommend using this plugin.
EDIT: The previous plugin has been dead for a while now. Use this one instead: RigEdit Lite - Roblox
Thank you @TeamSwordphin
There is already a wiki tutorial on it in its description.
One thing to note is the hierarchy of the rig, it should always be like a tree, with the HRP as the root.
This is how the tree should go.
HRP
Hip
Torso
Arm
Hand
Leg
Foot
4. Start Animating!
Once you’ve got the rig right, Its time to make animations to support this rig. You should be able to use the Roblox animation editor with your rig, if not, make sure your rig is formatted correctly.
If it prompts you to anchor the HRP, select Yes.
5. (Optional) Make it a Starter Character
If you want players to play as this character, make sure you add a Humanoid, and name the Character “StarterCharacter” and parent it to “StarterPlayer”. Make sure EVERYTHING inside the rig is unanchored from the start, or it will freeze in the air.
To add any animations you made, you’ll have to modify or make your own default animation code.
When you play as your character, you may notice that when you walk, your character may appear to float, or its legs may be sunken into the ground. This is normal, you have to fix this by modifying the HipHeight property in Humanoid. You’ll have to guess and check till you get it right, I would just modify the property while in test mode via properties, then apply it to the StarterCharacters Humanoid once you find out the exact number.
Hope this helps! If you have any questions or if I missed something let me know!
