Rigging Part 4: Implementation and Development

Now with a firmer idea of how to set up the rig, I felt prepared to begin with creating the rig.

Initially I knew that the most important part was to create the bones or joints for the mesh. Basing my rig from the ideas of the quadruped I began sketching out in orthographic views, the position of the bones. I also knew that it would be crucial to adjust the rotation pivots of each joint. 

I also had it in mind to create the requested footroll controls that the nico rig supposedly lacked.

Here are some sketches of my initial bone placements.

Mesh, no bones

Tracing out the Spine

...followed by the rest of the body

At this stage I am in a position to bind my rig and begin testing whether the deformations are true to the skeletal kinematics of a normal quadruped. I find that this is the best time to paint weights as one can control each joint individually and therefore affect its influences here.