Rigging creates the controls and relationships used to pose and animate a 3D object or character.
A mechanism for movement
A character rig often includes a skeleton of joints or bones, plus controls that make it easier to pose. A rig can also control a mechanical sculpture, opening flower or folding book. It is a system for creating movement, not the movement itself. A carefully rigged model can still contain no animation clip.
Rigging and skinning do different jobs
The rig defines how parts can be controlled. Skinning connects deforming geometry to joints so the surface follows them. Rigid parts may instead be attached to individual nodes without bending. A source rig can include constraints and other conveniences that a web delivery format does not preserve directly; their resulting movement may need to be baked into supported animation.
Preparing a character for an artwork
For a Painta project, plan the small set of actions the visitor will see before commissioning a complex rig. A simple wave may need less machinery than a character that walks and speaks. Inspect the exported GLB for both the intended clips and the expected deformation. Keeping the editable source rig is valuable even when the published file contains a simplified playback version.
Related concepts and further reading
Continue with Joint (3D Animation) for a closer look at this part of the experience.