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Character rigging
Built for animated brand work
For advertising, rigging has to do more than move a character. It has to support clear expression, quick creative iteration, and dependable delivery into commercial animation workflows. Mimic Productions builds facial and body rigs that give agencies and brands a technical base for characters, avatars, digital presenters, and stylised creatures that need to perform on screen. Our rigging service is grounded in facial and body rigging expertise used across film, gaming, and virtual production. For advertising teams, that matters because the brief is rarely only about realism. It is also about timing, clarity, and the ability to make performance adjustments without rebuilding the asset. We create rigs that can support subtle facial acting, broader promotional gestures, and characters that need to hold up in close-up or in fast-moving campaign edits. Facial rigging is one of our strongest areas. We build blend-shape facial rigs based on actor expression scans where appropriate, and we can also tailor the rig to the demands of the character and the shot. Depending on the production, that may mean a compact set of shapes for a focused campaign asset or a more detailed setup for richer expression work. We also provide wrinkle maps to add depth to expressions and help the face read naturally in final animation. Body rigging is equally important for brand characters that need to move with confidence. We design full body rigs for humans, animals, and mythical or stylised creatures, with a focus on anatomical believability and usable deformation. For advertising, that gives creative teams room to explore expressive poses, product-led movement, and performance-driven scenes without losing control over the asset. Because advertising often involves collaboration between agencies, directors, animators, and post teams, we pay attention to practical handoff. The rig has to be understandable, production-ready, and suitable for the broader pipeline, whether the final output is for digital advertising, social assets, commercial films, or real-time presentation work. Our team can also support characters intended for Unreal or Unity pipelines when the campaign needs a real-time route. In short, we help turn a designed character into a usable performance asset.
Production challenges
Common rigging blockers
Advertising characters need to stay expressive, adjustable, and efficient from briefing to final delivery.
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Expression that reads in campaign shots
Commercial work depends on a face that communicates quickly and clearly. A rig that cannot hold subtle motion, broad emotion, or repeatable poses can weaken the message.
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Assets that hand off cleanly
A rig is only useful if the animation team can work with it. Advertising pipelines benefit from clear structure and dependable deformation.
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Characters that stay manageable in production
Agencies need rigs that fit real schedules. If the setup is overbuilt or fragile, animation takes longer and revisions become risky.
What your team gets
What this service supports
01
Facial performance
Builds the expression range needed for brand-led character work.
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Body control
Supports movement, posing, and physical acting in campaign scenes.
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Production fit
Helps the asset move through animation and post with fewer surprises.
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Flexible scope
Can be tailored from focused commercial rigs to more detailed character setups.
Capabilities and deliverables
Rigging capabilities
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- Facial rigging for expressive brand characters. Review proportions, range of movement and the animation handoff.
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- Blend-shape setups based on actor expression scans. Identify the expressions and close-up detail required by the performance.
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- Wrinkle maps for added facial detail. Identify the expressions and close-up detail required by the performance.
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- Body rigging for humans, animals, and creatures. Review proportions, range of movement and the animation handoff.
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- Full body rigs for performance and pose control. Review proportions, range of movement and the animation handoff.
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- Character rigging for stylised advertising assets. Review proportions, range of movement and the animation handoff.
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- Creature rigging for surreal or fantasy-led campaigns. Review proportions, range of movement and the animation handoff.
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- Rigging suitable for Unreal and Unity pipelines. Review proportions, range of movement and the animation handoff.
Production approach
Why agencies choose a rig-first approach
Advertising decisions are often made under time pressure, so the rig has to serve both the creative idea and the production schedule. A strong facial rig gives animators room to shape the performance, while a reliable body rig keeps movement believable across revisions.
At Mimic Productions, we approach rigging as the technical backbone of character-led advertising. That means thinking about deformation, expression, and handoff from the start, so the asset is not just impressive in a test but genuinely usable when the campaign enters animation, review, and delivery.
Supply the model, expected range of movement and examples of expressions or poses. Review deformation at demanding positions, then agree controls, naming and the handoff to the animation team before the rig is used across a larger sequence. For a campaign, identify the hero shots, brand approvals and the different placements or aspect ratios required.
Explore our Character Rigging services and Advertising production.
Related production services: 3D Animation for Advertising · Motion Capture for Advertising · Character Rigging for Virtual Influencers.
How we work
How we work
01
Brief and asset review
We look at the character design, intended use, delivery format, and the animation demands that the rig needs to support before recommending scope.
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Rig design plan
We define the facial and body approach, including blend-shape strategy, deformation priorities, and any pipeline considerations for the final handoff.
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Build and test
The rig is developed and checked against expected poses and expressions so the team can see how it performs in practical animation use.
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Delivery and support
We hand over a production-ready asset and can stay involved if the campaign needs rig adjustments or support during animation.
Frequently asked questions
Questions from agencies
Do you only rig realistic human characters?
No. Our rigging service covers human characters, animals, creatures, and stylised assets. For advertising, that flexibility is useful when the concept calls for a brand mascot, a surreal presenter, or a more realistic digital human.
Can you build a rig for facial performance work?
Yes. Facial rigging is one of our core strengths, and we can build blend-shape based setups that support expression and nuance. Depending on the brief, this may include actor expression scans or a more focused rig.
Will the rig work with our animation team?
That is part of the brief. We design rigs to be production-ready and suitable for handoff into the wider pipeline. If your team has specific software or workflow requirements, we review them early so the rig supports downstream animation and revisions.
Can you keep the scope lean for a short campaign?
Yes. Not every advertising asset needs the most complex setup. We can advise on the key facial shapes and body controls needed for the performance, so you get the realism and flexibility that matter without unnecessary build time.
Do you support real-time character pipelines?
We do. Our Our work includes character rigging and animation rigging optimised for game engines like Unreal and Unity, which can be useful for interactive brand activations or real-time presentation needs.
Is rigging enough for a finished commercial asset?
Rigging gives you the technical foundation, but it is only one part of the pipeline. For a finished advertising character, you may also need animation, motion capture, clean-up, and final production work. We can help define where each stage begins.
Frequently asked questions