Watch the Bones tutorial on YouTube

Watch the Inverse Kinematics tutorial on YouTube

Watch the Pose Merge tutorial on YouTube

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Arttista’s Bones and Rigging system is a powerful tool to control and intelligently deform vector illustration meshes and points. Being fully vector-based, all transformations maintain complete editability without quality loss.

Below is the structured guide to creating and using the bone system for character rigging efficiently.

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1. Creating the Character Skeleton

To draw a skeleton, use the Bones tool in Edit Mode.

• How it works: Creating a skeleton is identical to using the Point Click Pen. Each click on the canvas creates a joint (Bone Joint), and Arttista connects these joints sequentially to form bones.
• Ending the skeleton: To finish drawing the current skeleton, press ESC or right-click.
• The Importance of Joints: In Arttista, character objects and points are not bound to the bone segment itself, but to the Bone Joints. These articulation joints dictate part movement.

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2. Binding Points to Joints (Skinning)

After drawing the skeleton, specify which joint controls each part of the character’s skin. You can perform this association via two methods:

Method 1: Using the Shortcut (Fast)

1. Select the points you want to control (they can belong to identical or separate objects).
2. Select the corresponding Joint on the skeleton.
3. Press Ctrl + B. The points will bind and move along with the bone joint.

Method 2: Via the Groups Tab

Internally, Arttista creates a group for each bone.

1. Select the points in the scene.
2. Open the Groups tab (on the right panel).
3. Select the group corresponding to your bone and click the + button.

⚠️ Important Rule: A point or vector object can only be bound to a single Bone at a time. Binding it to Bone B automatically unbinds it from Bone A.

How to Unbind Points:

• Shortcut: Select the points, select the Joint, and press Shift + B.
• Groups Tab: Select the points, select the bone group, and click the - button.

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3. Creating Hierarchies Between Skeletons

Complex characters often require multiple independent skeletons (such as one for the main torso and others for legs or arms). To build this hierarchy:

1. Select the parent Joint of the main skeleton (e.g., the pelvis).
2. Select the root joints of each dependent skeleton chain.
3. Press Ctrl + B.
4. Arttista will prompt a window asking which will serve as the controlling Joint. Select the parent Joint. When the main bone (pelvis) moves, all connected skeleton chains follow in an organized hierarchy.

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4. Editing Modes and Advanced Animation Features

Spotlight on the Bones

In dense scenes where points or objects overlap joints, making precise selections can be challenging.

• How to use: Press and hold key Q. Arttista temporarily hides character meshes, displaying only bones. Releasing Q instantly restores the full scene view.

Inverse Kinematics (IK)

Rather than posing every joint individually, Inverse Kinematics lets you manipulate the extremity of a limb (such as a foot) while Arttista automatically computes rotation and bending across the chain (leg/knee) naturally.

• Temporary IK: Press and hold Alt while rotating or moving a bone in the scene.
• Permanent IK: Access the properties panel, enter Edit Mode (Tab), and enable Inverse Kinematics under Bones Working Mode.

Bones Live Transformation (Smart Adjustment)

This is an advanced feature for fine-tuning pre-existing animations. When enabled in Bones Working Mode, you can alter structural bone properties (position, rotation, or scale) midway or at the end of an animated timeline. Arttista automatically compensates for changes, updating skeleton and skin trajectories without destroying keyframes or resetting existing interpolations.

Show Bone Points

Enabling this option under Bones Working Mode highlights attached mesh points whenever you hover your cursor over a Joint.

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5. Quick Rigging Shortcuts Reference

Shortcut	Function	Context
TAB	Toggle View Mode and Edit Mode	General
Q (Hold)	Isolate bone visibility on screen	Bone selection
Ctrl + B	Bind selected points/objects to a Joint	Rigging / Bind
Shift + B	Unbind selected points from Joint	Unbind
Alt (Hold)	Temporarily enable Inverse Kinematics (IK) when moving bones	Posing