Animating with Blender

Bind Pose

A character modeled for a still image can often be created from the ground up near its final pose. When working with animation, you have to create the character in a neutral position so that it can later be rigged and then posed with the animation tools. The optimal position in which to create your character looks like Figure 5.34.

Figure 5.34. The unposed mom character mesh

[View full size image]

Figure 5.34 is called the bind pose because it is the pose to which you will bind the armature or other rigging tools that will make it capable of animation. Notice how each of the joints is slightly flexed. This gives the eventual armature, ...