Rigging AAA Characters for Indie Artists (Blender or Maya)

Good, Fast and Cheap Rigging Mastery for Indie Developers and Small Studios

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1. 9. - 12. 9. 2025
2 / 12 participants New
English
10 days
Český Krumlov, Czech Republic

324€

per artist


1 800€

per artist

Registration Open
* Discounted price for Czech artists after a deduction of 82% from government funds.
** Price applies to all non-Czech artists without funding opportunities from the Czech Government.
21% VAT is deductible for VAT payers in the EU.

This two-week intensive boot camp expands the role of a 3D artist, Animator, Rigger providing the skills to quickly rig, skin, and animate any character, whether for previsualization, game development, or final production. While the fundamentals of rigging and motion capture will be covered, the real focus is on speed, efficiency, and creative independence—giving participants the ability to visualize their ideas instantly and take characters from concept to animation in hours, not days.

You gain expertise in advanced features like rigging and motion capture integration and work on collaborative projects that simulate professional environments. We will focus on solutions that work in Maya and Blender and are open to anyone with experience in either one. Software independent theory and students may use Blender or Maya and we will discuss pros and cons of each one During the weeks, students will come away, knowing how to pick the right tool for the job.

What You’ll Learn & Achieve

  • Build & Rig Any Character – Construct correct skeletons, apply proper skinning, and deform characters with precision.
  • Animate in Real-Time – Use motion capture tools and retargeting to bring characters to life quickly.
  • Expand Your Role as a 3D Artist by Learning workflows that allow you to animate independently and bring your ideas to motion without waiting on external teams.
  • Accelerate the Rigging Process – Master techniques that make rigging faster and more intuitive.
  • Empower Your Creative Freedom – Gain the skills to finish entire projects on your own—from rigging to final animation.

Who is This For?

This boot camp is ideal for animators, character artists, and game developers who want to take full control of their characters. Whether you’re new to rigging or looking for faster solutions, you’ll gain the ability to quickly prep characters for production, work independently, and bring your creative vision to life—without technical bottlenecks.

Bootcamp intro

Topics covered

  • Deconstruct, Maya, Rigging
  • Deconstruct blender, Rigging
  • Understand how to move an asset between multiple software
  • Learn fundamental rigging ideas that are universally applied between packages
  • Find out how to use features and tools that people continually misunderstand or miss altogether in hundreds of tutorial videos and unanswered questions on forums
  • Learn troubleshooting techniques that I’ve used to help studios across the world and individual artists, unstuck, and create instead of fighting software
  • Find out how to contribute to open source projects and get tools and improved features into them that benefit everybody
  • Learn what is incredibly fast to do a blender that would take hours and Maya and vice versa
  • Manage expectations around FBX import export and discuss reusable assets and project-specific problems
  • Discuss AI about creativity automation scripting, independent artists, and workflows versus large productions, and we will finish up by empowering everybody to work faster and more nimble instead of just fighting software issues.

Who is it for

This Blender-focused course offers specialized training and insights that are highly relevant. Here’s who will particularly benefit from this course:

  1. Studio Pipeline Developers: Individuals responsible for creating and maintaining the workflow and software pipelines within animation and VFX studios. This course will provide them with advanced knowledge in integrating Blender into existing pipelines efficiently and optimizing workflows for better collaboration across various departments.
  2. Riggers: Riggers who specialize in creating the skeletons, muscles, and facial expressions of characters for animation will gain deep insights into Blender’s rigging tools and techniques. This will enhance their ability to produce more nuanced and complex animations, improving the quality and realism of animated projects.
  3. Technical Artists: Those who bridge the gap between artists and programmers in studios by developing tools and automating tasks. The course will help them understand how to leverage Blender’s capabilities to develop custom scripts and add-ons that streamline production processes.
  4. Animation Technical Directors: Technical directors who oversee the technical aspects of animation production, ensuring that the artistic vision is achieved through the technology used. The course will empower them with the skills to solve complex technical issues in rigging and pipeline integration with Blender.
  5. Software Developers in Animation Studios: Developers tasked with customizing and extending animation software will benefit from understanding how Blender can be adapted or integrated with other proprietary or commercial software to enhance the studio’s capabilities.

Where will this get you

All participants will get well-respected qualification within the industry, demonstrating you’ve studied an industry-based course under expert supervision and have the practical, hands-on skills to continually growing as a professional studios are looking for.

 

Fees and funding, Cancellation Policy

Fees

Czech artists: 324€
All other artists: 1 800€

The fee covers participation in the course and includes 21% VAT (deductible for VAT payers in the EU countries and businesses outside EU). It doesn’t cover accommodation, meals, and travel.

Approximate living costs during your stay in the Czech Republic:

  • Accommodation at the venue: 25 EUR / night
  • Breakfast at the hotel – 7 EUR
  • Restaurant meals between 5 – 10 EUR
  • Grocery in general – 50 EUR per person a week

Funding for Czech employees and freelancers

Czech Labour Office (Úřad práce) offers to cover up to 82% of the course fee. See the details and conditions here.

Cancellation Policy

  • In the case of cancellation 6 weeks or more before the course starting date, the whole fee (course fee, or course fee + accommodation) will be refunded minus 150€ admin fee.
  • With less than 6 weeks‘ notice, 50% of the total course fee will be refunded.
  • If cancellation occurs in the final 30 working days before the starting date, no refund will be given.
  • However, we will consider transferring the fees to another course (conditional upon vacancies) but a 20% cancellation fee will be charged if this change will be made in less than 4 weeks before the course starting date.
  • We reserve the right to cancel a course if fewer than 4 people are enrolled. In this case we can transfer your fees to any future course or refund the fees you have paid in full.
  • Refunds will be paid within 2 weeks after receiving your full bank details.

Accommodation

Český Krumlov Study Centre

Accommodation in double or single rooms directly in the building of the training centre where the bootcamp takes place.  

  • Price for double room: 750* CZK / person / day 
  • Price of single room: 1 000* CZK / person / day 
  • Breakfast: 175 CZK / person / day (optional) 

 How does it work?  

  • After mutual confirmation, we will make a binding reservation for you in the training centre.  
  • Payment is made directly to the host before the end of your stay.  

* Prices are valid for stays of 5 nights or more. For stays shorter than 5 nights, a higher price per unit will be charged. 

Direct interaction
with world class
mentors from top
studios

Our Mentors

What
participating
artists
say

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The Houdini course is lead by a real-life professional working on a daily basis with the world leading VFX projects, such as Hollywood movies or Netflix shows. The teaching center is located in historical and beautiful Cesky Krumlov, South of Czech Republic. The conditions are excellent and two weeks are a substantial dose of training to get you stareted with Houdini. Keep in mind it's still only the beginning of a much longer learning process.
The Houdini course is great way to get general knowledge of FX in Houdini and to set you on the path of deeper understanding how things work under the hood(ini).
A nice place to start with Houdini, which gave me the basics to continue on my own to develop my knowledge and skills in Houdini.

324€

per artist


1 800€

per artist

Registration Open
* Discounted price for Czech artists after a deduction of 82% from government funds.
** Price applies to all non-Czech artists without funding opportunities from the Czech Government.
21% VAT is deductible for VAT payers in the EU.
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