Generate Rigify Rig from Metarig in Blender

Rigify is Blender’s built-in auto-rigging add-on that converts a simple base skeleton—known as a metarig—into a complex, animator-friendly control rig complete with IK/FK switches, custom bone shapes, and UI controls. Generating a final rig involves enabling the Rigify add-on, matching the metarig to your character's proportions, applying all transformations, and clicking the generate button to create the final control system.

Step 1: Enable the Rigify Add-on

  1. Open Blender and navigate to Edit > Preferences.
  2. Select the Add-ons tab on the left.
  3. In the search bar, type Rigify.
  4. Check the box next to Rigging: Rigify to enable it, then close the Preferences window.

Step 2: Add and Align the Metarig

  1. In Object Mode, press Shift + A and go to Armature > Basic or Armature > Animals / Human to choose the metarig template that fits your character.
  2. Select the metarig and press Tab to enter Edit Mode.
  3. In the Armature properties or Viewport Overlays, enable X-Axis Mirror to keep symmetry while adjusting.
  4. Move and rotate the joints (bone heads and tails) so they align precisely with your character mesh’s anatomy (e.g., knees, elbows, and finger joints).

Step 3: Apply All Transforms

Before generating the rig, all location, rotation, and scale values must be reset to avoid deformation glitches.

  1. Press Tab to return to Object Mode.
  2. Select both your character mesh and the metarig.
  3. Press Ctrl + A and select All Transforms.

Step 4: Generate the Rig

  1. Select only the metarig in Object Mode.
  2. Go to the Data Properties tab (the green running-man armature icon) in the Properties panel on the right.
  3. Scroll down to the Rigify section.
  4. Click the Generate Rig button.

Blender will generate a new armature object named rig containing all custom bone shapes, inverse kinematics (IK) controllers, and an interface layer in the Sidebar (press N in the 3D Viewport to access it).

Step 5: Bind the Mesh to the Generated Rig

  1. Hide the original metarig in the Outliner or move it to a backup collection (do not delete it if you wish to regenerate or modify the rig later).
  2. In Object Mode, select your character mesh first.
  3. Hold Shift and select the newly generated rig second.
  4. Press Ctrl + P and choose With Automatic Weights.
  5. Select the generated rig, switch to Pose Mode, and test the controls to ensure proper deformation.