How to Assign Custom Bone Shapes in Blender

Assigning custom shapes to bones in Blender replaces the default armature displays (like octahedrons or sticks) with custom 3D meshes or curves, making complex rigs significantly easier to read and control. This process involves creating a custom shape object, entering Pose Mode on your armature, selecting the desired bone, and setting the custom object within the bone's Viewport Display properties.

Step 1: Create the Custom Mesh

  1. Press Shift + A in the 3D Viewport and add a Mesh or Curve object (such as a Circle, Cube, or Plane).
  2. Edit the object in Edit Mode (Tab) to match the desired shape for your control. Modifying it in Edit Mode ensures the object's origin point remains at 0,0,0.
  3. In the Outliner, rename the object to something recognizable, such as WGT_Hand_Control.

Step 2: Select the Target Bone

  1. Select your Armature object.
  2. Switch to Pose Mode using the Mode dropdown menu in the top-left corner or by pressing Ctrl + Tab.
  3. Click on the specific bone you want to assign the custom shape to.

Step 3: Assign the Custom Object

  1. Open the Properties Panel (usually on the right side of the screen).
  2. Click on the Bone Properties tab (represented by a green bone icon).
  3. Expand the Viewport Display section.
  4. Locate the Custom Object field.
  5. Click the eyedropper icon or the text field and select the custom mesh object you created in Step 1.

Step 4: Adjust the Custom Shape Display

Once assigned, the bone will display as your custom shape. You can tweak its appearance using the settings directly under the Custom Object field:

  • Scale XYZ: Adjusts the size of the shape relative to the bone.
  • Translation XYZ: Offsets the position of the shape relative to the bone's head or tail.
  • Rotation XYZ: Rotates the shape to align correctly with your rig setup.
  • Override Transform: Allows another bone to define the transform position of the shape.

Step 5: Clean Up the Workspace

To keep your scene organized, move all custom shape objects to a dedicated, hidden Collection:

  1. Select your custom shape objects in Object Mode.
  2. Press M and choose New Collection.
  3. Name the collection WGTS or Rig_Shapes.
  4. Hide the collection in the Outliner by unchecking its box. The custom bone shapes will remain visible on the armature in the viewport even when the source objects are hidden.