Requirements

• Blender 4.2 to 5.2 (tested on 4.2 LTS and 5.2 on Windows)
• One humanoid character in a neutral T-pose or A-pose
• No existing armature modifiers on the meshes
• Body up to 100,000 evaluated vertices, and up to 500,000 including clothing and parts (multipart skinning: 100,000 total)

Install

1. Open Edit > Preferences > Add-ons.
2. Click the dropdown arrow and choose Install from Disk.
3. Select the addon .zip file.
4. Restart Blender if you replaced an older version.
5. In the 3D Viewport press N and open the Instant Rigger and Animator tab.

Step 1: Character

1. Select all character meshes, or their parent Empty, or switch to Collection and pick a collection that holds only this character.
2. Set Faces and Up to match your model (for example Faces -Y, Up +Z).
3. Check the Main Mesh dropdown. The addon suggests the body. If a full-body outfit confuses it, pick the correct mesh.
4. Choose Auto Detect, T-pose or A-pose. If detection is unsure, set it by hand.
5. Click Next.

Step 2: Body Guides

1. Each step shows a reference image and an auto-placed blue circle. Drag it to move, or select and press G.
2. Press Escape or right-click to cancel a drag.
3. Click Next Guide to confirm and move on. Order: pelvis, chest, neck, head top, shoulder, elbow, wrist, palm, hip, knee, ankle, toe tip.
4. Mirror Left / Right is on by default. Turn it off for asymmetric characters.
5. Use Side View to check depth. Moving a guide in depth switches that guide to manual depth so your fix is kept.
6. Place the toe tip on the foot, not on the shoe tip.
7. Tick Include Fingers if you want finger bones.

Tip: Keep viewport Gizmos and Overlays enabled or the guides will not show.

Optional: Finger Guides

1. Choose Left or Right. The view centers on that hand.
2. Click Add Thumb, then click the fingertip on the mesh. Joints are generated for you.
3. Continue with Index, Middle, Ring and Pinky. Extra digits are named Finger 6, Finger 7 and so on.
4. Drag any joint to correct it. Mirror copies your edits to the other hand.

Step 3: Skeleton & Bind

1. The preview skeleton is created when you open the page. The body uses 19 deform bones; five fingers per hand brings it to 49.
2. Check the joint positions. Go Back to fix guides if needed.
3. Click Auto Bind Character.
4. Test with Neutral, Elbows, Arms and Hip. Look at shoulders, elbows, knees and clothing seams.

Advanced: Keep All Pieces Rigid forces one bone per piece for mechanical models. Leave it off for clothing that must bend.

Step 4: Animate

1. Open any of the 24 category dropdowns, or type in Search All Animations.
2. Selecting a clip previews it on your character. Use Play/Pause and Stop.
3. Click Add to Character to keep it. Repeat for more clips.
4. Rename, select or unlink clips in the character list.

Note: Five clips include finger motion and are marked Fingers in the menu. All other clips animate the body.

Step 5: Edit & Keyframe

1. Click Edit Controls. The first time, the addon makes an editable IK copy of the clip and keeps the original as a backup.
2. Select a hand or foot, then G to move or R to rotate. Drag the magenta elbow or knee handle to change the bend.
3. Pelvis, chest, neck and head rotate. The pelvis also moves.
4. Use Key Selected, Key All or Auto Key to record poses.
5. Use Save Pose and Load Pose to reuse poses as JSON files.
6. Switch, create, duplicate, rename or remove actions in Current Animation.

Control colors: cyan is left, orange is right, yellow is body, magenta is elbow and knee.

Finger controls

1. Turn on Finger IK in the Fingers section.
2. Grip: select the small sphere beside the palm and press G, Y, Y to curl or open the four fingers together.
3. Individual: move each fingertip sphere, thumb included. These sit on top of the grip.

Animation Corrections

1. Expand Animation Corrections below Keyframes.
2. Click Edit Controls inside the section.
3. Pick Whole Animation or Frame Range. For a range, set Start, End, Blend In and Blend Out.
4. Go to a frame inside the range and move the controls. The change spreads across the scope.
5. Click Play/Pause to check, Apply to keep a corrected copy, or Reset to go back.

Example: Range 23 to 32 with 2-frame blends has no change at 23 and 32 and the full change from 25 to 30.

Export

1. Click Export Character / Animation.
2. Choose FBX or GLB.
3. Choose Character + Current Animation, Current Animation Only, or Mesh + Rig (Rest Pose).
4. Set the frame range and choose whether to include clothing and accessories.
5. Switch to another action and export again for each extra take.

Known limits

• Humanoid bipeds only. No quadrupeds or facial rig.
• No foot roll, automatic foot locking or contact detection.
• Not a cloth or hair simulation. Very loose skirts and capes may need cleanup.
• Shape-key meshes, existing armature modifiers and procedural hair strands are not supported. Use a neutral copy.
• Guide placement is a geometric estimate. Always check joints on unusual proportions.
• Save your .blend to keep the wizard state, and keep a copy of your original file.

Support

Include your Blender version, operating system, addon version, steps to reproduce and the full error text. Contact: [email protected]