CloudRig
CloudRig is a free Blender Studio extension for generating rigs and organizing rigging work.
What CloudRig is
CloudRig is a free Blender Studio extension for generating rigs and organizing rigging work. Riggers configure a metarig, generate a control rig, then regenerate it when the metarig settings change. Component types assigned to bones determine behaviors and expose parameters for elements such as limbs, spines, eyes, and bone tweaks. Generated rigs can include a custom sidebar interface that arranges built-in and custom properties into panels, labels, and rows. Supported components may add IK/FK switches plus snapping and baking operators. Hotkeys and pie menus are included for rigging tasks, and a generation log can flag potential problems with buttons for some remedies. CloudRig does not automatically correct rigging mistakes. Post-generation scripts enable procedural changes but require Python familiarity. The embedded cloudrig.py script may request permission and does not run automatically when files are linked or appended. It installs through Blender Extensions and is used by Blender Studio in production.
Good
- Free Blender extension
- Regenerates control rigs from metarig changes
- Components cover limbs, spines, and eyes
- Custom rig panels support IK/FK controls
- Available through Blender Extensions
Watch out
- Does not automatically fix rigging mistakes
- Post-generation scripting requires Python familiarity
- Embedded script may require permission
- Supported host is Blender
Who it suits
CloudRig suits Blender riggers creating character or prop rigs through a configurable metarig workflow. It is also relevant to users comfortable with Python scripts and regeneration-based setup.
Verdict
CloudRig provides a configurable metarig-to-control-rig workflow with custom controls and troubleshooting logs. It is a practical free option for Blender users, provided they can handle manual fixes and Python-dependent scripting.
The facts
Each one read from CloudRig's own pages, with the date it was checked.
What it does
- Animation controls
- The rig UI can include IK/FK switches and snap and bake operators when supported by the rig components.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Contributions
- The CloudRig contribution page welcomes external contributors and asks them to contact Demeter before coding.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Customization
- Component types have parameters that let users customize features in the generated rig.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Custom rig UI
- CloudRig lets riggers organize built-in and custom properties into panels, labels, and rows in a custom rig interface.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Features
- The add-on includes component types for features such as limbs, spines, eyes, and bone tweaks.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Installation
- CloudRig is available on the Blender Extensions platform and can be installed from within Blender.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Issues and support
- The Blender Studio add-ons page says users can report issues for its add-ons.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Limit
- CloudRig does not automatically fix rigging mistakes, though it can detect issues and suggest fixes.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Metarig workflow
- Users set parameters on a metarig, then generate a control rig that can be regenerated as the metarig changes.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Production use
- The Blender Studio says it uses CloudRig in production to generate rigs for characters and props.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Purpose
- CloudRig is a Blender Studio add-on for rig generation and rigging workflow enhancement.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Rig components
- Component types assigned to metarig bones define rig behaviors and can be customized with parameters.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Rig panel
- Generated rigs include a sidebar panel with features such as IK/FK switching and snapping.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Rig panel requirement
- The rig sidebar is available even when CloudRig is not installed, but Blender may ask permission to execute its script, and the file must be saved and reloaded.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Script behavior
- A generated rig's embedded cloudrig.py script may prompt for permission to execute and does not execute automatically when the file is linked or appended.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Scripting
- Post-generation scripts allow procedural changes, but require familiarity with Python.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Troubleshooting
- After rig generation, a log can identify potential issues and may provide buttons to address some of them.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Workflow
- The documented workflow is to change settings and regenerate the rig.checked 5 Oct 2026
- Workflow tools
- The add-on includes hotkeys and pie menus intended to speed up rigging workflows.checked 5 Oct 2026
The company
- Maker
- CloudRig is developed by Blender Studio for its open movies, beginning with CoffeeRun in 2020.checked 5 Oct 2026
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