Characters

are the Heart of AnimSchool

Take a look at all the character rigs our students enjoy using

At AnimSchool, characters aren’t just a tool. They’re a main focus!

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Calamity Rig

Students in our game animation classes can learn using Calamity.

 Design by Evgeniy Evstratiy
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Asia Rig

Asia rig (Maya 2022 or later).
design by Isaac Jadraque
model by Nina Tarasova.
textures by Nikolay Kirkov
rig by Bilge Yucebas.

Note! Asia is based on the MechWest rig Araxa.
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Stone Rig

Stone rig (Maya 2022 or later).
design by Isaac Jadraque
model by Nina Tarasova.
textures by Brian Irvin and Nikolay Kirkov
rig by Bilge Yucebas.
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Irene Rig

Irene rig (Maya 2018 or later).
design by Isaac Jadraque
model by Nina Tarasova and Amena Rihan.
textures by Nikolay Kirkov
rig by Lucas Magalhaes. Additional rigging by Bilge Yucebas.

Note! Irene is based on the MechWest rig Mrs Samuels.
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LooperModern

LooperModern rig
design by Isaac Jadraque
model by Nina Tarasova and Kartik Kinare.
textures by Okera Damani and Nikolay Kirkov
rig by Daniele Dolci, and Bilge Yucebas.
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Mason

Mason rig (Maya 2018 or later).
design by David Lojaya
model and textures by Jean-Pascal Berthiaume
rig by Jenn DuToit and Daniele Dolci
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Blade

Blade rig (Maya 2022 or later) for Game Animation classes
design by Taylor Lee (https://www.artstation.com/tkcad)
model by Robert Nasr and Nina Tarasova
textures by Brian Irvin
rig by Lucas Magalhães
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Zeal

Zeal rig (Maya 2022 or later)
design by Monte Miller
model and textures by Chelle Mill
initial sculpt by Juan Gomez
rig by Jeanne Coritama, Daniele Dolci, and Lucas Magalhães
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Riker

Students in our game animation classes can learn using Riker.

Riker is made using an all new rig initiative - we've taken the extreme facial expressiveness AnimSchool is known for and brought it to the game rig world! Riker has a wide range of expressions not usually seen in games.

Riker was designed by artist Wesley Tippetts.

Come join our gaming animation classes to learn skills with AnimSchool rigs!
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Sorceress Rig

Game animation students use the enchanting Sorceress in the upper game classes.

Sorceress was designed by Jordan Kerbow.
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Demon Sorceress

DemonSorceress mod made by graduate Eric Bellomy!

Sorceress was designed by Jordan Kerbow.
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Marco Mod by Tommaso Maurutto

Marco Rig Mod by  Tommaso Maurutto (Maya 2022 and later)
with two outfits and hairstyles and PBR shaders.
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Marco Rig 2.0

Marco is AnimSchool's new pretty-boy character rig. He has two complete outfit changes and two hairstyles to choose from. Marco represents a new initiative with more detailed texturing taking advantage of Maya's Viewport 2.0 stingray materials display.
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Molly Rig

Molly Rig

design by David Lojaya
model and textures by Nina Tarasova
rig by Sergio Renato and Daniele Dolci
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Marina Rig

Marina is AnimSchool's new gorgeous female character.  Designed by Sergio Pablos, Marina is part of a new initiative with more detailed texturing taking advantage of Maya's Viewport 2.0 stingray materials display.
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Firetail

The new Firetail game rig!
Firetail was modeled and textured by AnimSchool graduate Pablo Bellozas and supervised by Dave Gallagher. Rigging by Dave Gallagher and Jack Kao. Design by Hunter Gage.
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Burcak

Burcak (pronounced "Burchak")  is made using an all new rig initiative - we've taken the extreme facial expressiveness AnimSchool is known for and brought it to the game rig world! Burcak has a wide range of expressions not usually seen in games. He has beautiful detailed texturing displayed using Maya's Stingray shaders.

Burcak was designed by artist Dusko Bjeljac, modeled and textured by AnimSchool graduate Pablo Bellozas, and rigged by AnimSchool founder Dave Gallagher.
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Giacomo Rig

Giacomo is our advanced animation students' choice for older character roles. Giacomo was built with each part and control being tested to extreme levels, making the strongest poses possible.

Giacomo was designed by famous animation veteran Sergio Pablos of The SPA Studios, and modeled by AnimSchool students Marcus Ng and Pablo Bellozas.
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Maggie Rig

Maggie is our adorable little girl rig. She is a new favorite for AnimSchool students. You can't say no to face like that.

Maggie was designed by AnimSchool founder Dave Gallagher and Disney animator Amanda Zima.
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Marshall Rig / MarshallNacho Mod

Marshall is great when our students need a rounder profile. Marshall has clothing options: shirt, jacket, pants, shoes, poseable toes, as well as fat controls.

Marshall was designed by Disney animator Boris Maras.
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Ignacio Rig

Ignacio is a super flexible iguana character, especially good for comedic shots.

Ignacio was designed by Disney veteran Tom Bancroft.
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Malcolm 2.0 Rig

AnimSchool's world-renowned flagship rig has dozens of wardrobe and hair options. Our free Malcolm character and AnimSchool Picker have been downloaded over 150,000 times.

Watch Video

Download the Malcolm 2.0 public version here. (Note: parts of the Evil Scientist and Cowboy Villain are NOW included. Previously they were only for students)

It's like dozens of rigs in one.


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Marnie 2.0

Marnie is a gorgeous female rig. Sleek and sophisticated, Marnie has retro charm and good looks! Marnie 2.0 has mix and match outfits.

Using AnimSchool Picker, students can turn on and off entire costumes or individual parts. You can even make her barefoot, since she has poseable toes.

Watch Video

Marnie was designed by AnimSchool founder Dave Gallagher.
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Mikey Rig

Mikey is a film-quality boy rig AnimSchool students can use alone or with the Maggie little girl rig.

Mikey was designed by the talented Alessandro Toccaceli.
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Coach Rig

Coach is our top-heavy muscle-bound character rig, with an advanced, flexible facial rig. Using the most refined, advanced characters allows AnimSchool student work to stand out among competitors.

Coach has clothing options: shirt, collar, cleats, shoes, pants or gym shorts.

Coach was designed by AnimSchool founder Dave Gallagher and Disney animator Boris Maras.
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Scout Rig

Scout is AnimSchool's advanced dog rig. Scout is not just for learning quadruped animation-- he has a very detailed facial rig.

Scout was painstakingly developed to reach artfully designed poses, and allow for a myriad of variations in expression.
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Coach Batman Mod by Max Schneider

AnimSchool's Coach rig, transformed into a Batman-type character.

This great mod was made by AnimSchool graduate Maxmiliano Schneider.
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Malcolm Robin Rig

Student Malcolm Robin mod by Maxmiliano Schneider!
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Grave Rig

Grave is one of our new Visual Effects creature rigs!
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Towerback

Towerback is one of our new Visual Effects creature rigs!
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Block Rig

Block is one of our flagship simple rigs. Students use these segmented rigs to learn body mechanics so each posing decision is explicit, without being obscured by deformations.

Plus they're like fun toys!
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Blockie

Blockie Rig by student Michal Zadok
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Block Malcolm Rig

A simple rig version of our Malcolm character. This segmented character lets students learn body mechanics by being explicit in posing decisions, without being distracted by deformations.
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Tub Bear Mod by Duarte Hilario

Tub Bear Mod by AnimSchool Student Duarte Hilario. Thank you, Duarte!
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Tub Rig

Tub is one of our flagship simple rigs. Students use these segmented rigs to learn body mechanics so each posing decision is explicit, without being obscured by deformations.

Plus they're like fun toys!
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Organic Block Rig

This Block character mod was made by student Keith Seyer. This is a rounded version of Block, with bend capability added to the arms/legs.
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CubeAll Rig

AnimSchool's first "block" character, CubeAll is a good way for students to begin learning body animation.
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Block Zoe

This Block character mod was made by graduate Michael Chen. This is a female version of Block.
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Blockina

This Block character mod was made by graduate Ludmila Alkhazova. This is a female version of Block.
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SwashbucklerBlock Rig

SwashbucklerBlock Rig!
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Steroid Block

This Block character mod was made by student Alissar Kobeissi. This is a version of Block with a muscle profile.
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Blocky Nana

Great Block character modeled by Ayman Moadad and rigged by graduate Pablo Sepulveda.
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Alien Block Rig

Alien Block Rig Mod by Jonah Sidhom!
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Bone Apart Rig

One of AnimSchool's very first rigs, it's BoneApart! Students use him whenever a cartoony skeleton is needed.
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AsianMalcolm

AsianMalcolm is a great Malcolm mod from contributor Cody Lyon.
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Malcolm Red Hair for Maya by Xin and Florent (2014 and above)

The Malcolm mod used in student Xin Zhao and Florent Rubio's amazing short The Answer!
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Hellhound Rig

Our second game class unlocks Hellhound, a creature you may not want to run into.
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Rock Rig

Rock is a great game character rig, capable of crushing good guys but just as likely to fall apart into rock pieces.
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Griffon Rig

Griffon is one of our advanced game rigs, with face controls.

Designed by EliOli.
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Grave Rig for Games

Grave Rig for Games Animation Classes!
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Towerback for Games

Towerback Rig for Games Animation Classes!

AnimSchool offers flexible and appealing rigs

We started AnimSchool because we love appealing characters!

Make and move appealing characters

AnimSchool characters and AnimSchool Picker are used worldwide by over 35,000 enthusiasts and professionals.

AnimSchool's Malcolm rig has been used to win numerous awards and in thousands of personal and commercial productions. Since the founding of AnimSchool, our characters have been used worldwide and have a reputation for flexibility and appeal. Animators love animating with fun, flexible character rigs. We love seeing characters come to life! Character artists learn to model great appealing shapes and topologies that deform well. Then how to hand-craft rigs that invite a solid performance.

Whether students enroll into the 3D Character or the 3D Animation program, they will appreciate our commitment to characters.

We love appealing characters!

We teach people how to make great characters. We teach how to make them act convincingly. We’re focused on appeal.

AnimSchool CEO Dave Gallagher said "Growing up, I was enthralled with the characters in movies like Jungle Book and 101 Dalmatians. Some of the Warner Bros. shorts were just as inspiring to me! To me, those 2D characters with their expressivity, stunning character design, and personality are highwater marks. Even though in 3D animation we can refine the acting like never before, it’s so rare to find 3D characters that come close to being that expressive and beautiful.

This is what drives me and excites me in this field! Now I want to bring those sensibilities to students all across the world here at AnimSchool."

AnimSchool Rigs

Pixar animator Michal Makarewicz said "I love AnimSchool rigs. The reason I use them is it's closest to the stuff I use professionally. I like the way they work... friendly."

Here's what some past contest winners and runners-up have said about our Malcolm rig:


Camille Campion, March 2013 winner

"The first important thing for me is the model, the design and appeal. Malcolm looks good, his design is simple, but with potential- I like that. The rig is very complete, the facial rig is superb and powerful."


Tim Kallok, March 2012 winner

"I would like to thank AnimSchool for making such an awesome rig available for public use. I really love Malcolm’s design and his overall flexibility. He can be pushed and pulled further than any other rig that I have used. His facial setup is awesome; it's really easy to get appealing shapes and expressions. Because of the nature of the competition’s dialogue, I didn’t get to utilize the rig to its full potential, but for my shot, the IK elbow pinning and the IK/FK switching came in very handy."


Peter Nagy, January 2012 winner

"Malcolm is the best rig I have ever worked with! (And I’m not only saying this because I won with Malcolm) Until now, I have always thought that there are no bad rigs, just weak animators, but I have found out, it is crucially important how much latitude a rig can give to the animator. At first I got frightened by seeing the amount of controllers, but with a little practice, it can easily be seen which controller should be used to which action. It was a great help that I could change body position by moving the hip or the abdomen, and the shoulders kept their position at the same time. I loved that I could handle the arms in arch and that I could stretch the character. These are very important factors on a rig for a nice cartoony animation."