Elbows collapsing or shoulders turning into noodles during animation?
The Workflow
- Build your base rig and do a quick first-pass weighting.
- Pose into a problem position (ex: elbow 90°, shoulder raised).
- Duplicate the mesh (or sculpt in shape key edit) and sculpt the deformation fix.
- Store it as a Corrective Shape Key on the original mesh.
- Drive it with a bone rotation driver (or your corrective setup):
- As the joint bends, the corrective shape fades in smoothly.
- Repeat for your biggest offenders: shoulders, elbows, knees/hips.
The Usage
Correctives are how you get “animation looks expensive” without endless weight painting. They fix the exact pose where the mesh breaks—so joints hold volume and skin looks believable.