Skinning
Skinning binds a 3D mesh to a skeleton, defining how vertices deform when bones move during animation.
What is Skinning?
Skinning (also called weight painting) binds a 3D mesh to its skeleton so the surface deforms naturally when bones move. Each vertex is assigned weights that determine how much each nearby bone influences it. A vertex on the elbow, for example, might be influenced equally by the upper arm and forearm bones so it bends smoothly instead of collapsing. It is the step that follows rigging in the animation pipeline.
Why It Matters
Good skin weights are the difference between natural deformation and ugly pinching at the joints. In games, Linear Blend Skinning is standard; film uses more expensive methods that preserve volume better. To see the whole rig-and-skin flow on an AI-generated model, read our guide to rigging AI models for animation in minutes.
