Shape Keys Courses and Certifications

Introduction to Rigging

Master Blender rigging with Nathan Vegdahl's 6-hour training, building animator-friendly rigs in Blender 2.6 with a strong conceptual foundation rather than just step-by-step instructions.

• Blender Studio
• Self-Paced
• Paid Course

Advanced Facial Rigging

Master advanced facial rigging in Blender using Ribbon Guide Meshes, shape keys, and industry-inspired techniques to create high-quality, expressive character rigs from scratch.

• Blender Studio
• Self-Paced
• Paid Course

CGDive

FaceIt Tutorials - Blender Addon for Facial Animation and Motion Capture

Master FaceIt addon for Blender to automate facial animation, create shape keys, and apply motion capture across various rig types and character styles.

• YouTube
• 2 hours 34 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Joey Carlino

Easy Mouth Rig in Blender

Learn to create a simple, effective mouth rig in Blender, covering head modeling, teeth, armature setup, weight painting, bone constraints, shape keys, and drivers for realistic facial animations.

• YouTube
• 31 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Polygon Runway

Blender 3.1 Laser Loop Animation Tutorial - Polygon Runway

Create a Star Wars-inspired laser turret animation loop using Blender 3.1's animation graph and shape keys. Learn workflow tricks for quick and effective 3D modeling and rendering.

• YouTube
• 20 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

CGDive

Rigging isn't Scary - Master Blender Rigging Fundamentals - Level 3

Master advanced Blender rigging with IK-FK switching, improved leg rigs, easy hand setups, pro weight painting, mechanical rigging, and shapekeys for better deformations.

• YouTube
• 7 hours 7 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

CGDive

Blender 5.0 - New Rigging and Animation Features

Discover Blender 5.0's revolutionary rigging and animation upgrades including playblast, new constraints, enhanced shape keys, linked armatures, improved FBX import, and powerful modifiers.

• YouTube
• 18 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Unreal Engine

Blender to Unreal Tools, Part 3 - Inside Unreal

Learn to import custom animations, characters, and skeletons from Blender to Unreal Engine. Explore techniques for exporting, replacing animations, and working with FBX files to enhance your game development workflow.

• YouTube
• 1 hour 7 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

sociamix

3D Flour Sack Blender Tutorial - Model, Texture, Rig, Animate and Render an Animation

Learn to create a complete 3D animated flour sack character in Blender, covering modeling, texturing, rigging, animation, and rendering techniques for beginners to intermediate users.

• YouTube
• 5 hours 31 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

CG Cookie

Creating an Advanced Face Rig - Part 3 - Blender Tutorial

Advanced face rigging in Blender: Set up shape keys driven by armature bones, mesh deform modifier controls, and custom bone shapes. Learn fluid facial expressions using deform bones and shape key drivers.

• YouTube
• 33 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

CG Cookie

Creating an Advanced Face Rig in Blender - Part 2

Advanced face rigging in Blender: custom bone shapes, deform mesh setup, shape keys, and control bones for enhanced character animation. Practical tutorial with downloadable project files.

• YouTube
• 44 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

CG Cookie

Creating an Advanced Face Rig in Blender - Part 1

Learn advanced face rigging techniques in Blender, including shape key setup, armature bone drivers, mesh deform modifiers, and custom bone shapes for precise facial animation control.

• YouTube
• 44 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

CG Cookie

Transforming Werewolf - The Transformation Process in Blender - Part 4

Learn to create a werewolf transformation in Blender using shape keys and camera shake. Master sculpting techniques for wolf and human heads, and blend them seamlessly in this advanced 3D modeling tutorial.

• YouTube
• 26 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Polygon Runway

Blender Candle Animation Tutorial - Polygon Runway

Learn to model and animate a stylized candle with flickering flames in Blender. Master shape keys for realistic flame movement in this hands-on 3D modeling tutorial.

• YouTube
• 25 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video

Freedom Arts - 3D Animation & Game Developer

Vroid to Blender Tutorial: Importing Characters with Facial Expressions and Skeleton Bones

Step-by-step guide for exporting Vroid Studio characters to Blender, including facial expressions and skeleton setup. Learn to create facial and body animations in Blender for manga-style characters.

• YouTube
• 17 minutes
• Self-Paced
• Free Video