Rigging - The Shoulder

The shoulder area tends to be most riggers nightmares. Especially if you want the muscles to move correctly and have the muscles deform right too. Here is rig I made today using Maya. I kept the rig very simple with no special muscles systems or influence objects. The goal was to get a generally realistic looking rig without the complexity. The reason the shoulder is so challenging is due to it being a ball and socket joint. Meaning it can move in just about any direction. The trick is to get a nice balance between the head, neck, clavicle, shoulder and upper chest joints. You have to constantly move the shoulder around and the areas around it to see if all parts are deforming correctly. Knowledge of anatomy and muscle deformation is a must along with a lot of patience. haha.. well I hope you like the results!!