Bob, Sway, & Wiggle — Rigging and Animating with Duik IK Chains | Kurzgesagt-Style Animation Part 2
Somehow I spent hours making jellyfish legs wiggle, fish fins flap, and an ant breathe and bob… and honestly? It was challenging for sure, super fun, and oddly zen-inducing. 😄
This round of animation was all about bringing little lifeforms, plants, and underwater scenes to life — experimenting with swaying movement, floppy fins and jaws, wiggly jellyfish legs, subtle breathing and bobbing motion for the ant, and simple IK rigs inspired by the Kurzgesagt animation style.
For anyone else who gets stuck here like I did: Sonja’s version of Duik Ángela (15.52) used these IK steps: click “IK” → select “2-layer IK & Goal” → check “Lock & shy layers after creation” → click “Create.” My newer version of Duik Ángela (17.1.21) handled those steps differently through the Auto-rig workflow instead, so here’s what worked for me:
- Switch Duik to Rookie mode (beginner/simple mode).
2. After selecting the ant leg layers in Sonja’s order (foot → leg → thigh), go to Duik’s Controllers panel (hand icon) and click the foot icon to create a controller for each foot.
3. Next, go to Duik’s Links & Constraints panel (chain/links icon) and click Auto-rig.
4. When the pop-up appeared, click Hide layer controls to begin the rigging process.
If you’re stuck too, keep going — eventually you’ll find the missing puzzle piece, and things really start clicking. Happy rigging! 😄