00 BLD ‐ Blender Rig Concepts for Tekken 8 Modding - CDDTreborn/Tekken-8-Resources GitHub Wiki

Blender Rig Concepts for Tekken 8 Modding

This section explains why rig choice matters when working in Blender for Tekken 8 mods.

It does not cover:

  • Weight painting
  • Export settings
  • Animation
  • Advanced rig editing

The goal here is to understand which rig you must use and why, before doing any work.

Core Rule (Read This First)

If you want a mesh to work in Tekken 8, it must use a rig that the game already uses.

Custom rigs created outside the game cannot be used directly. If your character or mesh uses a different rig, you must transfer it to a Tekken 8 rig.

Why This Matters

Tekken 8:

  • Plays animations on its own rigs
  • Expects specific bone names and hierarchies
  • Will not adapt to custom armatures

If the rig does not match what the game expects:

  • Animations will not play correctly
  • The mesh may explode, distort, or not move
  • The game may fail to load the asset

The Two Rig Setups Used in Tekken 8

Tekken 8 uses two different rig setups, depending on how the asset is meant to be used.

Understanding the difference is critical.

Setup 1 — Unique Character Rig

This is what we call a unique rig.

What It Is

  • One rig per character
  • Proportions are built directly into the rig
  • Animations are authored specifically for that character’s proportions

If there are 30 characters, there are roughly:

  • 30 unique rigs

When to Use This

Use a unique rig if:

  • The mod is for one specific character only
  • You do not plan to reuse it on other characters
  • Exact character proportions matter

Limitations

  • The asset will not transfer cleanly to other characters
  • Reuse across characters is very limited or impossible

Setup 2 — Common Rig + Proportion Rig

This is what we call the common setup.

What It Is

The common setup uses two rigs together:

  1. Base animation rig

    • Contains the animation bones
    • Shared across multiple characters

  2. Proportion rig

    • Adjusts proportions at runtime
    • Scales and offsets the mesh to match the selected character

This allows developers to:

  • Build one base body (male / female)
  • Reuse it across many characters
  • Let the game handle proportion differences

How the Common Setup Works (Conceptually)

  • Animations play on the base rig
  • The proportion rig modifies the mesh at runtime
  • The final result matches the selected character’s body

This saves development time and enables reuse.

Naming Conventions (Important)

Both setups use specific naming patterns.

Muscle / Animation Rig

  • Ends with: MSL
  • Used in both unique and common setups

Example:

CharacterName_MSL

Proportion Rig (Common Setup Only)

  • Ends with: _PRP
  • Used only in the common setup

Example:

CharacterName_PRP

If you see:

  • MSL only → likely a unique rig
  • MSL + PRP → common setup

Choosing the Right Setup (Beginner Guidance)

Before you start modding, ask yourself:

Question 1

Do I want this mod to work on one character only?

If YES:

  • Use the unique rig for that character

Question 2

Do I want this mod to work on multiple characters of the same gender?

If YES:

  • Use the common setup
  • You must work with both the MSL and PRP rigs

Very Important Warning

The common setup:

  • Is more flexible
  • But also more complex

If you do not understand how the proportion rig works:

  • Your mesh may look correct in Blender
  • But stretch or distort in-game

This will be covered later.

What This Means for Custom Characters

If you start with:

  • A custom character
  • A custom rig
  • A rig from another game or source

You must:

  • Transfer the mesh to a Tekken 8 rig
  • Match bone names and hierarchy
  • Choose between unique or common setup first

You cannot skip this step.

Stop Here

At this point, you should understand:

  • Why Tekken 8 rigs are required
  • The difference between unique and common setups
  • What MSL and PRP rigs are
  • How to choose the correct setup before doing any work

Next Blender Section

Next, we will cover:

  • What “rig transfer” actually means
  • High-level overview of weight transfer and retargeting
  • What you should and should not change on the rig