by Carlsu·Workflow
Images © Carlsu. Used for product review; image policy.
Armature Tools stands out in the superhive library for pairing bone generation with weight handling in a single add-on, from growing chains off mesh topology to transferring weights when bones are removed. Compatibility spans Blender 3.3 through 5.1.
Armature Tools by Carlsu is a Blender add-on for quickly generating and editing weighted bones. It's intended for, but not limited to, simple meshes like hair meshes, hair cards and tails. It also works for curves, though it doesn't apply weights to them. To build a rig, the add-on uses the mesh topology to grow a bone chain from selected vertices. Existing weights on the mesh are preserved, and you can choose to add the newly generated weights or replace the affected ones. In cases with pointy tips, it can automatically detect where each mesh island should start.
Removing or editing weighted bones usually comes with extra weight-painting work, which the add-on aims to make easier. You can remove or dissolve a bone and transfer its weights to the parent bone, or transfer weights from a selected element to the active one.
An Armature Mode automatically finds connected armatures and meshes, letting you switch quickly between mesh and armature. Set mode options cover object, edit and pose, and a weight paint mode finds and selects the relevant armature and meshes with bone selection.
Armature Tools is best for blender artists rigging hair cards, tails and other simple meshes who want to generate weighted bones from mesh topology and edit them with less weight-painting work.
Armature Tools is completely free to download and use.
Armature Tools lists compatibility with Blender versions 3.3 through 5.1, covering a wide span of releases. If you're working in a version within that range, the add-on should install and run. For versions outside that range, or to confirm behaviour on newer builds, check the developer's documentation on Notion, which is linked from the product page. Carlsu also runs a Discord server that's the preferred channel for reporting bugs and submitting feature requests.
Armature Tools can create bone chains for curves and supports Bezier, Nurbs and Paths, along with resolution and cyclic options. There's one limitation to keep in mind: curves cannot be weight painted, so the add-on generates chains for them but does not apply weights the way it does for meshes. For weighted results you'd work from mesh topology instead, where the add-on grows bone chains from selected vertices and manages the weights across each island.
Armature Tools preserves the existing weights on your mesh when it generates bones. You can choose whether to add the newly generated weights to what's already there or replace the affected mesh weights outright. On the editing side, removing or dissolving a bone transfers its weights to the parent bone, and a selected-to-active option moves weights between elements. These behaviours are aimed at reducing the extra weight-painting work that usually comes with editing weighted bones.
Armature Tools is listed as free in this catalog and is distributed under the GPL license. Licensing and pricing can change over time, so for the current terms it's best to check the developer's page directly. The developer, Carlsu, is a Dev Fund Contributor. Questions can be sent by email, while bugs and feature requests are preferred through the linked Discord server, and a demo video is available.
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