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RootMaker

by manas-R.-Makde·Workflow

Images © manas-R.-Makde. Used for product review; image policy.

Why we like it

A compact single-purpose add-on for root bone creation and baking, updated for Blender 5.0 and released under GPL v3.0 or later.

What is RootMaker?

RootMaker is an add-on for Blender that adds a root bone to an armature and bakes it into your existing animations. If you already have a root bone, it can bake that into your actions instead. You pick a target armature, set the new root bone's name and length, and choose a postfix for the baked action; if the postfix is left empty, the original action is overwritten.

Three bake modes control how the root bone behaves. Keep at Armature Origin fixes the root bone at the armature origin, Keep on Ground lets it move with the animation while staying on the ground, and Allow Offset in Air lets it rise into the air while maintaining its offset and never going below ground. For the ground and air modes, a Follow Bone determines which bone the root bone follows.

Actions to bake are managed in an Actions to Affect list, with Add All and Remove All buttons to populate or clear it. A Bake Only Root Bone option bakes just the root bone while leaving everything else unchanged. RootMaker is released under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later.

Who is RootMaker best for?

RootMaker is best for blender riggers and animators adding or baking a root bone into existing armature actions.

How much does RootMaker cost?

RootMaker is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Creates a root bone and bakes it into existing animations, or bakes an already existing root bone into actions
  • Configurable target armature, root bone name and root bone length
  • Bake postfix option that overwrites the original action when left empty
  • Three bake modes: Keep at Armature Origin, Keep on Ground, and Allow Offset in Air
  • Follow Bone setting for ground and air bake modes
  • Actions to Affect list with Add All and Remove All controls
  • Bake Only Root Bone option that leaves everything else unchanged

Tags

#Blender#root bone#animation#rigging#bake#armature#add-on

Frequently asked questions

What Blender versions does RootMaker support?

RootMaker is listed as compatible with Blender 5.0 and newer. Version 1.0.1 was updated for Blender 5.0. If you are running an older Blender release, check the developer's GitHub page for details, since the listed compatibility begins at 5.0. Because the add-on targets a specific version range, confirming your Blender version before installing helps ensure the tool loads and appears in the side panel as expected.

How do I install RootMaker in Blender?

RootMaker installs from a downloaded .zip file. Go to Edit, then Preferences, then Add-ons, then Install from Disk, and select the .zip file, making sure it is enabled once installed. When installation succeeds, RootMaker appears in the side panel. On the extensions listing you can also drag and drop it into Blender or download and install from disk. The images folder inside the repository archive can be deleted before installing if you prefer.

What do the RootMaker bake modes do?

RootMaker offers three bake modes. Keep at Armature Origin fixes the root bone at the armature origin. Keep on Ground makes the root bone move with the animation while always staying on the ground. Allow Offset in Air lets the root bone move up into the air while maintaining its offset and never going below ground, where the offset is the distance between the follow bone and root bone in edit mode. The ground and air modes use the Follow Bone setting.

Is RootMaker free, and what license does it use?

RootMaker is listed as free here, and it is released under the GNU General Public License v3.0 or later. The extension does not require special permissions. The developer also maintains Patreon, Buy Me a Coffee, and Ko-fi pages for those who wish to support the work. For current licensing terms and any further details, refer to the developer's GitHub page linked with this listing.

Alternatives to RootMaker

Also in Workflow for Blender.

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