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Wiggle Bones

by Hans_Xwh·Simulation

Images © Hans_Xwh. Used for product review; image policy.

Why we like it

Wiggle Bones is a rewrite of the original wiggle bones add-on, available through the Blender Extensions library and updated to fix compatibility with newer Blender versions and add bone collision, alongside code cleanup and an updated README. It is licensed under GPL v3.0 or later.

What is Wiggle Bones?

Wiggle Bones is a complete rewrite of the original wiggle bones add-on for Blender, with reworked physics logic that simulates more realistic movement, particularly for ropes or chains. You enable it in your scene through the properties panel of the 3D viewport under the Animation tab, then activate wiggle on an armature and its pose bones, choosing the head or tail of each bone.

Bones can interact with specified meshes or collections, with options for friction, bouncing, or stickiness. Pinning works by applying a damped track constraint on a wiggling bone so it holds to its target while other bones respond accordingly. The add-on supports library-linked assets, with overrides that let you fine-tune your wiggle per scene.

A one-click bake converts visible wiggle bones into keyframes, and preroll lets the simulation settle while timeline looping helps create seamless loops. Everything is managed from a single panel in the 3D animation view, with global utilities for resetting physics, selecting all wiggling bones, and copying settings between bones.

Who is Wiggle Bones best for?

Wiggle Bones is best for animators adding physics-based motion to bones for ropes, chains, and similar elements in Blender.

How much does Wiggle Bones cost?

Wiggle Bones is completely free to download and use.

Key features

  • Reworked physics logic that simulates more realistic movement, particularly for ropes or chains
  • Collision support so bones interact with specified meshes or collections, with options for friction, bouncing, or stickiness
  • Pinning via a damped track constraint, holding a wiggling bone to its target so other bones respond accordingly
  • Support for library-linked assets, with overrides to fine-tune wiggle per scene
  • One-click bake that converts visible wiggle bones into keyframes, with preroll and timeline looping options
  • Single panel in the 3D animation view, with global utilities for resetting physics, selecting all wiggling bones, and copying settings between bones
  • Wiggle can be enabled on the head or tail of a bone

Tags

#Blender#wiggle bones#bone physics#animation#collision#rigging#simulation

Frequently asked questions

Does Wiggle Bones work with Blender 4.5?

Wiggle Bones is compatible with Blender 4.5 LTS and newer, so it runs on current long-term-support releases. It is a rewrite of the original wiggle bones add-on with fixes for compatibility issues on newer Blender versions. To get started, enable wiggle in your scene through the properties panel of the 3D viewport under the Animation tab, then activate wiggle on an armature and select a pose bone. If you run into version-specific issues, check the developer's GitHub page for the latest updates and to report problems.

How do I install and enable Wiggle Bones?

Wiggle Bones is enabled from within Blender's interface. After installing and enabling the add-on, turn on wiggle in your scene via the properties panel of the 3D viewport under the Animation tab. From there, enable wiggle on an armature object, select a pose bone, and enable wiggle on it, choosing the head or tail. Note that if a bone is connected to its parent, the head option is unavailable. You then configure bone physics through the head and tail dropdowns and set up any collision objects.

Does Wiggle Bones support collision detection?

Wiggle Bones supports collision so bones can interact with specified meshes or collections, with options for friction, bouncing, or stickiness. You can enable Full Bone Collision to detect collisions along the entire length of a bone rather than just the head or tail, adjusting the Steps setting for interpolation points, the Collision Threshold for the minimum movement distance considered a collision, and the Dot Threshold for sensitivity. Assign a collision object or collection to unlock these tuning options.

Can I bake Wiggle Bones simulations into keyframes?

Wiggle Bones includes a one-click bake that converts visible wiggle bones in the viewport into keyframes, affecting all visible wiggle bones at once. The Overwrite option merges keyframes into the armature's current action or creates a new one. Preroll runs the simulation for a set number of frames so it can settle before baking, and it works together with the Loop physics option, which prevents physics from resetting during timeline loops, to help produce clean animated loops.

Is Wiggle Bones free to use?

Wiggle Bones is listed as free here and is licensed under the GNU General Public License, Version 3.0 or later, with individual files potentially carrying different but compatible licenses. For the current licensing terms and the latest version, check the developer's GitHub page. The add-on is a rewrite of the original wiggle bones add-on, updated to fix compatibility issues on newer Blender versions.

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