Puppet Armature & Exposure Sheet Studio

Engineered for multi-joint stop-motion armatures (such as high-complexity avian, quadruped, and mechanical puppets). Calculate inverse kinematics, monitor tie-down center-of-mass balance, inspect wire/rig deflection, and generate production dope sheets.

Armature Preset Wildwood Avian (1:1 Scale)

Puppet Rig Architecture

Framing Speed & Exposure 24 FPS (On 1s)

Keyframe Joint Pose Selected Frame

Wing Elevation / Shoulder Angle 32°

Elbow / Primary Spar Deflection -24°

Carpus / Feather Quill Flare 18°

Thorax & Spine Pitch 8°

Rig Support Point

FRAME: 01 / 24

TIME: 0.00s

TRAJECTORY ARC: ACTIVE

Scrub Exposure Timeline Frame 1 of 24

Onion Skin Feathers

Total Wingspan / Extent

5.0 ft (152 cm)

Scale Verified

Center of Mass Drift

±1.4 cm

Stable Over Tie-Down

Joint Torque Load

0.84 N•m

Within Friction Spec

Rig Removal Workload

1 Rod Mask

Clean Plate Logged

Fr#	Time	Spine °	Shoulder °	Elbow °	Quill Flare °	Camera Move	Rig Pin Coord	Action Cue

Component / Material	Sub-Assembly	Spec / Quantity	Weight Budget	Craft Notes
Individual Primary Flight Feathers	Outer Wing Spar	3,400 per puppet (10,200 across 3 puppets)	145g	Laser-cut micro-tyvek with hand-painted spine stiffeners
Covert & Body Feathers	Torso & Mantle	~1,800 micro-plumes	85g	Silicone-dipped silk organza individually planted on armature
Internal Ball-and-Socket Armature	Full Skeletal Rig	32 Stainless Steel ball joints, M3/M4 threads	620g	Friction tension screws tuned to 0.95 N•m hold
Secondary Embedded Rider Puppet	Internal Cockpit / Saddle	1 Miniature armature inside eagle harness	95g	Articulated fingers and replacement facial plates
Carbon Fiber Wing Spars	Primary Wing Ribs	4 Tapered 3mm carbon tubes	42g	Zero-flutter rigidity under heavy stop-motion tactile touch

Frame Range	Rig Type	Screen Position (X, Y)	Occlusion Risk	Post Cleanup Workflow
Frames 01 - 08	Overhead 4mm flying rod	(450, 180) → (462, 165)	Clear of primary feather tips	Standard clean background plate patch
Frames 09 - 16	Overhead + Left Wing Stabilizer	(320, 210) [Secondary rig]	Passes behind primary downbeat feathers	Rotoscoped feather edge restoration
Frames 17 - 24	Overhead 4mm flying rod	(460, 172) → (450, 180)	Clear trajectory path	Automated optical clean plate alignment

Stop-Motion Animator Note: Avian armatures of this scale (5-foot wingspan, 2.5-foot height) exert significant cantilever torque on ball-and-socket joints. Ensure tie-down bolts or flying suspension tensioners are calibrated before recording each frame to prevent accidental gravity slump between exposures.

Ball-and-Socket Joint Friction

Unlike clay or wire armatures, large mechanical stop-motion puppets rely on precision stainless steel ball-and-socket joints. Each joint has adjustable allen-key set screws allowing animators to calibrate resistance so the puppet holds dramatic poses against gravity without drifting during long multi-pass exposures.

Scale & The 12,000 Feather Challenge

In feature stop-motion (such as LAIKA's Wildwood), life-sized or oversized puppets allow miniature mechanics—like gear-driven wing spars and nested rider puppets—to be manipulated by hand without finger tremors distorting delicate micro-surfaces. Three identical duplicate puppets ensure backup availability across lighting stages.

The Exposure Sheet (Dope Sheet)

The X-Sheet remains the universal operating contract between the lead animator, camera motion control (MoCo) operator, and visual effects rig removal artists. Frame numbers, dialogue lip-sync, camera passes, and suspension rod coordinates are locked here before a single frame is clicked.