How do you make a squash and stretch rig in Blender 5.1?

This tutorial walks you through creating a simple squash-and-stretch rig for a ball in Blender 5. You’ll build a two-bone stretch system, add a master control, and create custom controller shapes to make animation easier.

Step 1: Add an Armature

  1. Make sure you have the Rigify addon active
  2. Press Shift + A → Armature → Single Bone
  3. The bone may be hidden inside the mesh
  4. Select the armature
  5. Open Object Properties [running man]
  6. Under Viewport Display, enable In Front so the bones remain visible through the mesh

Position the bone roughly in the center of the ball

  • Press G, then Z, to move it vertically to the bottom of the ball

Step 2: Create the Stretch Bones

  1. Use TAB to enter Edit Mode
  2. Select the tip of the bone
  3. Press G, then Z, to move the top of the bone to the top of the ball
  4. Make adjustments as necessary to make sure the bone spans the ball
  5. Use E, the Z, to extrude a second bone at the top of the ball

The bones should form a vertical chain running through the center of the ball

Step 3: Separate the Bones

The stretch setup works best when the two bones are not parented together

  1. Select the top bone
  2. Press Alt + P
  3. Choose Clear Parent

The two bones are now independent

Step 4: Rename the Bones

Clear naming makes rigging much easier

Select each bone and rename it in the Bone Properties panel

  • Lower bone → Root
  • Upper bone → Squash

Step 5: Add the Stretch Constraint

The lower bone will stretch toward the upper bone

  1. Select both bones
  2. Use CTRL TAB to switch to Pose Mode
  3. Select the Root bone
  4. Open the Bone Constraints tab
  5. Click Add Bone Constraint → Stretch To

Configure the constraint:

  • Target: your armature
  • Bone: Squash

Now test it

Select the Squash bone and press G and move your mouse

The lower bone should automatically stretch toward it

You can also move the Root bone to see how the setup behaves

Step 6: Parent the Ball to the Armature

Now bind the mesh to the rig

  1. Return to Object Mode by using CTRL TAB
  2. Select the ball
  3. Hold Shift and select the armature
  4. Press Ctrl + P
  5. Choose Armature Deform → With Automatic Weights

Switch back to Pose Mode using CTRL TAB and move either bone

The ball should squash and stretch automatically

Step 7: Create a Master Control Bone

A master control lets you move the entire rig without affecting the squash-and-stretch behavior

Add the Control Bone

  1. Use TAB to go into Edit Mode
  2. Press Shift + A to add a new bone
  3. Select the top of the Bone and use G, then Z, to scale the Bone down
  4. Rename this bone: Control

Step 8: Parent the Stretch Bones to the Control

Still in Edit Mode:

  1. Select Squash
  2. Hold CTRL and select Root
  3. Finally select Control so it is the active bone
  4. Press Ctrl + P
  5. Choose Keep Offset

Now test the rig

  • Use CTRL TAB to go back into Pose Mode
  • Moving the Squash bone affects stretching
  • Moving Root bone affects stretching
  • Moving Control bone moves the entire rig together

Step 9: Create a Custom Controller Shape

Controller shapes are easier to animate than bones

  1. Use CTRL TAB to return to Object Mode
  2. Press Shift + A → Mesh → Circle
  3. Scale it larger with S key
  4. Move it slightly below the ball

This circle will become the custom control shape

Select the bones and use CTRL TAB to enter Pose Mode

Squash Bone

  1. Select Squash bone
  2. Open Bone Properties
  3. Under Viewport Display, find Custom Shape
  4. Use the eyedropper to select the circle

Adjust the display:

  • Rotation: 90° (X Axis)
  • Scale: approximately 2.5
  • Raise it slightly using Translation Y

Root Bone

Suggested values:

  • Select the Root bone
  • Use the eyedropper to select the circle
  • Rotation: 90° (X Axis)
  • Scale: about 1.5
  • Lower it slightly with Translation Y

Control Bone

Suggested settings:

  • Select the Control bone
  • Use the eyedropper to select the circle
  • Rotation: 90° (X Axis)
  • Scale: around 6

Make this controller larger than the ball so it’s easy to grab

The circle object is now only used as a controller shape

Return to Object Mode using CTRL TAB and delete the mesh circle

The custom controller shapes remain assigned to the bones

Step 10: Test the Rig

In Pose Mode:

  • Select the Controllers and use CTRL TAB to go into Pose Mode
  • Move the Squash controller to squash and stretch the ball
  • Move the Root controller to squash and stretch the ball
  • Move the Control controller to reposition the entire rig
  • Rotate the Control to rotate the whole ball

Everything should move together while preserving the squash-and-stretch behavior

Step 11: Color-Code the Controllers (Optional)

To make the rig easier to read:

  1. Select a controller
  2. Open Bone Properties → Viewport Display
  3. Select a Bone Color

Suggested colors:

  • Squash → Red
  • Root → Yellow
  • Control → Purple

Color coding becomes especially useful on larger character rigs

You can also use the Wire Width to make the Controllers easier to see

Conclusion

You now have a fully functional squash-and-stretch ball rig featuring:

  • Automatic squash and stretch using a Stretch To constraint
  • Automatic mesh deformation with armature weights
  • Independent top and bottom stretch controls
  • A master control for moving and rotating the entire rig
  • Custom controller shapes for easier animation
  • Optional color-coded controls for better organization

This simple rig demonstrates several fundamental rigging techniques that can be expanded into more advanced animation rigs

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