Character Rigging
Rig structures, skeletons, and control hierarchies built for clean, predictable and reusable technical setups.
Available for Junior Rigging & Technical Animation roles
NADIM AKEL
Junior Character Rigger · Technical Animator
Maya
Character Rigging
Facial Rigging
Skinning & Deformation
3D Animation
The rig behind the performance
My final project — where I owned the full character rigging pipeline from skeleton to facial controls and deformation.
Final Project
Character Rigging · Final Project
Sno Day
Sno Day is my final university group project, where I was responsible for rigging all the characters and props. I created the rigs to support the animation and provide the team with flexible and reliable controls throughout the production.
- Sno Rig — full body skeleton & control system
- Facial Rig — expressive blend-shape driven controls
- Scarf Deformation — stable, art-directable cloth-like motion
Animation Reel
3D Animator | character animation. A selection of shots demonstrating timing, weight, and appeal.
A short character animation piece built entirely in Spline, animated to match a voiceover track. I started by acting out the reference footage myself, then blocked the main poses and timing, refined the motion in Spline, and finished with full lip sync to bring the dialogue to life.
Animation Demo Reel
How the rigs are built
A look under the hood at the technical craft that powers each character.
Facial Rigging
Facial controls, expressions, blend shapes and systems that give animators nuanced, emotional performance.
Deformation
Skinning, weight painting and deformation tests solving the technical problems that keep silhouettes clean.
Controls
Animator-friendly control systems, intuitive interfaces and organized pickers built for speed in production.
Versatility across the pipeline
Secondary skills that support and strengthen my rigging and technical animation work.
Modeling
Clean topology and production-ready assets, from props to characters.
VFX
Effects-driven shots and simulations for narrative and technical shorts.
Houdini
Procedural setups and simulation for dynamic, art-directable results.
Compositing
Bringing renders together with Nuke for a polished final image.
About
A character rigger and technical animator who loves the space where technical problem-solving meets performance and artistry.
Education
Baccalauréat en Animation 3D & Design Numérique — NAD-UQAC ·
B.A. Computer Graphics & Animation — NDU
Specialization
Character & facial rigging, skinning, deformation and
animator-friendly control systems in Maya.
Background
Production experience across studio, agency and freelance
environments from Beirut to Montreal.
Focus
To grow as a rigging TD building robust, expressive rigs for film,
games and VFX studios.
Experience
Roles and projects across studio, corporate and freelance work.
Project Manager — Promotional Video
Led the creation of a promotional video from concept through delivery, coordinating the 3D pipeline and production of the final piece.
View reference letterGraphics & Animation Intern
Internship across the Graphics & Animation and Graphics Programming departments, contributing to real-time and animation workflows.
View reference letterCharacter Rigger & 3D Animator
Delivering character rigs, technical animation and 3D content for independent projects, collaborating remotely with small creative teams.
Work with meRigging and availability, answered
What does Nadim Akel specialize in?
Nadim Akel specializes in character rigging and technical animation, including facial rigging, skinning, deformation, and animator-friendly control systems in Autodesk Maya.
What software does Nadim Akel use?
Maya is his primary rigging and animation software, supported by Houdini for procedural work and Nuke for compositing.
Is Nadim Akel available for work?
Yes. He is open to junior rigging and technical animation roles, freelance projects, and collaborations.