Inside the Dojo: Unreal Experiences
Expert voices, shared knowledge, real impact.
Episode 06
Building Smart Control Rigs in Unreal Engine
Jesse Azueta
Senior 3D Artist | Virtual Production Filmmaker
Join Senior 3D Generalist and Virtual Production Filmmaker Jesse Barrenechea-Azueta for a dynamic masterclass on rigging for real-time animation and cinematic performance. In this episode, Jesse breaks down how to design modular, animator-friendly Control Rigs in Unreal Engine — from characters and props to full vehicles, with clarity, precision, and creative vision.
Whether you’re an indie animator, a filmmaker new to rigging, or a technical artist ready to level up your workflow, this session will give you the tools and insights to build rigs that don’t just move — they tell stories.
Get ready to enter the bones of your characters and the brains of your scenes. From cinematic characters to mechanical props and complex vehicles, Jesse demonstrates how modular, animator-friendly rigs unlock real-time performance, seamless integration, and storytelling at scale. Whether you’re bridging Maya workflows or building fully in-engine, this session will show you how to rig with precision, creativity, and confidence.
Jesse has kindly made the entire project from the episode available to download. Please click the link and request access to the Zip File. Must have Unreal Engine 5.6 installed and the animator kit in the plugins section turned on for the project to work. Download, Extract and double click the “U” icon.
Jeasy Sehgal
Founder | Unreal GOLD Authorized Instructor Partner
Internationally acclaimed filmmaker. Unreal GOLD Authorized Instructor. Mastermind behind Virtual Production Dojo, AnimaSentio, and an academic Professor spearheading the MFA in Digital Filmmaking, Virtual Production & VFX at Georgia State University.
Jeasy is where cinematic storytelling meets emerging technology, a fusion of empathy-driven digital humans, real-time pipelines, and transdisciplinary pedagogy. Whether leading high-stakes Fortune 500 virtual production projects, pioneering AI and Virtual Production research, or reimagining civil rights history through XR, Jeasy is shaping the future of immersive storytelling with academic rigor and industry foresight.
From Aotearoa to Atlanta, Jeasy isn’t just pushing boundaries, he’s redrawing the map.
Brigita Biondić
Virtual Production Producer | Academic Director
A creative force with over 30 years of transformative impact in education, Brigita Biondić is the Academic Director of Virtual Production Dojo and a Virtual Production Producer. She doesn’t just teach innovation, she builds the frameworks that shape it.
With roots in science education and a passion for Design Thinking, Agile Learning, and mindful pedagogy, Brigita fuses classroom insight with cinematic vision. Her work bridges the gap between traditional education and real-time production, crafting immersive learning ecosystems where empathy meets technology and creativity powers career-readiness.
Brigita is redefining how we teach, produce, and lead in the 21st century. Where creative leadership meets immersive education—Brigita is already there.