What It Does
Deekay Tool handles character rigging and animation in After Effects. Build a complete character rig with controllers and IK bones in one click, then animate using a library of presets for walk cycles, runs, jumps, and other movements. The tool manages the repetitive setup work so you can focus on timing and performance.
Key Features
Rigging System. Creates IK-based limbs with controllers for arms and legs. The system generates optimized expressions to keep joints bending naturally, even with extreme poses. You can adjust limb styles (width, caps, taper) and save custom configurations. The Create Bone button adds IK expressions to any three layers if you need manual control.
Animate Panel. Provides preset animations for common character actions: walking, running, dancing, swimming, flying. Each preset includes timing controls to adjust speed and rhythm. Alt-click on character zones to auto-link named points to a rig control layer, which keeps your puppet structure organized.
Assist Panel. Covers workflow tasks like scaling style widths when controllers are resized, managing shape layers, and batch-adjusting properties. The Pins to Controllers feature turns shape path points into null controllers, useful for facial rigging or detailed deformations.
Style Customization. Change outline width, caps, and taper settings per limb. The Scale Styles Width button recalculates stroke thickness if you’ve scaled controllers, keeping line weight consistent. Styles can be saved and applied to new characters.
Who It’s For
Best for animators working on 2D characters in a motion graphics or explainer video style. If you’re rigging characters with separate limb layers (not frame-by-frame illustration), this tool speeds up the setup. The animation presets are helpful for dialogue scenes or repetitive actions where you need consistent motion.
Not ideal if you’re doing traditional hand-drawn animation or prefer full manual control over every keyframe. The system works with shape layers and precomps, not raster artwork.
Pricing
$75 for a single-user license. If you previously purchased Character Tool (an earlier product from the same developer), you qualify for an upgrade price of $45. Log in to your aescripts account to see the discount. Floating server licenses are available at a higher price point.
A trial version is available on the product page.