How do I rig a character's mouth?
 

OK, I've modelled serveral characters but when it comes to animating the mouth I have problems. Should skeleton joints be used to open and closed the mouth, or ir it better to use blend shapes?

skeleton the upper jaw and the lower jaw,,, it more easier(if you are rigging an animal)

lots of ways... game applications tend to either use morph targets (blend shapes) or facial bones. You can also try using a Wire Deformer, but it's not as controllable or accurate in my opinion.

oh easy question:

what exactly is rigging? i miss both, the meaning of the actual word if it is one (not native english speaker) and what it means in maya.

thanks for the help

"Rigging" is the action of setting up a skeleton for a character, and ensuring that it moves and deforms properly. Many big studios, although not as much nowadays, had specific jobs just for rigging characters, so that the animator wouldn't have to worry about it when the model got to him.

oh thanks mike, now i am enlightened.