This is my #RiveChallenge presentation on Contra, built from a character system I created for VDV Labs, Robert Vandervoort. All these little characters are part of an interactive system designed to create a band inside an app. The idea was simple: what if one rig structure could support many different performers? Instead of building every character and animation from scratch, I designed one reusable Rive system that can adapt to different animals, outfits, instruments, and performance loops. One component turns into a kawaii band: the characters change, the instruments change, and the performance evolves, but everything is still driven by the same reusable Rive structure. This was the biggest challenge of the project: building a system strong enough to handle multiple characters and outfits while keeping the animation readable and reliable. The amount of layers, states, controls, and visual variations made the work both technical and creative. I handled the full process: vector cleanup, character adaptation, animation, outfit design, state machine logic, and data binding. At the end, the project is more than one character animation. It is one flexible character system working across multiple performers in the same scene. Built in Rive.

You did an incredible job! That's definitely not an easy challenge, and the result is amazing.

We landed more than 10 character projects in the last year, earning a dedicated spot for this in our Rive services. Submitting an entry for the current @Rive X @contra #characterchallenge, with this reel showcasing our favorite characters so far and some behind-the-scenes. Kudos to @Junior Fonseca and @YERANDY | DSpot for being part of these amazing results!

Great job