A method is provided for animating a three-dimensional object using an animation rig. An exemplary method according to the invention is a method that defines a positional relationship between the location of one or more known points on first surface and an equal number of corresponding points on a virtual surface, and a time interval. The time interval is incremented, and the positional offsets of one or more known points on the first surface are determined. The corresponding point or points on the virtual surface are then transformed by the positional offset, and the change in animation rig control values for the transformed points on the virtual surface are calculated. The animation rig control values are then updated based on said calculations.