Hi Andrew,
There are four main options to do it.
I have called them Object, Child Constrain, and Weight here, and I'm sure there are a dozen other names available.
The key idea here is, first of all, what fits well into your comfort zone.
I think there is no "best practice" from someone else; it must fit your idea of working. The more you explore, the more options might appear to do the same thing (result-wise). Best practice is, from my point of view, subjective. If one knows only one option, then this is their best practice?
The question is, how do you find what fits?
There is often a split between rigging and animating in Character Animation, especially in studio setups. The one rigging things should do anything that keeps the animator focused on the art of expression, not the art of selecting and moving.
However, if you need the rig only for a single short take, optimizing it would be a waste of time. Therefore, the rigging should be more comfortable.
If the parts of the character (including mechanical) are not final, and the art director or client likes to change things, a very integrated rig might be an obstacle. If the exchange is easy, joints and character are not one large hierarchy, and they have many dependencies on each other (both ways), then the rig with the easiest way to exchange parts will win.
If your character has to move along a larger pipeline or to different apps, then simplicity and standard tools are key.
Yes, I do not tell you what to do or what is best, as this would go against the idea of finding what is best for you and in which circumstances.
You will find a favorite among the four standards and perhaps even mix a new one. I'm sure you will have minimal problems finding what is needed, and then it is yours, not someone else's favorite.
(Of course, Joints have some advantages over other skeleton hierarchies.)
One tip: Always follow the information. With rigs, the Axis of an object might be important to place wisely.
Screenshot 2024-03-19 at 2.18.23 PM.jpg
I hope that helps.
My best wishes for your project
