tools-unity-animation

Unity Animation

Overview

Unity animation systems include Mecanim Animator, Animancer (3rd party), and low-level Playables API. This skill covers common patterns and optimizations.

When to Use

• Character animations
• UI animations
• Procedural animation
• Animation blending
• State-driven animation

Animancer Patterns

Basic State Playing

using Animancer;

public class CharacterAnimator : MonoBehaviour
{
    [SerializeField] private AnimancerComponent _animancer;
    [SerializeField] private AnimationClip _idle;
    [SerializeField] private AnimationClip _run;
    [SerializeField] private AnimationClip _attack;
    
    public void PlayIdle()
    {
        _animancer.Play(_idle);
    }
    
    public void PlayRun()
    {
        _animancer.Play(_run, 0.25f); // With fade
    }
    
    public void PlayAttack(Action onComplete)
    {
        var state = _animancer.Play(_attack);
        state.Events.OnEnd = () =>
        {
            PlayIdle();
            onComplete?.Invoke();
        };
    }
}

Animation State Machine

public class AnimationStateMachine : MonoBehaviour
{
    [SerializeField] private AnimancerComponent _animancer;
    
    private readonly Dictionary<string, ClipTransition> _states = new();
    private string _currentState;
    
    public void RegisterState(string name, ClipTransition clip)
    {
        _states[name] = clip;
    }
    
    public void Play(string stateName, float fadeDuration = 0.25f)
    {
        if (_currentState == stateName) return;
        
        if (_states.TryGetValue(stateName, out var clip))
        {
            _animancer.Play(clip, fadeDuration);
            _currentState = stateName;
        }
    }
    
    public bool IsPlaying(string stateName) => _currentState == stateName;
}

Blended Movement

public class LocomotionAnimator : MonoBehaviour
{
    [SerializeField] private AnimancerComponent _animancer;
    [SerializeField] private LinearMixerTransition _locomotion;
    
    private LinearMixerState _locomotionState;
    
    private void Awake()
    {
        _locomotionState = (LinearMixerState)_animancer.Play(_locomotion);
    }
    
    public void SetSpeed(float normalizedSpeed)
    {
        // Blend between idle (0), walk (0.5), run (1)
        _locomotionState.Parameter = normalizedSpeed;
    }
}