Mecanim Animation system
The Mecanim animation system (Mecanim) is a rich and sophisticated animation system that uses the Animator component, the Animation window, and the Animator window. Mecanim is the recommended animation system for most situations. It provides better performance for complex character animation with many animation curves and blending.
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The Mecanim Animation system is based on animation clips. An animation clip contains information about how a character or GameObject changes its position, rotation, or other properties over time. This section contains information on how to work with the Mecanim Animation system in Unity.
Topic | Description |
|---|---|
| Introduction to Mecanim Animation system | Learn how clips, controllers, avatars, and the Animator component work together. |
| Animation clips | Explore clip workflows, from import and editing to events, masks, and looping. |
| Humanoid Avatar | Set up humanoid avatars so Unity can map and retarget character animation. |
| Animator component | Assign controllers and avatars, then configure root motion, updates, and culling. |
| Animator Controller | Build state machines that drive clips, transitions, and character animation flow. |
| Animator Override Controller | Reuse one state machine and swap clips for character-specific animation variants. |
| Playables API | Create and evaluate playable graphs to blend and control animation at runtime. |
| Performance and optimization | Improve animation runtime cost with focused controller, layer, and curve optimizations. |
| Mecanim FAQ | Resolve common Mecanim questions about windows, import behavior, and layers. |