2.1 The Animation window: features and settings

2.2 Editing Animation Clips

2.3 Model-specific animation import settings

2.4 Cutting imported Animation Clips

2.5 Setting the Root Motion of imported Animation Clips

2.6 Finishing an Animation Clip: additional settings

2.7 Creating and configuring Animation Events

2.8 Configuring Generic Rigs

2.9 Configuring Humanoid Rigs

In this learning project, you'll explore how to work with Assets as you create animations using the Unity Animation systems.

Working with Assets

1.1 Welcome to the course

1.2 Core concepts: animation data

1.3 Core concepts: animation blending

3.1 Introduction to the Animator component

3.2 Introduction to animation blending

3.3 Creating and configuring Animator States

3.4 Creating and configuring Blend Trees

3.5 Creating and configuring Transitions

3.6 Creating a State Machine

3.7 Creating and configuring Animator Layers

4.1 Introduction to general animation scripting

4.2 Introduction to Humanoid-specific animation scripting

Introduction to 3D Animation Systems Assets

Review the core concepts underlying Unity's 3D animation systems, and explore practical examples provided in the course Unity project.

Course overview and core concepts

In this learning project, you'll get to know the Animator as you explore animation blending, State Machines and Animation Layers. 

By the end of the project, you'll have completed a comprehensive overview of Unity's 3D Animation Systems

The Animator

In this final learning project, you'll review the basics of general and Humanoid-specific animation scripting.

Introduction to animation scripting

In this course, you'll explore the fundamentals of Unity’s 3D animation systems. You will:

Review the core concepts for the animation systems in Unity

Connect those core concepts to the functionality of the Unity Editor

Apply your learning through creating and modifying simple animations

Review key principles of scripting for animation


By the end of this course, you'll be able to:

Confidently use Unity's 3D animation systems to create basic in-game (or in-app) animations for your own projects

Begin to create custom animation scripts, if you have relevant C# scripting experience for Unity.


This course is for intermediate and confident beginner users of Unity. It will help you develop your understanding of the animation systems in Unity, but will be of limited use to learners who want to create cinematic animations for media experiences or game cutscenes. 

To get the most out of the course, you’ll need basic coding experience in Unity. This will help inform your understanding of the complexity of different animations scripting scenarios.

Introduction to 3D Animation Systems

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Overview

Before you begin

Calling methods with Animation events

The relationship between Animation Events and context

Create an Animation Event with context

Configure an Animation Event with context

Create an Animation Event without context

Configure an Animation Event without context

Summary

Learn about the relationship between Animation Events and context

Create and configure Animation Events with and without context

Animation Events are points in an Animation Clip that a method in a script is called. In this tutorial, you’ll:

This tutorial uses the Introduction to 3D Animation Systems Unity project. If you haven't already done so, download this before continuing.

2.  In the Project window, go to Assets > 2.7 - Creating Animation Events > Scenes and double-click AnimationEventsWithContext to open the Scene.

3.  In the Hierarchy, select the Ball GameObject.

4.  In the top menu, go to Window > Animation > Animation to open the Animation window.

5.  Dock the Animation window next to the Asset Store tab.

Animation Events call methods in MonoBehaviour scripts. In order for an Animation Event to call a method from a script, the script must be attached to the same GameObject as the Animator component through which the Animation Clip is playing.

Animation Events are invoked and call their methods when both of the following are true:

The Normalized Time of the Animation Clip in the previous frame is before the Normalized Time of the Animation Event 

The Normalized Time of the Animation Clip in the current frame is after the Normalised Time of the Animation Event.

The method does not need to be public and may optionally have a single parameter. This parameter can be either a float, int, string or object.

As you explored in 2.2: Editing Animation Clips, Animation Clips can be edited in different ways depending on whether or not they have the context of the GameObjects they will be playing through. The same is true when adding Animation Events to Animation Clips.

Animation Events can be added to Animation Clips whether or not they have the context of the GameObjects they will be playing through, but they are created in different ways depending on this. 

Regardless of how they are created, Animation Events need two pieces of information:

The time at which they should call a method

They can also optionally include a parameter to pass to the method being called.

Let’s explore when an Animation Event can be created with context of the methods it can use and how to create one.

In the Animation window, you currently have the Bounce Animation Clip open, with the context of the GameObject it will be playing through. 


The Ball GameObject has a Particle System component on a child GameObject. You’re going to use this to make some dust puffs appear in the animation as the Ball bounces for the first time.

1.  In the Animation window, select the Curves button to switch to Curves mode.


2.  Press Ctrl + A (Windows) or Cmd + A (macOS) to select all the keyframes for the animation.


3.  Press F to focus on the selected keyframes. 


The green curve is the vertical part of the Ball’s position. It indicates that the Ball will bounce for the first time when the Animation Clip is 10 frames in. 


4.  Move the playhead so it is over the first bounce at 10 frames.


5.  Select Add event to create the new Animation Event. 

The Animation window displays the Bounce Animation Clip in Dopesheet mode.

The Animation window displays the Bounce Animation Clip in Dopesheet mode. The Curves button on the bottom left of the window is called out.

The Animation window displays the Bounce Animation Clip in Curves mode. The keyframes have been focused so that they fill the area.

The Animation window displays the Bounce Animation Clip in Curves mode. A callout illustrates that the curve for Position.Y hits 0 at frame 10.

The toolbars at the top left of the Animation window. The Animation Event button is called out.

Next, let’s configure the Animation Event you’ve just created:

1.  In the Inspector, a dropdown will now be available listing different functions that could be called. Select PlayParticles from the list. 


2.  In the main toolbar, press Play to enter Play Mode and test the animation in the Scene. 


3.  Press the Play button again to exit Play Mode when you’re done.

Let’s review this process against the information that an Animation Event needs:

The time at which it should call a method: you set this when you created the new Animation Event at a specific keyframe.

The name of the method it should call: you set this by selecting the PlayParticles method from the dropdown.

The optional parameter was unnecessary in this case, because the method being called didn’t have a parameter.

The Inspector for the Animation Event. The dropdown for the Function property has a single option - PlayParticles.

Next, let’s explore when an Animation Event can be created without the context of the methods it can use and how to create one.

Animation Events can be created without context in two places:

In the Animation window, using a process similar to the one you just followed but when the Animation Clip is being viewed as an asset.

In the Animation Importer, where there is an option for the Animation Clip to have an Animation Event added.

Remember, both of these cases are when the Animation Clip does not have context of the GameObject it will be playing through.

To create an Animation Event without context:


1.  In the Project window, go to 2.7 - Creating Animation Events > Models.


3.  Select the Animation tab in the Model Importer’s Inspector.


4.  Scroll down to the Events foldout and expand it. 


5.  Using the preview pane to scrub through the animation, find the frame on which the ball first bounces. This will be frame 10, as before, because the animations are duplications of each other.


6.  Select the Add Event button to create a new Animation Event without context.

The Inspector for the Ball model with the Animation tab selected. The Events foldout is expanded and called out.

Next, let’s configure the Animation Event:

Enter the name “PlayParticles” in the Function field. The name must exactly match the name of the method to be called. 

The name of the method it should call: you set this by setting the Function field to read PlayParticles.


As before, the optional parameter was unnecessary, because the method being called didn’t have a parameter.

The expanded Events foldout has an Animation Event created at frame 10. The Function property has been edited to read PlayParticles.

Explored the relationship between Animation Events and context

Created and configured Animation Events with and without context

In the next tutorial, 2.8 Configuring Generic Rigs, you’ll start to explore an important part of the model import process. Rigs are a way of defining the structure of the model being imported and are used to define how animations play.

2.7 Creating and configuring Animation Events

1. Overview

2. Before you begin

3. Calling methods with Animation events

4. The relationship between Animation Events and context

5. Create an Animation Event with context

6. Configure an Animation Event with context

7. Create an Animation Event without context

8. Configure an Animation Event without context

9. Summary

Complete this tutorial