t1k:unity:animation:core

Field	Value
Module	`animation`
Version	`2.2.2`
Effort	`high`
Tools	—

Keywords: animation, animator, clip, state machine, unity

How to invoke

/t1k:unity:animation:core

Unity Animation System

Core Systems

System	Use When
Mecanim	Character locomotion, state machines, blend trees
Playable API	Runtime blending without AnimatorController, procedural animation
Timeline	Cinematic sequences, choreographed events, cutscenes
Animation Rigging	IK (arm/leg), head tracking, weapon aiming (post-bake pose)

Animator — Quick API Reference

Animator anim = GetComponent<Animator>();

// Parameters
anim.SetBool("grounded", true);
anim.SetFloat("moveSpeed", 3.5f, dampTime: 0.1f, deltaTime: Time.deltaTime);
anim.SetTrigger("attack");  // call once per input event only

// Direct play (bypass FSM)
anim.CrossFade("RunState", duration: 0.2f);
anim.Play("IdleState", layer: 0, normalizedTime: 0f);

// Query
bool inRun = anim.GetCurrentAnimatorStateInfo(0).shortNameHash == Animator.StringToHash("Run");
float progress = anim.GetCurrentAnimatorStateInfo(0).normalizedTime;

// Layer blending
anim.SetLayerWeight(1, 0.5f);  // upper-body overlay at 50%

→ See references/mecanim-guide.md for BlendTree types, root motion, AnimationEvents, StateMachineBehaviour, Animation Rigging IK, performance tips, and gotchas.

Playable API — Quick Setup

PlayableGraph graph = PlayableGraph.Create();
var mixer = AnimationMixerPlayable.Create(graph, 2);
graph.Connect(AnimationClipPlayable.Create(graph, clipWalk), 0, mixer, 0);
graph.Connect(AnimationClipPlayable.Create(graph, clipRun),  0, mixer, 1);
AnimationPlayableOutput.Create(graph, "Anim", animator).SetSourcePlayable(mixer);
graph.Play();
mixer.SetInputWeight(0, 0.7f);
mixer.SetInputWeight(1, 0.3f);
// CRITICAL: graph.Destroy() in OnDisable/OnDestroy

→ See references/playable-timeline-guide.md for full graph patterns, custom PlayableBehaviour, Timeline setup, SignalTrack events, runtime binding, and gotchas.

Key Gotchas

Trigger auto-reset — SetTrigger() resets after one frame; call once per input event
Hash parameters — use Animator.StringToHash("name") for per-frame reads, not raw strings
graph.Destroy() mandatory — leaks GPU/CPU resources if skipped
Root motion conflict — disable NavMesh/CharacterController when applyRootMotion = true
Animator.Rebind() expensive — avoid at runtime; Instantiate prefab instead
Timeline vs Animator conflict — playing both simultaneously causes flickering; pause Animator when Timeline takes over

File Organization

Assets/
├── Animations/
│   ├── Controllers/   # .controller assets
│   ├── Clips/         # .anim assets
│   ├── Rigging/       # RigBuilder, constraint prefabs
│   └── Behaviors/     # StateMachineBehaviour scripts
└── Timeline/          # .timeline assets

unity-cinemachine — Animation-driven cameras (Timeline)
unity-vfx-graph — Animation-triggered VFX
unity-input-system — Input-driven animation parameters
dots-graphics — ECS rendering (use dots-implementer agent)

Reference Files

File	Contents
`references/mecanim-guide.md`	BlendTree types, root motion, AnimationEvents, StateMachineBehaviour, IK Rigging, performance, gotchas
`references/playable-timeline-guide.md`	Playable graph, custom PlayableBehaviour, Timeline tracks, SignalTrack, runtime binding, gotchas