Unity Character Animation with Mecanim

A detailed guide to the complex new animation tools in Unity, packed with clear instructions and illustrated with original content in the context of a next generation zombie apocalypse adventure game

About This Book

• Create and export models and animation sequences to Unity from 3ds max and Maya
• Prepare character models and animation for games using Mecanim's rigging tools
• Retarget, adjust, and mix and match motion capture and other animation data
• Write and edit scripts compatible with Mecanim Animation Controllers

Who This Book Is For

If you are a Unity developer looking to get to grips with the character animation specific tools, a 3D software user who is new to Unity, or a beginner game developer who is interested in character animation and interaction, this book is ideal for you. Some experience with either the Unity interface or basic 3D coordinates is recommended, but not required.

What You Will Learn

• Learn how to prepare a rigged character model to receive animation within Unity
• Acquire efficient techniques to refine and optimize motion capture data
• Retarget animation sequences between different character rigs
• Discover how to rig a humanoid character and export for use in Unity
• Script character interaction for a First Person character model
• Create dynamic animation sequences from scratch using keyframe techniques, in a variety of 3D software packages
• Learn Project Management in Unity
• Understand how to set up a complex facial rig for speech
• Set up Animation Controllers with masked states and blend trees to create seamless and additive animation transitions
• Construct a ragdoll game object and instantiate it in a game
• Devise Mecanim animation integration for the player and AI driven animation for enemy characters

In Detail

Game animation for independent developers has taken a giant leap forward with Unity 5's Mecanim toolset, which streamlines the import/export, retargeting, and many other aspects of the character animation workflow. Unity Character Animation with Mecanim is a great primer for getting to know the nuts and bolts of Mecanim and other character animation related tools in Unity 5. It offers you step-by-step instructions for preparing and exporting rigged models and animation sequences from commonly used 3D packages, such as Maya, 3ds Max and Blender.

This book explores the new set of animation tools introduced with Mecanim in Unity 5. Approaching its subject matter through a typical genre–a zombie action game, character animation techniques are explored using real examples of player input and interaction, enemy behavior, and other aspects of game dynamics. As the book progresses, the reader will understand how these elements fit together in a small game development workflow.

We will begin with a demonstration of the process of getting a rigged character into Unity 5 and setting it up to use provided animation sequences. We will also consider a few industry standard 3D packages and how these can be used to rig a humanoid character for use in Unity 5. We will demonstrate the retargeting capabilities of Mecanim's Humanoid Animation type by adjusting motion sequences to fit disparate character types in our game. After this, we will look at Ragdoll physics and the implementation of this commonly used technique in a Mecanim workflow. The book culminates with a thorough dissection of the enemy character AI script incorporating the Mecanim elements detailed in the previous chapters.

Unity Character Animation with Mecanim will provide you with a detailed exploration of the interaction between game development and character animation, and will broaden your understanding of the rich animation toolset within Unity 5.