Learn all about character animation tools in Unity with Mixamo, Maya, and Blender, and build an 80s horror/action game to solidify your skills

Key Features

• Create and animate 3D characters in Unity and Mixamo with the help of illustrated instructions
• Experience the ease of setting up animations on humanoid characters in Mecanim
• Write and edit scripts compatible with Mecanim Animation Controllers
• Purchase of the print or Kindle book includes a free PDF eBook

Book Description

Creating captivating animations is an essential component of any successful game development project. Unity offers a robust animation toolset, Mecanim that can bring characters to life easily, and this book will be your comprehensive guide to unlocking the full potential of its animation capabilities. The first part of this book explores Unity's animation toolset, Mecanim and helps you learn how to create and implement animation sequences seamlessly within it. Here, you’ll also import and retarget animated files from popular 3D modeling software like Blender, Maya, and Mixamo, ensuring your characters move with grace and realism. As you progress, you’ll discover the power of Unity State Machines and how to efficiently use them to control and trigger animations in various game scenarios. After being guided through the process of customizing individual joint components to achieve the perfect balance between realism and gameplay dynamics, you'll also unlock the secrets of creating blendshape animations in Maya and Blender and integrate into Unity for a polished final result. Towards the end, you’ll add Mixamo assets to your Unity project effortlessly and retarget animations for different character rigs. By the end, you'll have a profound understanding of Unity's animation tools to leverage them effectively in your game projects.

What you will learn

• Gain proficiency in basic rigging and animation techniques with Maya and Blender
• Understand the concept of Unity State Machines and learn how to configure them effectively
• Explore Unity's Ragdoll Wizard to adjust individual joint components and customize a character's physics behavior
• Create blendshape animations in Maya and Blender ensuring seamless integration into Unity
• Incorporate Mixamo assets into your Unity project and effectively retarget animations to different character rigs

Who this book is for

This book is for Unity artists and developers who want to improve character animation in their games. If you have basic experience with Unity and 3D software and are looking to improve your animation know how, this book will take you to the next level, helping you grasp rigging, animation import, and setup, to bring your game project to life. To get the most out of this book, you will need some basic understanding of Unity and knowledge of 3D software, as this book is not an introduction to Unity or 3D animation.