Animation state machine

It’s common for a character or a GameObjectThe fundamental object in Unity scenes, which can represent characters, props, scenery, cameras, waypoints, and more. A GameObject’s functionality is defined by the Components attached to it. More info
See in Glossary to have several animations for the different actions it performs in a game. For example, a character might breath and sway slightly when idle, walk when commanded, and raise their arms when they fall from a platform. A sliding door might open, close, or jam.

Mecanim uses a state machineThe set of states in an Animator Controller that a character or animated GameObject can be in, along with a set of transitions between those states and a variable to remember the current state. The states available will depend on the type of gameplay, but typical states include things like idling, walking, running and jumping. More info
See in Glossary to arrange these actions. A state machine is a graph of nodes and connecting lines that resembles a flowchart. A state machine plays the animation linked to the current action and determines the next action. You can create a state machine for each character and GameObject in your sceneA Scene contains the environments and menus of your game. Think of each unique Scene file as a unique level. In each Scene, you place your environments, obstacles, and decorations, essentially designing and building your game in pieces. More info
See in Glossary.

The following topics provide more details on Mecanim’s state machine:

• State Machine Basics
• Animation States
• Animation ParametersUsed to communicate between scripting and the Animator Controller. Some parameters can be set in scripting and used by the controller, while other parameters are based on Custom Curves in Animation Clips and can be sampled using the scripting API. More info
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• State Machine Transitions
• Animation TransitionsAllows a state machine to switch or blend from one animation state to another. Transitions define how long a blend between states should take, and the conditions that activate them. More info
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• Animation Blend TreesUsed for continuous blending between similar Animation Clips based on float Animation Parameters. More info
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• State Machine BehavioursA script that attaches to a state within a state machine to control what happens when the state machine enters, exits or remains within a state, such as play sounds as states are entered. More info
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• Sub-State Machines
• Animation LayersAn Animation Layer contains an Animation State Machine that controls animations of a model or part of it. An example of this is if you have a full-body layer for walking or jumping and a higher layer for upper-body motions such as throwing an object or shooting. The higher layers take precedence for the body parts they control. More info
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• State Machine Solo and Mute
• Target MatchingA scripting function that allows you to move characters in such a way that a hand or foot lands in a certain place at a certain time. For example, the character may need to jump across stepping stones or jump and grab an overhead beam. More info
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