Introduction

The Mecanim animation system has revolutionized how characters are animated and controlled within Unity. In this chapter, we will learn how to take advantage of its flexibility, power, and friendly and highly visual interface.

The big picture

Controlling a playable character with the Mecanim System might look like a complex task, but it is actually very straightforward.

Hopefully, by the end of the chapter, you will have gained at least a basic understanding of the Mecanim system. For a more complete overview of the subject, consider taking a look at Jamie Dean's Unity Character Animation with Mecanim, also published by Packt Publishing.

An additional note—all the recipes will make use of Mixamo motion packs. Mixamo is a complete solution for character production, rigging, and animation. In fact, the character in use was designed with Mixamo's character creation software called Fuse, and rigged with the Mixamo Auto-rigger. You can find out more about Mixamo and their products at...