Animator and Animation Controller In Unity

Animations bring characters to life – walking, running, jumping, attacking. In Unity, the Animator component and Animation Controller work together to control which animation plays and when. This article covers how to set them up.

Animation Controller: A file that stores animations and rules for switching between them.
Animator Component: Attached to character. It runs the Animation Controller.

Animator-In-Unity — Animator component with Controller In Unity

Creating an Animation Controller

Right-click in Project -> Create -> Animator Controller -> Name it.
Double-click to open the Animator window.

Animator-Controller-Menu-In-Unity — Animator Controller Menu In Unity

Adding Animations

Drag animation clips from Project into Animator window. They appear as orange boxes (states).
The Entry arrow points to which animation plays first.

Adding-Animation-In-Unity — Adding Animation In Unity

Creating Transitions

Right-click a state -> Make Transition -> Click another state
This creates an arrow that controls when to switch.

Adding Conditions

Conditions tell Unity when to switch animations.

Create parameter -> Parameters tab -> "+" -> Float -> Name it "Speed"
Click transition arrow -> Add condition -> Speed -> Greater - 0.1

Now animation switches when Speed > 0.1

Controlling from Script

public class PlayerAnimation : MonoBehaviour
{
    private Animator animator;
    void Start()
    {
        animator = GetComponent<Animator>();
    }
    void Update()
    {
        float speed = Input.GetAxis("Horizontal");
        animator.SetFloat("Speed", Mathf.Abs(speed));
    }
}

Important Settings

Click transition arrow -> Inspector:

Has Exit Time: False (for movement – switch instantly)
Transition Duration: 0.1 (smooth blend)