Animate content in Unity AR

In the realm of augmented reality (AR), the fusion of virtual and physical worlds creates an immersive and captivating experience. Unity offers a versatile platform for creating AR applications that interact with the real world. One of the key aspects of enhancing this interaction is animating objects within the AR environment. Animations breathe life into virtual elements, making them respond, move, and behave realistically, thus deepening the sense of immersion for users. This article delves into the process of animating objects in Unity AR, exploring the techniques, tools, and considerations that contribute to crafting dynamic and engaging AR experiences.

Animate content

We can animate content in Unity as well. To learn more on how we can do that, you can follow this link. But for this Answer, we will use Mixamo.

Mixamo

Mixamo is a platform and service by Adobe that offers a range of tools and assets for character animation and rigging. Mixamo's primary focus is on simplifying the process of creating animations for 3D characters, which can then be used in various applications, such as video games, films, virtual reality experiences, and more.

Key features

Some of the key features of Mixamo include:

• Character animation: Mixamo provides an extensive library of pre-made animations, including movements like walking, running, jumping, and various combat actions. These animations are ready to be applied to 3D character models.

• Automatic rigging: Rigging is the process of adding a virtual skeleton to a 3D model, enabling it to be animated realistically. Mixamo offers an automatic rigging tool that can quickly rig your 3D character model with a standard skeleton, saving time and effort.

• Online platform: Mixamo's tools are accessible through a web browser, allowing users to upload their 3D models, apply animations, and download the rigged and animated characters.

For adding an animation to your project go to mixamo website. In animations, select the animation you want to add. Once selected, click on download. In the next window, choose the following:

• Format: FBX binary(.fbx)

• Skin: Without skin

• Frames per second: 60

• Keyframe reduction: none

Import to project

Create an animations folder in assets. Move the downloaded file from maximo to the animations folder. Click on import to import the animation into your project.

Select the file you moved in the animations folder and in the inspector, you'll see many options. Go to the "Rig" tab, and in "Animation Type", choose "Humanoid" for this demo.

Animator controller

An animator controller is a component used to control the animation of game objects, typically characters or objects with complex animations. a

To create a controller, Right-click > Create > Animator controller. Open the animator controller. In the animator window, drag the file named "mixamo.com" to the window.

Integrate with object

To add the animation to the object, open your prefab model. In the inspector under AnimatorIt's the animation component of the prefab. add the animator controller you just created. This will add animation to the object.

Creating the AR experience

Set up your project for AR. Open the main camera in XR origin and add the "AR Gesture InteractorIt interprets and responds to user gestures within an augmented reality application.."

In the XR origin set up the AR plane manager and AR raycast manager.

In your hierarchy tab, Right-click > XR > AR placement interactable. Drag the prefab to the placement prefab tab in the AR placement interactable.

Save the scene. Connect your Android or iOS device. Go to File > Build and Run.

Demonstration

Conclusion

Animating objects in Unity AR opens a world of creative possibilities where virtual elements blend seamlessly with reality. By following the steps outlined above, you can craft captivating AR experiences that captivate users and blur the lines between real and virtual.