Prerequisites

Unity 2021.3+
Animation Rigging package (optional)
Timeline package (built-in)

Usage Patterns

Animator Controller

public class CharacterAnimator : MonoBehaviour
{
    private Animator animator;
    private static readonly int SpeedHash = Animator.StringToHash("Speed");
    private static readonly int JumpTrigger = Animator.StringToHash("Jump");

    void Update()
    {
        float speed = GetMovementSpeed();
        animator.SetFloat(SpeedHash, speed, 0.1f, Time.deltaTime);

        if (Input.GetButtonDown("Jump"))
        {
            animator.SetTrigger(JumpTrigger);
        }
    }
}

Animation Rigging

[RequireComponent(typeof(RigBuilder))]
public class AimRig : MonoBehaviour
{
    [SerializeField] private MultiAimConstraint aimConstraint;
    [SerializeField] private Transform aimTarget;

    public void SetAimWeight(float weight)
    {
        aimConstraint.weight = weight;
    }
}

Best Practices

Use parameter hashes for performance
Organize layers by body part
Use avatar masks for partial animations
Profile animator updates
Use sub-state machines for organization

References

Animation Documentation

unity-animation

Unity Animation Skill

Overview

Capabilities

Animator Controllers