Tutorial: Introduction to Technical Animation for Games
The Gnomon Workshop has released Introduction to Technical Animation for Games, a beginners’ guide to gameplay animation recorded by Senior Technical Animator Taylor Whitsett.
The workshop provides over five hours of video training in Unreal Engine.
A complete introductory guide to technical animation in Unreal Engine
In the workshop, Whitsett explains the role of the technical animator in game development, integrating animation with gameplay.
He sets out the requirements for runtime animation assets, including skeletal meshes and rigs, character configuration, player gameplay systems and animation blueprint logic.
Topics covered include blend spaces, aim offsets, animation montages, root motion, combo systems using animation notifies, and animation retargeting with Unreal’s IK Rig toolset.
The workshop also covers Unreal’s Enhanced Input System, camera setup, character movement logic, and best practices for scalable, data-driven animation systems.
Anyone following the lessons can expect to have built a fully playable character with locomotion, aiming, melee combos and retargeted animations by the end of the workshop.
As well as the tutorial videos, viewers can download project files including the character mesh and weapon props. The workshop uses free assets from CGTrader and the Fab marketplace.
About the artist
Taylor Whitsett is Senior Technical Animator with over a decade of experience in the games industry, including many years at Respawn Entertainment.
His credits include The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners, PWND, Archangel, Paladins, Rival: Crimson x Chaos, and Medal of Honor: Above and Beyond.
Pricing and availability
Introduction to Technical Animation for Games is available via a subscription to The Gnomon Workshop, which provides access to over 300 tutorials.
Subscriptions cost $57/month or $499/year. Free trials are available.
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