When you first start in game development there is a good chance that at some stage you are going to look for character models and animations to help you on your way. A simple google search will no doubt result in you stumbling across Mixamo. With such an ambiguous name you will no doubt have some questions. What is it and can I use it in my game?
Mixamo is a web-based piece of software that you can use for free to gain access to characters and animations, along with an auto rigging tool that can be used in games.
It is extremely useful and in this article I will explain what it does and how you can use it in your games.
What is Mixamo
Mixamo is an online database of characters and mocap animations that anyone can access to be used in art projects, movies and games.
It is an extremely user-friendly program aimed at people with little to no experience in creating and animating characters. This by no means makes it a basic piece of software it can do a lot. Especially for an indie game developer on a tight budget looking for some quality animations.
Is Mixamo Free
Yes it is free!!! If you are anything like me you will ask what’s the catch? How can a company justify providing such a service free of charge?
Firstly Miximo is owned by Adobe the owner of Photoshop. They certainly have the ability to provide such a service.
Secondly, you do have to sign up for a free account so I guess the trade-off is potentially being marketed to. A very small price to pay in my opinion.
Other than that there is no catch you can use it for both personal and commercial purposes as stated on their site.
There is always a chance they may charge for it in the future, but they have been providing the service free of charge for years now so hopefully that brings you some comfort.
What Game Engines Does Mixamo Support
Mixamo supports mostly all game engines including Unreal Engine and Unity. With Mixamo you simply download an FBX file which is a standard 3d model format, that has the character fully rigged, textured and animated.
It also supports most 3d programs including Blender, Zbrush and Substance Painter which is also a bonus.
What is Mixamo Used For In Games
There are 3 main functions that Mixamo serves when it comes to game development. It provides Character Models, Animations, and an Auto Rigging tool. All of these are particularly targeted towards games.
Character Models
Mixamo has a moderate selection of optimized game models that are rigged and ready to be animated.
In my opinion these are great for placeholders while you develop your game, however given the fact there are only a limited amount with thousands of people having access to them, they are not unique enough for commercial use.
There was a program called Adobe Fuse developed to help combat this, that worked as a character creator but this was discontinued. You may be able to get access to this but be aware Adobe no longer provides support for this as referenced in this article from Adobe.
Mocap Animations
Mixamo has a large library of Mocap animations that you can get free access to. This along with the Auto Rigger is where the real value is added when it comes to Mixamo.
The library of Mocap Animations is a great resource. I’m no good when it comes to animation. Using these you can very easily and quickly download and use these animations in a game engine.
They have various movement animations from walk, run, side strafe and walk and run backwards. Everything you could need to blend animations together to create convincing movement animations for games.
I would estimate there are a couple of thousand animations to choose from.
Auto Rigging Tool
This is where Mixamo in my opinion really shines. While their model library is limited you can actually source and upload your own 3d game models and use their tool to auto rig them to be used in games.
If you are unaware of what a rig is this is basically the skeleton of your mesh. This skeleton dictates how your mesh will deform. So when you move the skeleton piece the mesh moves with it. This is what is required for animations as the animation is just a set of directions of how the skeleton should move.
I HATE RIGGING so for me this is a lifesaver. The best part is once you have rigged your character you can then apply the mocap animations to your model. I always get a thrill out of loading them up and making them dance.
It is really easy to do. You simply upload the mesh and drag the circles to where the rigger tells you. After that Mixamo will do its thing and with a little luck it should work like magic, with any of the vast Mixamo animation library.
Can Mixamo Rig and Animate Animals
Unfortunately no. Their rigging tool is not optimized for this and their library has no animations available.
However you can always go Poochie style (Sorry I’m old it’s a Simpsons thing) and make a humanoid stylized model of a dog.
Can you Add or Edit Mimxao Animations
Yes, any rigged character can be exported into 3d programs such as Blender. Provided you use the same rig which is created by Mixamo. You can create and edit animations to be exported into a game engine.
You can use the animations provided as a base and improve or customize them to your means.
Can You Edit Mixamo Models
Yes, you can take any of the models into another program such as Blender, Substance Painter or Zbrush and customize to your heart’s content. Then if needed re-import them back into Mixamo re-rig and you’re good as new.
Are One Set of Animations Locked to One Model?
No. You can perform what is referred to as retargeting this allows you to apply the same Animations to all of the models that have a Mixamo Created Rig. This is really handy and a huge time saver.
Not to mention you can create some really cool flash mobs of your favorite characters.
Does Mixamo’s Library Get Updated
It appears that Adobe has been updating and keeping their Library of Animations up to date. Adobe doesn’t seem to be withdrawing its support in the near future.
Conclusion
As you may already be able to tell I am a big fan of Mixamo. For a free tool it is almost indispensable for game development.
It is not just a beginner tool, but really easy to use if you have no experience in animation. If you have some experience in the 3d pipeline you can make countless changes using the models and animations as a base. I can’t recommend it enough.
I highly encourage you to play around with it’s a lot of fun!!