2 Use animation layers

Animation layers are a way of splitting your animation into different parts that can be blended together or overridden. For example, you can have a base layer that handles the locomotion of your character, and a top layer that handles the upper body actions, such as shooting or waving. This way, you can create more complex and varied animations without having to create separate clips for every possible combination. To use animation layers, you need to have a system that can manage the priority and masking of the layers, such as an animation controller or a layer mixer.

3 Use animation events

Animation events are triggers that can be attached to specific frames or moments of your animation clips. They can be used to synchronize your animation with other elements of your game, such as sound, effects, physics, or logic. For example, you can use animation events to play a footstep sound when your character steps on the ground, or to apply a force when your character punches an enemy, or to change the state of your character when the animation ends. To use animation events, you need to have a system that can listen and respond to the events, such as an animation event handler or a script.

5 Use animation modifiers

Animation modifiers are tools or scripts that can alter your animation clips in real time, based on some conditions or inputs. They can be used to add more variation or realism to your animation transitions, such as the pose, rotation, or scale. For example, you can use animation modifiers to adjust your character's posture based on the terrain, or to rotate your character's head based on the camera angle, or to scale your character's limbs based on the distance. To use animation modifiers, you need to have a system that can execute the modifiers on the animation clips, such as an animation modifier stack or a script.