Network Animator

The Network Animator componentA component on a model that animates that model using the Animation system. The component has a reference to an Animator Controller asset that controls the animation. More info
See in Glossary allows you to synchronize animation states for networked objects. It synchronizes state and parameters from an AnimatorController.

Note that if you create a Network Animator component on an empty GameObjectThe fundamental object in Unity scenes, which can represent characters, props, scenery, cameras, waypoints, and more. A GameObject’s functionality is defined by the Components attached to it. More info
See in Glossary, Unity also creates a Network Identity component and an Animator component on that GameObject.

Details

The Network Animator ensures the synchronisation of GameObject animation across the network - meaning that all players see the animation happen at the same. There are two kinds of authority for networked animation (see documentation on Network system concepts for more information about authority)):

• If the GameObject has authority on the client, you should animate it locally on the client that owns the GameObject. That client sends the animation state information to the server, which broadcasts it to all the other clients. For example, this would be suitable for player characters.

• If the GameObject has authority on the server, then you should animate it on the server. The server then sends state information to all clients. This is common for animated GameObjects that are not related to a specific client, such as non-player characters.

The Network Animator synchronizes the animation parametersUsed to communicate between scripting and the Animator Controller. Some parameters can be set in scripting and used by the controller, while other parameters are based on Custom Curves in Animation Clips and can be sampled using the scripting API. More info
See in Glossary checked in the InspectorA Unity window that displays information about the currently selected GameObject, Asset or Project Settings, allowing you to inspect and edit the values. More info
See in Glossary window. It does not automatically synchronize animation triggers. A GameObject with authority can use the function SetTrigger to fire an animation trigger on other clients.

The GetParameterAutoSend and SetParameterAutoSend functions can be used to control which individual animator parameters should be automatically synchronized.