Animation tree

AnimationTree — Wire Clips Into Behavior

Generation gives you clips. The AnimationTree gives the character life. This skill is not generative — no FAL, no MCP AI calls. It composes existing clips on an AnimationPlayer into an AnimationTree with a StateMachine for distinct states (idle / attack / hit / dead) and BlendSpace nodes for continuous parameters (walk-run blend by speed). Done right, the character moves like a shipped game; done wrong, you get T-poses, snapping, or animations that "eat" each other.

The canonical Summer Engine stack:

Character (CharacterBody3D)
├── Skeleton3D (from the Meshy rig)
├── AnimationPlayer            # holds the raw clips (idle, walk, run, attack_sword, ...)
└── AnimationTree              # references AnimationPlayer, drives behavior

Before adding the tree, prove direct AnimationPlayer.play() visibly moves the rig. Godot may import animation GLBs as AnimationLibrary resources or as PackedScenes with embedded AnimationPlayers. If a copied clip appears in the list but the mesh T-poses, its tracks probably target a different root/skeleton path. Use the embedded player that came with the matching GLB, or remap/copy tracks only after confirming they target the active Skeleton3D. An inactive AnimationTree is also a no-op, so always set AnimationTree.active = true.

When to use this skill

• Character has 3+ clips and switching between them via AnimationPlayer.play("walk") is causing pops, T-poses, or "starts halfway through".
• Need a walk → run blend that's continuous, not boolean.
• Need attack to interrupt locomotion but only on the upper body, while feet keep walking.
• Need hit-react one-shot that returns to whatever state was playing before.
• Building any non-trivial NPC or player character past the prototype phase.

When NOT to use this skill

• Single-clip looping background prop (banner waving, water surface). Just AnimationPlayer.play("loop") is fine.
• Cinematic with hand-authored timing. Use AnimationPlayer directly with play_with_capture; AnimationTree is overkill.
• Character has zero clips — generate first via summer:animation/generate-motion.
• Procedural-only animation (no clips, all IK). That's summer:animation/procedural-animation.

Canonical state machine

This is the production-default for a humanoid character that can move, attack, take a hit, and die. Start here, prune what you don't need, extend with named states for specials.

                     ┌─────────┐
              ┌─────►│  Dead   │  (terminal — no exit)
              │      └─────────┘
              │           ▲
              │           │ on_death
   ┌──────────┴───────────┴──────────┐
   │              Hit                │  (one-shot, returns to prev)
   └──────────▲──────────────────────┘
              │ on_damaged                  ┌──────────┐
   ┌──────────┴──────────┐                  │  Attack  │  (one-shot)
   │     Locomotion      │ on_attack ──────►└──────────┘
   │   (BlendSpace1D)    │ ◄────── on_attack_done
   │   idle ↔ walk ↔ run │
   └─────────────────────┘

• Locomotion is a single AnimationNodeBlendSpace1D parameterized by move_speed (0..max). Three points on the line: idle (0), walk (~3), run (~6). Crossfades for free.
• Attack is an AnimationNodeOneShot wrapping attack_sword (or whichever clip). Fires from the script via parameters/attack/request = ONE_SHOT_REQUEST_FIRE. Auto-returns to Locomotion when the clip ends.
• Hit same pattern, higher priority — interrupts attack. Fires on damaged signal.
• Dead is a transition-target with no exit. Trigger via state_machine.travel("dead").

Steps via MCP

1. Inspect the current character

summer_get_scene_tree
summer_inspect_node "./World/Goblin"

Confirm there's a Skeleton3D and an AnimationPlayer with at least idle + walk + run populated. If clips are missing, route to summer:animation/generate-motion.

2. Add the AnimationTree

summer_add_node(scenePath: "res://main.tscn", parent: "./World/Goblin", type: "AnimationTree", name: "AnimationTree")
summer_set_prop(scenePath: "res://main.tscn", path: "./World/Goblin/AnimationTree", key: "anim_player", value: "../AnimationPlayer")
summer_set_prop(scenePath: "res://main.tscn", path: "./World/Goblin/AnimationTree", key: "active", value: "true")

scenePath is a required argument on every scene-mutating tool (summer_add_node, summer_set_prop, summer_set_resource_property, summer_connect_signal, summer_save_scene, summer_instantiate_scene, summer_remove_node, summer_replace_node). Omit it and the call is rejected before it reaches the engine. Get the path from summer_get_project_context.

anim_player must be a relative NodePath; ../AnimationPlayer from a sibling. Don't use absolute paths — breaks scene reuse.

3. Build the tree resource

The tree_root is a single AnimationNodeStateMachine. Inside it, a Locomotion node which is itself an AnimationNodeBlendSpace1D, plus Attack, Hit, Dead nodes.

This is more readable to edit by hand or in Summer Engine, then commit the .tres. The MCP tool summer_set_resource_property can build it node-by-node, but the tree-resource model is verbose enough that writing the .tres and importing it is faster for the canonical structure. Skeleton:

[gd_resource type="AnimationNodeStateMachine" load_steps=8 format=3]

[sub_resource type="AnimationNodeBlendSpace1D" id="locomotion"]
blend_point_0/node = SubResource("idle_clip")
blend_point_0/pos = 0.0
blend_point_1/node = SubResource("walk_clip")
blend_point_1/pos = 3.0
blend_point_2/node = SubResource("run_clip")
blend_point_2/pos = 6.0
min_space = 0.0
max_space = 6.0

[sub_resource type="AnimationNodeOneShot" id="attack_oneshot"]
fadein_time = 0.05
fadeout_time = 0.10
mix_mode = 0   # 0=BLEND, 1=ADD

[sub_resource type="AnimationNodeOneShot" id="hit_oneshot"]
fadein_time = 0.0    # snap in — hit reactions are immediate
fadeout_time = 0.15

# ... AnimationNodeAnimation sub_resources point at clip names ...

[resource]
states/Locomotion/node = SubResource("locomotion")
states/Attack/node = SubResource("attack_oneshot")
states/Hit/node = SubResource("hit_oneshot")
states/Dead/node = SubResource("dead_clip")
transitions = [
  "Locomotion", "Attack",   SubResource("trans_to_attack"),
  "Attack",     "Locomotion", SubResource("trans_back"),
  "Locomotion", "Hit",      SubResource("trans_to_hit"),
  "Attack",     "Hit",      SubResource("trans_to_hit"),
  "Hit",        "Locomotion", SubResource("trans_back"),
  "Locomotion", "Dead",     SubResource("trans_to_dead"),
  "Attack",     "Dead",     SubResource("trans_to_dead"),
  "Hit",        "Dead",     SubResource("trans_to_dead")
]
graph_offset = Vector2(0, 0)

Each AnimationNodeStateMachineTransition carries xfade_time (0.15 default), switch_mode (Immediate / Sync / At End), and advance_mode (Auto / Enabled / Disabled).

Ask before writing the .tres: "May I write res://characters/goblin/animation_tree.tres with the canonical 4-state machine + Locomotion blendspace?"

4. Drive it from the controller script

@onready var tree: AnimationTree = $AnimationTree
@onready var sm: AnimationNodeStateMachinePlayback = tree["parameters/playback"]

func _physics_process(delta: float) -> void:
    var horiz_speed: float = Vector2(velocity.x, velocity.z).length()
    tree.set("parameters/Locomotion/blend_position", horiz_speed)

func attack() -> void:
    tree.set("parameters/Attack/request", AnimationNodeOneShot.ONE_SHOT_REQUEST_FIRE)

func take_hit() -> void:
    tree.set("parameters/Hit/request", AnimationNodeOneShot.ONE_SHOT_REQUEST_FIRE)

func die() -> void:
    sm.travel("Dead")

tree.set(...) writes a parameter path. sm.travel(...) switches state.

5. Connect signals

summer_connect_signal(
  scenePath: "res://main.tscn",
  emitter: "./World/Goblin",
  signal: "damaged",
  receiver: "./World/Goblin",
  method: "take_hit"
)

The parameters are emitter and receiver — not source/target, not from/to. Those spellings fail schema validation.

If the goblin has an HP component emitting died, connect that to die.

6. Save & verify

summer_save_scene(scenePath: "res://main.tscn")
summer_get_script_errors(path: "res://scripts/goblin.gd")

summer_get_script_errors checks one file and requires path; there is no "check everything" form. For a project-wide sweep use summer_get_diagnostics.

Then summer_play and watch — the goblin should idle in place, blend up to walk/run as it moves, fire attack on input/AI, snap to hit on damage, end in Dead.

Confirmation gates

• Before writing the .tres: show the state list and transition table.
• Before connecting signals: show source → target → method.
• Before pressing play: state which behaviors should be visible (idle plays, walk crossfades, attack interrupts).

Reference card

Parameter paths cheat-sheet

Goal	Path
Set blendspace1D position	parameters/Locomotion/blend_position
Fire a OneShot	parameters/<NodeName>/request (set to ONE_SHOT_REQUEST_FIRE)
Abort a OneShot	parameters/<NodeName>/request = ONE_SHOT_REQUEST_ABORT
Read OneShot active state	parameters/<NodeName>/active
Get StateMachine playback	parameters/playback (returns AnimationNodeStateMachinePlayback)
Switch state	state_machine.travel("StateName")
Read current state	state_machine.get_current_node()
Force state without transition	state_machine.start("StateName")

Transition switch_mode decision

• Immediate (0): snap to new state at xfade. Use for hit reactions, deaths.
• Sync (1): match current play position. Use for walk ↔ run (avoids foot-pop mid-stride).
• At End (2): finish current clip first. Use for attack-string combos (attack_1 → attack_2 only at end of attack_1).

Pitfalls

• Character T-poses on play. AnimationTree.active = true was missed. Set it in _ready() or via inspector.
• Locomotion blendspace stuck on idle even when moving. The blend_position parameter isn't being written — confirm tree.set("parameters/Locomotion/blend_position", speed) runs every frame in _physics_process. Also confirm the path matches your state name exactly (case-sensitive).
• Walk-to-run pops. Transition switch_mode is Immediate. Set to Sync so the cycle phase matches across the crossfade.
• Attack one-shot fires every frame as long as input is held. Use Input.is_action_just_pressed, not is_action_pressed. Or store a _can_attack flag with cooldown.
• Hit reaction interrupts itself when hit twice in 100ms. Set fadein_time = 0.0 and gate from script: if sm.get_current_node() == "Hit": return.
• Attack plays but locomotion is invisible (lower body T-pose). OneShot's mix_mode is BLEND (full body). For upper-body-only attacks, set mix_mode = ADD and use an additive clip, or drive the lower body from a second AnimationTree branch and blend by bone with an AnimationNodeBlend2 plus filters. SkeletonModification3D is an old upstream class name and ClassDB.class_exists("SkeletonModification3D") returns false on the current Summer build.
• Dead state replays from start every time HP < 0. Add a guard in the controller: if is_dead: return.

One-shot vs StateMachine — which to use

• OneShot: the action is a temporary override of an underlying state (attack while running, hit-react while attacking). The base keeps playing.
• StateMachine state: the action is a replacement (dead, stunned, ragdoll). Nothing else plays.
• Combat in 2026-feel games is almost always OneShot for attacks + StateMachine state for "dead". Don't model attacks as StateMachine states unless you need precise transition control between attack-string variants.

BlendSpace1D vs BlendSpace2D

• 1D for speed-only locomotion (idle / walk / run).
• 2D for omnidirectional movement (idle / forward / strafe-left / strafe-right / back). Eight or nine clips arranged on a unit circle. Necessary for top-down or strafing third-person; overkill for FPS hands.

Anti-patterns

• Skipping AnimationTree and calling AnimationPlayer.play("walk") from script. Works for one clip; breaks the moment you need a crossfade.
• Modeling every attack as a StateMachine state. The transition matrix explodes (N states × N transitions). Use one OneShot per attack and switch its inner clip via parameters/Attack/animation.
• Writing the .tres by hand without using sub_resource IDs — Godot loses references and the inspector is unhappy. Always use [sub_resource id="..."] blocks.
• Driving blend_position from raw input (Input.get_axis(...)). Drive from actual velocity — that way the blend matches the body's real motion, including knockback and slope-slide.

Edge cases

• Player rotates 180° instantly while sprinting. The blendspace doesn't know about turning — locomotion looks like the character moonwalks for one frame. Add a small additive turn-lean clip layered on top, or add a brief "turn" state with switch_mode=AtEnd.
• Animation library uses root motion. Set root_motion_track on the AnimationTree (path to the root bone), then in _physics_process use tree.get_root_motion_position() and apply to the CharacterBody3D. Don't combine with input-driven velocity — pick one.
• Character has no AnimationPlayer. Add one first. AnimationTree without anim_player target is a no-op.

Fallback (no MCP)

Open the scene in Summer Engine, add an AnimationTree node, set Anim Player to the AnimationPlayer, set Active = on, double-click Tree Root, and edit visually. Drag AnimationNodeStateMachine as the root, drop nodes inside, draw transitions by Shift-dragging, and save the scene. The visual editor produces the same .tres; it is slower but discoverable.

Handoff

• For NPC behavior firing these states (decide-when-to-attack), hand off to summer:ai-and-npcs/design-npc.
• For first-person hand animations on the player rig, the same pattern applies — hand off to summer:character-controllers/fps-controller for the state inputs.
• For procedural overlays on top of the tree (look-at the player while idling), hand off to summer:animation/procedural-animation.
• For lipsync layered on the face during dialogue states, hand off to summer:animation/facial-and-lipsync.

See also

• summer:animation/generate-motion — produce the clips this tree references.
• summer:animation/retarget — share one tree across many characters.