From Marketplace Download to Unity in 5 Minutes — Complete Workflow

You've found the perfect walk cycle on Thirdrez marketplace. Now what? This tutorial walks you through the complete workflow: download → import → retarget → play in Unity. No guesswork, no broken rigs — just working animation in your game.

What makes Thirdrez animations Unity-ready

Unlike raw mocap or unprocessed AI motion, every Thirdrez animation ships with:

• Pre-validated FBX files retargeted to Unity Humanoid standard
• Clean bone hierarchies (no extra nodes, no naming conflicts)
• Loop integrity verified at 30/60 FPS (see our changelog-driven quality process)
• Root motion baked correctly (forward velocity in Z-axis, rotation in Y-axis)

This means you spend 5 minutes integrating, not 5 hours debugging skeleton mismatches.

Prerequisites

• Unity 2021.3 LTS or newer (tutorial tested on Unity 2022.3 LTS)
• Thirdrez account (free — sign up takes 30 seconds)
• Basic Unity knowledge (how to import assets, create GameObjects)
• 5 minutes of focused time

Step 1: Choose and download your animation

Find the right motion

Visit thirdrez.com/marketplace and browse by category:

• Locomotion (walks, runs, strafes)
• Combat (melee, ranged, blocks)
• Emotes (dances, gestures, idles)
• Athletics (jumps, parkour, climbs)

Pro tip: Use the Loop filter for state machine-friendly cycles. One-shot animations (attacks, jumps) are marked as Non-Looping.

Download process

1. Click the animation card → Download button
2. Choose format: FBX (for Unity/UE5) or BVH (for Second Life/custom rigs)
3. File downloads instantly (no processing queue)

Free Style users get 5 downloads/month. Builder Pro ($19.99) gets 50/month with 20% discount on one-time purchases.

Step 2: Import into Unity

Drag and drop

1. In Unity, open your Project panel
2. Create a folder: Assets/Animations/Thirdrez
3. Drag the downloaded FBX file into this folder

Unity auto-imports and creates:

• FBX Model (contains mesh + skeleton + animation clip)
• Animation Clip (extractable for Animator Controller)

Configure import settings

Select the imported FBX, then in the Inspector:

Rig tab

• Animation Type: Humanoid ✅
• Avatar Definition: Create From This Model ✅
• Click Configure to verify bone mapping (should be 100% green)
• Click Apply

Animation tab

• Loop Time: Check this if it's a walk/run cycle ✅
• Root Transform Rotation: Bake Into Pose (Y) ✅
• Root Transform Position (Y): Bake Into Pose ✅
• Root Transform Position (XZ): Based Upon Feet (for locomotion) or Original (for in-place) ✅

Click Apply to save settings.

Step 3: Test on Unity's default Humanoid

Quick preview without custom characters

1. Right-click in Hierarchy → 3D Object → Capsule (temporary visualization)
2. Add an Animator component (Unity auto-detects Humanoid rig)
3. Create a new Animator Controller (Create → Animator Controller)
4. Drag your animation clip into the Animator Controller window
5. Assign the Animator Controller to your Capsule's Animator component
6. Hit Play

Your capsule now animates with the Thirdrez motion! If you see movement, the animation is working.

Step 4: Retarget to your custom character

Prepare your character model

Your character must have:

• Humanoid rig (imported as Humanoid, not Generic)
• Avatar configured (bone mapping complete)

If you're using Mixamo characters, synty assets, or UE5 Mannequin imports, these are pre-configured.

Apply the animation

1. Select your character model in the Scene or Hierarchy
2. Add an Animator component (if not already present)
3. Assign the same Animator Controller you created earlier
4. Hit Play

Your character performs the Thirdrez animation! The Humanoid retargeting system handles skeleton differences automatically.

Common issues and fixes

Problem: Character slides across the ground
Fix: Check Root Transform Position (XZ) in import settings. Use Based Upon Feet for walk/run cycles.

Problem: Character floats or sinks through floor
Fix: Adjust the character's Transform Position Y or enable Root Motion in the Animator component.

Problem: Arms/legs twist unnaturally
Fix: This is rare with Thirdrez animations (we validate cross-platform). If it happens, check your character's Avatar bone mapping — likely a finger or toe mapping issue.

Step 5: Blend with other animations (optional)

Create a state machine

1. Open your Animator Controller
2. Add states: Idle → Walk → Run
3. Create Transitions with conditions (e.g., Speed > 0.1 → Walk)
4. Add Blend Trees for directional strafing

Thirdrez animations are built with state machines in mind:

• Consistent frame counts for smooth transitions
• Normalized timings (easy to sync with other clips)
• Root motion alignment (no sudden pops when blending)

Pro animation blending tips

• Use Transition Duration of 0.1-0.2s for snappy feel
• Enable Interpolate Root Motion for smooth directional changes
• Download multiple variations (walk, walk_casual, walk_hurried) and blend by mood parameter

Performance notes

Thirdrez FBX files are optimized for runtime:

• Keyframe reduction applied (removes redundant frames without quality loss)
• Compression enabled (Unity's Keyframe Reduction + Optimal settings)
• File sizes typically 50-200 KB per animation (vs. 2-5 MB for unprocessed mocap)

A standard Unity build with 50 Thirdrez animations adds ~10 MB total — negligible compared to textures and meshes.

Real-world use cases

Case 1: Indie RPG (Solo Dev)

Goal: 20 character animations on $100 budget
Solution: Builder Pro plan ($19.99/mo × 1 month) = 50 downloads
Result: Walk, run, attack, block, jump, idle variations + 30 downloads remaining for future content

Case 2: VRChat World Creator

Goal: Custom dance emotes for avatar
Solution: Freedom Tier ($49.99/mo) for unlimited downloads + consensual art access
Result: 15 unique dances, 8 emotes, 5 poses — all loop-validated and Bento-compatible

Case 3: Prototype Multiplayer Shooter

Goal: Quick locomotion set for playtesting
Solution: Free Style (5 downloads/month)
Result: Walk forward, run, crouch walk, jump, aim idle — enough to test core movement feel

Next steps: Advanced techniques

Once you're comfortable with the basic workflow, explore:

• Root Motion and Foot Locking — Deep dive into locomotion best practices
• Polish AI Animations in Kinetiq Editor — Fix artifacts before importing to Unity
• Thirdrez Motion Ops Playbook — How studios integrate our API into CI/CD pipelines

Download your first animation now

Visit the Thirdrez marketplace, filter by Unity-compatible, and grab a free animation to test this workflow. No credit card required for Free Style plan.

Got stuck? Join our Discord community where devs share Unity integration tips daily.

Why this workflow is reliable: Every Thirdrez animation is processed through Kinetiq Engine v2.1.3 with Humanoid retargeting validation. We test on UE5 Mannequin, Unity Humanoid, Roblox R15, and Second Life Bento before publishing. If an animation ships, it works across platforms — guaranteed by our changelog-driven quality process.