Introduction
Unity Technologies, the company behind the popular Unity game engine, has acquired Animation Rigging and Muscle based Procedural Animation company Animations Rigging Software.
This acquisition allows Unity to incorporate Animations Rigging Software’s powerful and intuitive tools into the Unity engine, giving game developers access to state-of-the-art animation workflows and runtimes.
Overview of Animations Rigging Software
Animations Rigging Software was founded in 2015 by Michael Lyasoff and Alexey Baranov. The company is based in Dusseldorf, Germany and focuses on building advanced character animation tools and runtimes.
Some key features of Animations Rigging Software’s tools include:
- Procedural animation – Allows animators to quickly generate large volumes of high quality animations using procedural methods.
- Animation rigging – Provides an intuitive node-based workflow for building configurable and reusable animation rigs.
- Muscle-based rigging – Uses anatomically-based muscle systems to control character deformation, allowing for more natural movement.
- Secondary motion – Automatically adds secondary motion like jiggling, bouncing, and inertia to animated characters.
Animations Rigging Software’s runtimes are optimized to work in real-time game engines like Unity. The tools have been used in AAA games like Horizon Zero Dawn and independent titles like Somerville.
Why Did Unity Acquire Animations Rigging Software?
Unity likely acquired Animations Rigging Software for a few key reasons:
- Bolster animation tools – Unity’s own animation tools like Mecanim are dated. Animations Rigging Software brings next-gen workflows.
- Access procedural animation – Procedural animation cuts down on time and cost of production. It’s a valuable emerging technique.
- Integrated muscle-based rigging – Muscle-based rigging results in more natural movement and deformation.
- Secondary motion – Automatic secondary motion makes animation more lively and realistic with little extra work.
- Talent and technology – Animations Rigging Software has an experienced team and proven tech perfect for enhancing Unity.
Benefits for Game Developers
This acquisition will directly benefit game developers using Unity in a few ways:
- More animation power – Devs get access to top-tier animation tools within the Unity ecosystem.
- Procedural animation – Quickly generate lots of animations and cut down on rote work.
- Better rigging – Muscle-based rigging and advanced workflows result in better looking animation.
- Secondary motion – Get secondary motion like jiggling and bouncing for free with no extra work.
- Easier workflow – A complete animation solution integrated into Unity improves efficiency.
The Future
It’s expected that Unity will heavily integrate Animations Rigging Software’s technology into Unity’s existing animation workflow and tools like Mecanim. We’ll likely see new packages and features that leverage procedural techniques and muscle-based rigging.
This acquisition positions Unity with a competitive advantage in terms of animation capabilities. As games continue to push graphical fidelity and immersion, top-quality and efficient animation workflows are crucial. Bringing Animations Rigging Software in-house should allow Unity to deliver on that front.
It will be exciting to see how Unity incorporates and builds upon Animations Rigging Software’s impressive technology in future releases. Game developers can look forward to even more powerful animation tools through Unity as a result.
