🎞️ Zion Animation Setup & Diagnostics

Use this guide to turn animations from several Unity asset packs into one tested, organised library for your character.

Download the Quick Start PDF

You do not need ZionTPS, programming knowledge or a working Animator Controller. The Guided Setup explains each decision and never changes or deletes the purchased source packs.

Before you start

Have these ready in the Unity Project window:

• A character model or prefab imported as Humanoid.
• One or more folders containing animation FBXs or Animation Clips.
• A saved project, backup or source-control checkpoint.

For faster searches, add the folders that actually contain animations instead of selecting an entire publisher folder containing demos, textures and unrelated models.

Open Zion

From the Unity menu, choose:

Tools > Zion Games > Animation Setup & Diagnostics

Keep Guided Setup selected and click Start Guided Setup.

The seven-step workflow

1. Choose your character

Drag the playable character prefab or Humanoid model from the Project window into Character prefab or model.

Do not drag a character instance from the current Scene.

Zion checks the Animator, Avatar, Humanoid bone mapping and reference pose. If the Avatar is valid but the source model uses an A-pose, Zion may request a visual check rather than blocking the workflow.

If several unrelated clips twist in the same way:

1. Click Locate Character FBX.
2. In the Inspector open Rig.
3. Set Animation Type to Humanoid.
4. Click Configure.
5. Open Pose and choose Enforce T-Pose.
6. Correct any red or incorrect bone assignments.
7. Click Apply, Done, then Retest Character in Zion.

2. Add animation packs

Add every animation folder you want searched.

• Drag folders into the available slots, or
• Select folders in the Project window and click Add Selected Project Folders.

Folders from different publishers can be searched together. Zion reads them but does not move, reimport or delete them during the search.

3. Choose what the character needs

Choose the closest checklist:

• Basic Movement - core locomotion, jumping and landing.
• Third-Person - Recommended - movement, crouching and rolling.
• Combat Character - third-person movement plus basic combat roles.
• ZionTPS - Full Character - movement, interactions and optional combat placeholders.

Choose interaction coverage separately: No Interactions, Interaction Essentials or Full Interaction Set.

Then choose who moves the character:

• Controller Moves Character - choose this for ZionTPS and most code-driven controllers. Apply Root Motion starts off.
• Animations Move Character - choose this only when your gameplay is designed around root motion.
• Not Sure - Detect It - Zion reports the evidence without assuming ownership.

4. Review Zion's choices

Zion searches every selected folder and presents one animation role at a time. The scan summary separates all discovered clips into selectable non-Legacy clips and Legacy clips that cannot be chosen.

For each role:

1. Read the purpose of the role.
2. Open Ranked animation to search every qualifying match.
3. If the expected clip is not ranked, click Search All N Clips.
4. Search by clip name, source pack or asset path and choose the exact clip manually.
5. Use Preview or Locate Clip when necessary.
6. Approve the selection, or deliberately leave the role missing.

A clip selected from the complete list is marked Manual. It still goes through compatibility testing, but Zion has not verified that its name and intent fit the role. Confirm it in the final Clip Browser.

Only Required roles must be approved or acknowledged before continuing. Recommended and Optional roles improve the library but do not prevent a build.

Never accept a high confidence score without checking the name and preview. Confidence ranks likely intent; it does not prove that the pose looks correct on your character. Legacy clips are reported in the scan total but are not selectable.

5. Review the automatic tests

Zion samples the selected clips on the target character.

• Passed - no measured problem was found.
• Advice - useful information or a conservative observation.
• Review - visually inspect the animation; the pack is not necessarily broken.
• Blocked - a definite Avatar, rig or playback problem needs action.

If Review results are acceptable, click Keep These Clips - Continue to Test Build.

If a clip is Blocked, Zion either offers another ranked animation or sends you back to correct the character Avatar. When the same severe twist appears across unrelated packs, fix the character once instead of replacing every animation.

6. Create the library

Enter a clear name such as Hero Animation Library and click Create My Animation Library.

Zion creates a new versioned folder. It copies only the selected animation source assets and any required Avatar support. Purchased source packs remain untouched.

Generic FBXs are converted only after being copied. A successful technical conversion still requires visual approval in the final Clip Browser.

7. Test the finished library

Click Create Final Curated Clip Browser, open the generated scene and enter Play Mode.

Use:

• Previous and Next to cycle through the selected animations.
• Right mouse drag to orbit around the character.
• Mouse wheel to zoom.
• Root Motion: On/Off to compare movement ownership.

Changing the clip or Root Motion mode resets the character before playback.

Where the finished files are

Every build is stored beneath:

Assets/ZionGenerated/AnimationLibraries

Inside the versioned library:

• Sources/Animations contains the selected animation source assets together.
• Sources/Dependencies contains copied Avatar support.
• The curated profile records the chosen character, roles and clips.
• The build manifest records verification and dependency state.
• CuratedLibraryReport.md explains every selected role and remaining concern.

If duplicate assets share a filename, Zion prefixes the later copy with its source-pack name so neither file is overwritten.

Before removing an original animation pack

Only consider manual removal when all of these are true:

• Zion reports the curated build as verified.
• Every important clip looks correct in the final Clip Browser.
• Converted Generic clips have received visual approval.
• The report lists no unresolved original-folder dependencies.
• The project has been saved, restarted and tested again.
• You have a backup or source-control checkpoint.

Zion never deletes source packs automatically.

Fast troubleshooting

The character twists on many unrelated clips

This normally points to the target Avatar. Return to Step 1 and use Configure Avatar > Pose > Enforce T-Pose. Retest the same clips before changing animation packs.

Only one animation twists or fails

Treat it as a clip or source-rig problem. Return to the relevant role and choose one of Zion's ranked alternatives.

The character is partly through the floor

Review the character Avatar, model-child offset and the clip's Root Transform Position (Y) import setting. Dynamic clips such as rolls, landings and interactions may intentionally approach or cross the baseline, so confirm them visually.

The animation does not move forward

Check the selected movement mode. Controller-driven characters normally use in-place clips with Apply Root Motion off. Root-motion characters require moving animation data and Apply Root Motion on.

Zion found a Generic clip

Continue to the non-destructive build. Zion attempts Humanoid conversion only on the copied FBX. Test the copied result on the target character before approving it.

Continue is disabled

Read the Before continuing message above the bottom buttons. It names the exact missing decision, test or required role.

For a complete explanation of every screen, result and advanced tool, open the Full Tutorial from Zion's welcome screen or from Help > Zion Animation Setup.