How to download free 3D characters + animation + animate your character
You are interested in creating 3D games, but you don’t know how to create your own 3D characters and animate them? No problem, there are many websites and tools that allow you to download free ready-made 3D characters, as well as animations to make them move. In this article, I will show you some of the best resources to get free 3D characters and animate them easily.
Where to download free 3D characters?
There are many websites that offer free 3D models of characters, animals, fantasy creatures, etc. You can use them for your personal or commercial projects, as long as you respect the licenses and credits of the authors. Here are some examples of websites where you can find free 3D characters:
- Mixamo: Mixamo is an online service that allows you to download hundreds of free 3D characters of different styles and genres. You can also use Mixamo to apply animations to your characters, or create your own animations from key poses.
- Sketchfab: Sketchfab is a platform that hosts millions of 3D models created by artists from all over the world. You can filter the results by license (free or paid), by category (characters, animals, etc.), by style (realistic, cartoon, etc.), and by format (FBX, OBJ, etc.). You can also view the 3D models in 3D in your browser, and download them if you wish.
- CGTrader: CGTrader is a marketplace where you can buy and sell 3D models. But you can also find a section dedicated to free 3D models, many of which are characters. You can sort the models by popularity, by date, by price, etc., and download those that interest you.
- TurboSquid: TurboSquid is another website where you can buy and sell 3D models. It also has a free section where you can find professional-quality 3D characters. You can filter the models by format (FBX, OBJ, etc.), by polygon (low, medium, high), by license (free or paid), etc.
How to animate your 3D characters?
Once you have downloaded your 3D characters, you need to animate them to make them move in your game. There are several ways to animate your 3D characters, depending on the level of complexity and customization you want. Here are some examples of tools and techniques to animate your 3D characters:
- Mixamo: As mentioned earlier, Mixamo is an online service that allows you not only to download free 3D characters, but also to animate them easily. You can choose from thousands of predefined animations (walk, run, jump, fight, dance, etc.), or create your own animations from key poses. You can also adjust the parameters of the animations (speed, amplitude, etc.), and preview the result in real time. Once you are satisfied with the result, you can download your animated character in FBX or COLLADA format.
- [Unity]: Unity is a popular game engine that allows you to create 3D (and 2D) games for different platforms. Unity has an integrated animation system that allows you to import your 3D characters and their animations, or create your own animations using the Timeline Editor or the Animation Window. You can also use the Animator Controller to manage the transitions between animations, and the Avatar Mask to control which parts of the body to animate. Unity also offers the possibility to use procedural animations, which are generated automatically based on the game parameters (for example, speed, direction, terrain, etc.).
- [Blender]: Blender is a free and open source software that allows you to create and edit 3D models, animations, visual effects, etc. Blender has a powerful animation system that allows you to create complex animations using curves, keys, modifiers, constraints, etc. You can also use the Blender Game Engine to create interactive 3D games with your animated characters. Blender supports many import and export formats, including FBX, OBJ, COLLADA, etc.
Conclusion
Creating 3D games involves creating and animating 3D characters. Fortunately, there are many free resources that allow you to download ready-made 3D characters, as well as tools and techniques to animate them easily. In this article, I showed you some of the best resources to get free 3D characters and animate them easily. I hope this article was helpful and that you learned something new. If you liked this article, feel free to share it with your friends and leave me a comment below. Thank you for your attention and see you soon! 😊
