Animating Models

It is possible to create or import custom animations for your models so they doesn’t look stiff in-game. This can be achieved by using Track Studio, a tool developed originally for Mario Kart 8 Deluxe modding, but that can be used for Animal Crossing: New Horizons as well.

Prerequisites

• Track Studio
• A model with a rig

Preparing the Model

To create an animation for your model in Blender, you’ll first need to export it as a .dae file.

To do this, open your model in the Track Studio, expand Models and right-click the model you want to animate, then click on Export.

Exporting Animations from Blender

To export animations from Blender, you’ll need this plugin that adds support for exporting .anim files, the format used by Track Studio. This plugin works better on Blender 3.6, which is the version they developed it on.

1. In Blender, import the .dae file of your model
2. Import or create a new animation for your model
3. Once you have your animation ready, go to File > Export > Maya Animation (.anim).
4. You can use these settings for the export:

Importing Animations to Track Studio

To import the exported .anim file into Track Studio, follow these steps:

1. In Track Studio, right-click on the Animations folder and click on New Skeletal Animation.

2. This will create an empty animation, right-click on it and use Replace to import your .anim file.

3. Preview the animation in the Animation Graph tab, if everything looks good, you can save your model.

More resources

You can consult the official documentation for more information about this topic:

• Track Studio Documentation

Shutout to @Spooner for discovering that it is possible to use Track Studio for ACNH!