Animation pack evaluation: Mixamo Pistol-Handgun Locomotion
Technical verdict: Restricted use
Evaluation completeness: partial — all 29 extracted FBX files have current mechanical evidence; vendor mapping, runtime, visual, contact, retarget, license, and cross-pack acceptance remain unavailable.
Confidence: medium
Evaluation date: 2026-09-16
Current evaluator: AnimSmith 0.14.0
Report format: 3
Detailed evidence: Evidence appendix
Technical decision
For a controller-driven (kinematic) prototype, start with forward/back full-body pistol running using the selected members. Their source mechanics were measured, but the proposed blend has no accepted loop, foot-contact, transition, target-character, or target-engine result. Use one controller for movement and yaw; decide ownership separately for any additional root-motion-directory state.
First experiment: Import the selected in-place files on the target character, play them individually, then test their blend through speed or direction changes, starts, stops, and interrupted transitions. Review any endpoint warning on other named files before admission: retain an intentional hold after visual review, or request source repair when the intended endpoint differs. The evidence appendix retains the exact source counts, warning totals, skeleton counts, and profile results. The adoption guide compares this limited pilot with broader library and authoring routes.
Capability coverage
This is a full-body humanoid controller hypothesis for visible characters. Third-person gameplay-camera appearance, target-character deformation, and close-camera grip remain visually untested. Dedicated first-person arms/viewmodel content and first-person weapon framing were not established; the pistol/rifle/bow names do not establish them.
Content present
| Candidate ingredients in the evaluated files | Current use boundary |
|---|---|
| Forward and backward pistol runs are named and measured. Pistol idle, jump and kneel/stand files appear by filename; those states are not accepted together. | Check the named states and their transitions in the target game before treating this as a complete controller. |
Content gaps and unknowns
Other delivered motion leads, filename only: pistol idle.fbx, pistol jump.fbx, pistol kneel to stand.fbx, and pistol stand to kneel.fbx. These names occur in the inspected source or issue inventory, but their intended controller roles and gameplay behavior have not been classified or tested. Inspect each source and its boundaries before adding a state; see the retained source evidence. A zero canonical role count does not establish that these motions are absent.
The legacy count of 27 motions has no verified mapping to these 29 files. Classify the other named motions before adding them to a controller.
Evaluation still needed
- Loop/phase policy, target-engine graph, contact and visual review, target-character retargeting, performance and cross-pack acceptance remain open.
Runtime sets and authored motion
| Set | Controller use | Adoption decision | Exact members |
|---|---|---|---|
hypothesis/kinematic-run-axis | Forward/back full-body pistol run; controller owns XZ translation, yaw and collision | The selected run pair supports a controller-owned movement prototype. Its phase spread calls for contact review before blending. Five other root-motion-directory states need per-file ownership; pistol idle, jump and kneel/stand files have endpoint warnings. No AnimSmith repair was tested. | Member timings, coordinates and contracts |
The selected files are grouped by name and measurement. AnimSmith measured phase (cycles) as forward 0.3981 and back 0.6458; their measured phase spread is 0.2477 cycles. These phase numbers do not establish matching foot contacts or a usable blend. Loop intent, contact alignment, and gameplay use remain not-evaluated.
Integration recipe
- Members/topology: Use the exact members and coordinates for
hypothesis/kinematic-run-axisin the linked appendix as a proposed directional blend. Add other directions or in-place/root-motion alternatives only after checking their own files. - Timing/synchronization: Keep source timing and leave loop settings undecided. Compare normalized phase and visible foot contacts in the target engine before enabling a continuous blend.
- State ownership: These selected in-place files supply pose; one kinematic controller supplies XZ translation, yaw, and collision. Root-motion use, where animation supplies travel, requires separate per-file checks.
- Composition constraints: Begin with full-body states and transitions. Masks, additive motion, IK, sockets, and layering need separate tests.
- Acceptance gate: In the chosen engine, test the selected blend at center and axes, rapid input changes, starts and stops, foot contacts, interrupted transitions, and target-character deformation.
Technical issue register
| ID | Severity | Problem and impact | Primary owner | Current action | Future AnimSmith potential | Evidence/status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MIX-PHASE-001 | note | Scope: hypothesis/kinematic-run-axis; reproduce: compare the two measured phases, whose normalized circular-range spread is 0.2477 cycles; impact: if these phases represent incompatible support-foot events, a continuous blend can pulse or foot-skate, but no contact/runtime test establishes a defect. Guidance. | unknown | Align normalized time in the target engine and inspect support-foot contacts at center, axes, and rapid direction changes. Accept when a project-declared contact tolerance passes with no visible pulse or skate; if it fails, establish phase/contact intent before adding engine markers or requesting artist cleanup. | A deterministic alignment operation is plausible only after loop and contact semantics are declared. | observed-animsmith measurement; synchronization/contact acceptance not-evaluated; unresolved. |
| MIX-OWN-001 | moderate | Scope: Pistol-Handgun_Locomotion_Pack_-_root-motion/pistol idle.fbx; Pistol-Handgun_Locomotion_Pack_-_root-motion/pistol jump.fbx; Pistol-Handgun_Locomotion_Pack_-_root-motion/pistol kneel to stand.fbx; Pistol-Handgun_Locomotion_Pack_-_root-motion/pistol kneeling idle.fbx; Pistol-Handgun_Locomotion_Pack_-_root-motion/pistol stand to kneel.fbx; reproduce: lint each file with the current archive-level animation-owned XZ declaration; impact: applying that policy can leave these states stationary while gameplay expects displacement. Guidance: not applicable. | engine-config | Declare these files controller-owned XZ unless project evidence establishes authored displacement. Accept when per-file declared lint has no ownership error and one target-controller playback applies translation/yaw/collision exactly once. | No generic rewrite is justified because the directory label does not establish per-file intent. | observed-animsmith; 5 current findings; no runtime acceptance; unresolved. |
| MIX-TIME-001 | moderate | Scope: Pistol-Handgun_Locomotion_Pack_-_root-motion/pistol idle.fbx; Pistol-Handgun_Locomotion_Pack_-_root-motion/pistol jump.fbx; Pistol-Handgun_Locomotion_Pack_-_root-motion/pistol kneel to stand.fbx; Pistol-Handgun_Locomotion_Pack_-_root-motion/pistol kneeling idle.fbx; Pistol-Handgun_Locomotion_Pack_-_root-motion/pistol stand to kneel.fbx; reproduce: empty-baseline duration-sanity; impact: shorter channels clamp-hold at the end and can create a brief frozen joint or transition/loop pop. Guidance. | unknown | Inspect the intended endpoint and slowed target-engine boundary playback first. If the hold is intentional and visually acceptable, document and retain it. Otherwise ask the source author to align the shorter channels to the intended endpoint, rerun duration-sanity, and review boundary playback. Accept only when the intended hold or corrected boundary is visually approved and the remaining mechanical warning is recorded accurately. | Deterministic endpoint conformance is plausible only after the intended endpoint and protected channels are declared. | observed-animsmith; 5 current source files; visual intent not evaluated; unresolved. |
| MIX-CONTENT-001 | note | Scope: Pistol-Handgun_Locomotion_Pack_-_in-place/X Bot.fbx; Pistol-Handgun_Locomotion_Pack_-_root-motion/X Bot.fbx; reproduce: empty-baseline duration-sanity reports Take 001 with no tracks; impact: automatic clip registration can expose an empty state, although these may be reference-character files. Guidance: not applicable. | unknown | Classify each file as reference-only or intended animation before import. Accept when reference files are excluded from animation registration or the author supplies the intended tracks. | No tool should invent missing motion. | observed-file and observed-animsmith; semantic purpose unavailable; unresolved. |
Engine status
| Runtime | Evidence level | Technical result | Remaining gate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Unity unspecified | not-evaluated | No current import, graph, playback, or visual evidence | Test the proposed controller and full-body graph on the target character |
| Unreal Engine unspecified | not-evaluated | No current import, retarget, Blend Space, or playback evidence | Test the exact retarget and controller path |
| Godot unspecified | not-evaluated | No current import, AnimationTree, or playback evidence | Test the exact Skeleton3D and controller path |
| Bevy unspecified | not-evaluated | No current loader, graph, or playback evidence | Test exact animation targets and controller composition |
Fit and limitations
Best fit is full-body pistol locomotion prototyping where a developer can own movement, define thresholds, and test the exact target character. It is a poor fit for drop-in root-motion, network, motion-matching, layered-animation, or production-ready claims.
Cross-pack compatibility is unknown. Shared Mixamo role resolution and a common 66-bone count on motion-named files do not prove identical hierarchy, rest pose, scale, retargeting, blending, contacts, or style.
Changes between AnimSmith versions
AnimSmith 0.14.0 — The current evaluation reran 996 inspect, measure, and lint commands across the collection. This constituent admitted 29/29 files; baseline and declared-contract findings were revalidated, and the selected controller set was proposed from current files. Its clip roles remain unverified.
AnimSmith 0.10.0 — Retained historical mechanical counts agree with the current rerun; clip mapping and engine acceptance remain open. AnimSmith 0.7.0 evidence remains superseded.
Evidence status
The current tests covered 29 FBX source files individually. The legacy metadata lists 27 motions, but its clip-to-file mapping is unverified for the 29 files. The evidence appendix records the source integrity check, evaluator revision, command results, and digests. See the canonical readiness ladder.
Sources
- Fresh external AnimSmith 0.14.0 command ledger and summary; licensed source and outputs remain external.
- AnimSmith game-ready clip guidance.