# Describe the Move, Watch the Character Perform It

> Animate a 3D character with AI. Describe the motion and Layer makes the mesh move, from walk cycles to attacks, ready to review in your workspace.

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A character that stands still is only half done. Blocking out motion for every character in a prototype, a pitch or a content drop takes animator time that most teams spend on the hero assets alone.

3D Animation on Layer makes a character move from a description. Provide the mesh, say what the character should do, and review the motion in the same workspace the character was made in.

## Key Capabilities

**Motion From a Description**
Describe the movement in plain words, from a walk cycle to an attack, and the character performs it.

**Works on Your Characters**
Animate characters generated in Layer or meshes you bring in from elsewhere.

**Part of the 3D Toolkit**
Sits alongside 3D generation, rigging, remeshing and retexturing, so a character can go from concept to motion in one place.

## How It Works

**Select the character**
Upload a mesh or choose a character from your workspace.

**Describe the motion**
Say what the character should do.

**Animate and review**
The animated character returns to your workspace, ready to review.

## Built for Game Production

**Prototypes and Pitches**
Show characters moving in a prototype or pitch without waiting on a full animation pass.

**Previs and Blocking**
Block out motion early to test timing and readability before final animation.

**Content Drops**
Give a batch of new characters a first set of motions for review in one session.

## Frequently Asked Questions

### What does 3D Animation do?

It makes a 3D character move. You provide the character mesh and describe the motion, and Layer returns the animated character.

### What kinds of motion can I describe?

Describe the movement in plain words, such as a walk cycle, an idle loop or an attack. A specific description gives a more specific result.

### How is this different from rigging?

Rigging adds a skeleton to a character so it can be posed and animated. 3D Animation produces the motion itself from your description.

### Can I animate characters generated in Layer?

Yes. Characters generated in Layer can be animated in the same workspace, alongside meshes you upload.

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Bring your characters to life. Start animating on Layer.

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[View original](https://layer.ai/features/3d-animation) | [All Features](https://layer.ai/features)