Animating sprite sheets with Godot's AnimationPlayer

Sprite sheets are a common asset in any 2D pixel art game. Godot’s built in AnimationPlayer node makes it fast and easy to animate characters in Godot games.

I created a few screencasts over on YouTube to demonstrate the feature and share how I approach animating characters in Godot projects. If you’re new to Godot, I hope these quick videos will help kickstart your animation productivity.

Part 1: Setup and basics

In the first video, we cover the basics of getting started with AnimationPlayer:

• Creating the initial Character
• Sprite Sheets in Godot
• Godot’s AnimationPlayer node
• Changing Frame on AnimationPlayer timeline
• Adding a hat layer to our character
• Animating hat position as the character’s body moves
• Toggling layers on and off, like unlockable clothing

Part 2: Other frames and timeline events

We get a little bit more advanced in the second video, with multiple facing directions and other types of animations.

• Creating a Hat frame track
• Other facing directions for the character
• Using GDScript code to trigger animations
• Non-looping animations for single interactions
• Calling methods in code at the perfect time via the call_method timeline track.
• Stateful detail changes to the Character sprite
• Workflow tips for staying organized

If you have your own tips for animating characters in Godot, be sure to swing by our Discord and share your knowledge with the community.