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Source: Roblox Creator Hub · CC BY 4.0 · View source · Code samples: MIT Imported 2026-10-03. Formatting adapted for this site.

Animator

Inherits from: Instance → Object

Animator is the main class responsible for the playback and replication of Animations. All replication of playing AnimationTracks is handled through the Animator instance.

See Animation in Roblox to learn how to create and add pre-built or custom animations to your game.

Inherits from: Instance

Memory category: Instances

Properties

Name	Type / Returns	Description
Animator.EvaluationThrottled	boolean	Indicates whether animation evaluation was throttled (skipped) this frame for this `Animator`.
Animator.PreferLodEnabled	boolean	Controls whether animation LOD throttling is allowed for this `Animator`. When set to `false`, animations always evaluate at full fidelity.

Inherited from Instance

Name	Type / Returns	Description
Instance.Archivable	boolean	Determines if an `Instance` and its descendants can be cloned using `Instance:Clone()`, and can be saved/published.
Instance.archivable	boolean
Instance.Capabilities	SecurityCapabilities	The set of capabilities allowed to be used for scripts inside this container.
Instance.IsInSandbox	boolean	Indicates whether the instance is inside a sandboxed container.
Instance.Name	string	A non-unique identifier of the `Instance`.
Instance.Parent	Instance	Determines the hierarchical parent of the `Instance`.
Instance.PredictionMode	PredictionMode	Reflects the client-side prediction mode applied to the instance under server-authoritative physics.
Instance.RobloxLocked	boolean	A deprecated property that used to protect `CoreGui` objects.
Instance.Sandboxed	boolean	When enabled, the instance can only access abilities in its `Capabilities` list.
Instance.UniqueId	UniqueId	A unique identifier for the instance.

Inherited from Object

Name	Type / Returns	Description
Object.ClassName	string	A read-only string representing the class this `Object` belongs to.
Object.className	string

Animator.EvaluationThrottled

A read-only property that indicates whether animation evaluation was throttled (skipped) on this frame. When true, the Animator reused the pose from the previous frame instead of evaluating fresh animation data.

This property is useful when layering procedural animation on top of Transform — if evaluation was throttled, applying procedural offsets would fight the stale pose and should be skipped:

Field	Value
type	boolean
tags	["ReadOnly","NotReplicated"]
security	{"read":"None","write":"None"}
thread safety	Safe
category	Behavior
serialization	{"can_load":false,"can_save":false}
capabilities	["Animation"]

Code samples: View on Creator Hub (Animator-EvaluationThrottled).

Animator.PreferLodEnabled

When true (the default), the engine may reduce animation evaluation frequency for remotely-simulated characters based on distance, screen coverage, and frame budget. When set to false, LOD-based throttling is disabled and this Animator always evaluates at full fidelity.

Setting this to false is useful for important NPCs or characters that must always animate smoothly regardless of distance. However, disabling LOD for many animators simultaneously can impact performance.

Note that this property only controls per-animator LOD throttling. The workspace-level Workspace.ClientAnimatorThrottlingMode setting can independently disable or enable throttling for all animators.

Field	Value
type	boolean
security	{"read":"None","write":"None"}
thread safety	ReadSafe
category	Behavior
serialization	{"can_load":true,"can_save":true}
capabilities	["Animation"]

Methods

Name	Type / Returns	Description
Animator:ApplyJointVelocities	()	Computes relative velocities between parts and applies them to `Motor6D.Part1`.
Animator:GetPlayingAnimationTracks	Array	Returns the list of currently active `AnimationTracks`.
Animator:GetTrackByAnimationId	AnimationTrack?	Returns an existing `AnimationTrack` on this `Animator` that was loaded from an `Animation` with the given animation ID. Unlike `LoadAnimation()`, this method does not create a new `AnimationTrack` instance.
Animator:LoadAnimation	AnimationTrack	Loads an `Animation` onto an `Animator`, returning an `AnimationTrack`.
Animator:StepAnimations	()	Increments the `AnimationTrack.TimePosition` of all playing `AnimationTracks` that are loaded onto the `Animator`, applying the offsets to the model associated with the `Animator`. For use in the command bar or by plugins only.

Inherited from Instance

Name	Type / Returns	Description
Instance:AddTag	()	Applies a tag to the instance.
Instance:children	Instances	Returns an array of the object's children.
Instance:ClearAllChildren	()	This method destroys all of an instance's children.
Instance:Clone	Instance	Create a copy of an instance and all its descendants, ignoring instances that are not `Archivable`.
Instance:clone	Instance
Instance:Destroy	()	Sets the `Instance.Parent` property to `nil`, locks the `Instance.Parent` property, disconnects all connections, and calls `Destroy()` on all children.
Instance:destroy	()
Instance:FindFirstAncestor	Instance?	Returns the first ancestor of the `Instance` whose `Instance.Name` is equal to the given name.
Instance:FindFirstAncestorOfClass	Instance?	Returns the first ancestor of the `Instance` whose `Object.ClassName` is equal to the given className.
Instance:FindFirstAncestorWhichIsA	Instance?	Returns the first ancestor of the `Instance` for whom `Object:IsA()` returns true for the given className.
Instance:FindFirstChild	Instance?	Returns the first child of the `Instance` found with the given name.
Instance:findFirstChild	Instance
Instance:FindFirstChildOfClass	Instance?	Returns the first child of the `Instance` whose `ClassName` is equal to the given class name.
Instance:FindFirstChildWhichIsA	Instance?	Returns the first child of the `Instance` for whom `Object:IsA()` returns true for the given className.
Instance:FindFirstDescendant	Instance?	Returns the first descendant found with the given `Instance.Name`.
Instance:GetActor	Actor?	Returns the `Actor` associated with the Instance, if any.
Instance:GetAttribute	Variant	Returns the value which has been assigned to the given attribute name.
Instance:GetAttributeChangedSignal	RBXScriptSignal	Returns an event that fires when the given attribute changes.
Instance:GetAttributes	Dictionary	Returns a dictionary of the instance's attributes.
Instance:GetChildren	Instances	Returns an array containing all of the instance's children.
Instance:getChildren	Instances
Instance:GetDebugId	string	Returns a coded string of the debug ID used internally by Roblox.
Instance:GetDescendants	Instances	Returns an array containing all of the descendants of the instance.
Instance:GetFullName	string	Returns a string describing the instance's ancestry.
Instance:GetStyled	Variant	Returns the styled or explicitly modified value of the specified property, or else the default property value if it hasn't been styled/modified.
Instance:GetStyledPropertyChangedSignal	RBXScriptSignal	Returns an event that fires when the given style property changes on the instance.
Instance:GetTags	Array	Gets an array of all tags applied to the instance.
Instance:HasTag	boolean	Check whether the instance has a given tag.
Instance:IsAncestorOf	boolean	Returns true if an `Instance` is an ancestor of the given descendant.
Instance:IsDescendantOf	boolean	Returns `true` if an `Instance` is a descendant of the given ancestor.
Instance:isDescendantOf	boolean
Instance:IsPropertyModified	boolean	Returns `true` if the value stored in the specified property is not equal to the code-instantiated default.
Instance:QueryDescendants	Instances	Returns an array containing all descendants of the instance that match the `selector` string.
Instance:Remove	()	Sets the object's `Parent` to `nil`, and does the same for all its descendants.
Instance:remove	()
Instance:RemoveTag	()	Removes a tag from the instance.
Instance:ResetPropertyToDefault	()	Resets a property to its default value.
Instance:SetAttribute	()	Sets the attribute with the given name to the given value.
Instance:WaitForChild	Instance	Returns the child of the `Instance` with the given name. If the child does not exist, it will yield the current thread until it does.

Inherited from Object

Name	Type / Returns	Description
Object:GetPropertyChangedSignal	RBXScriptSignal	Get an event that fires when a given property of the object changes.
Object:IsA	boolean	Returns true if an object's class matches or inherits from a given class.
Object:isA	boolean

Animator:ApplyJointVelocities

Given the current set of AnimationTracks playing and their current times and play speeds, this method computes relative velocities between the parts and applies them to Motor6D.Part1 (the part which Animator considers the "child" part). These relative velocity calculations and assignments happen in the order provided.

This method doesn't apply velocities for a given joint if both of the joint's parts are currently part of the same assembly; for example, if they are still connected directly or indirectly by motors or welds.

Note that this method doesn't disable or remove the joints for you. You must disable or otherwise remove the rigid joints from the assembly before calling this method.

The given Motor6Ds are not required to be descendants of the DataModel. Removing the joints from the DataModel before calling this method is supported.

Parameters

Name	Type	Default	Description
motors	Variant		An array of `Motor6D` instances to compute and apply velocities for.

Returns

Type	Description
()

Field	Value
security	None
thread safety	Unsafe
capabilities	["Animation"]

Animator:GetPlayingAnimationTracks

Returns the list of currently active AnimationTracks on this Animator. This includes tracks that are fading out and does not depend on AnimationTrack.IsPlaying being true; as a result, GetTrackByAnimationId() may be a better option to get a specific AnimationTrack by its asset ID. Fading tracks are automatically stopped and removed from this list once their blend weight reaches zero.

Returns

Type	Description
Array	An array of currently active `AnimationTracks` on this `Animator`, including tracks that are fading out.

Field	Value
security	None
thread safety	Unsafe
capabilities	["Animation"]
simulationAccess	true

Animator:GetTrackByAnimationId

Returns an existing AnimationTrack on this Animator that was loaded from an Animation with the given animation ID. Unlike LoadAnimation(), this method does not create a new AnimationTrack instance; it only looks up a track that was previously loaded.

If multiple tracks have been loaded for the same animation ID, this method returns the first match. If no matching track exists, it returns nil.

Parameters

Name	Type	Default	Description
animationId	ContentId		The asset ID of the `Animation` whose loaded track should be retrieved.

Returns

Type	Description
AnimationTrack?	The first `AnimationTrack` on this `Animator` that was loaded from the given animation ID, or `nil` if none has been loaded.

Field	Value
security	None
thread safety	Unsafe
capabilities	["Animation"]
simulationAccess	true

Code samples: View on Creator Hub (Animator-GetTrackByAnimationId).

Animator:LoadAnimation

This method loads the given Animation onto this Animator, returning a playable AnimationTrack. When called on an Animator within models that the client has network ownership of, for example the local player's character or from BasePart:SetNetworkOwner(), this method also loads the animation for the server as well.

Note that the Animator must be in the Workspace before making a call to LoadAnimation() or else it will be unable to retrieve the AnimationClipProvider service and throw an error.

Warning

Do not use LoadAnimation() in an attempt to retrieve an existing track. Calling LoadAnimation() always creates a new AnimationTrack instance which may impact game performance if overused. Instead, use GetTrackByAnimationId() when you need to look up a track that was already loaded.

Loading an Animation on Client or Server

In order for AnimationTracks to replicate correctly, it's important to know when they should be loaded on the client or on the server:

If an Animator is a descendant of a Humanoid or AnimationController in a player's Player.Character, animations started on that player's client will be replicated to the server and other clients.
If the Animator is not a descendant of a player character, its animations must be loaded and started on the server to replicate.

The Animator object must be initially created on the server and replicated to clients for animation replication to work at all. If an Animator is created locally, then AnimationTracks loaded with that Animator will not replicate.

Parameters

Name	Type	Default	Description
animation	Animation		The `Animation` to be used.

Returns

Type	Description
AnimationTrack	A new `AnimationTrack` linked to the given `Animation`.

Field	Value
security	None
thread safety	Unsafe
capabilities	["Animation"]
simulationAccess	true

Animator:StepAnimations

Increments the AnimationTrack.TimePosition of all playing AnimationTracks that are loaded onto the Animator, applying the offsets to the model associated with the Animator. For use in the command bar or by plugins only.

The deltaTime parameter determines the number of seconds to increment on the animation's progress. Typically this method will be called in a loop to preview the length of an animation (see example).

Note that once animations have stopped playing, the model's joints will need to be manually reset to their original positions (see example).

Access

This method requires Plugin-level security. It can only be called from the Studio command bar or from a Plugin. Regular Script and LocalScript instances cannot call this method.

Parameters

Name	Type	Default	Description
deltaTime	float		The amount of time in seconds animation playback is to be incremented. by.

Returns

Type	Description
()

Field	Value
security	PluginSecurity
thread safety	Unsafe
capabilities	["Animation"]

Code samples: View on Creator Hub (Animator-StepAnimations).

Events

Name	Type / Returns	Description
Animator.AnimationPlayed		Fires when the `Animator` starts playing an `AnimationTrack`.

Inherited from Instance

Name	Type / Returns	Description
Instance.AncestryChanged		Fires when the `Instance.Parent` property of this object or one of its ancestors is changed.
Instance.AttributeChanged		Fires whenever an attribute is changed on the `Instance`.
Instance.ChildAdded		Fires after an object is parented to this `Instance`.
Instance.childAdded
Instance.ChildRemoved		Fires after a child is removed from this `Instance`.
Instance.DescendantAdded		Fires after a descendant is added to the `Instance`.
Instance.DescendantRemoving		Fires immediately before a descendant of the `Instance` is removed.
Instance.Destroying		Fires immediately before (or is deferred until after) the instance is destroyed via `Instance:Destroy()`.
Instance.StyledPropertiesChanged		Fires whenever any style property is changed on the instance, including when a property is set to `nil`.

Inherited from Object

Name	Type / Returns	Description
Object.Changed		Fires immediately after a property of the object changes, with some limitations.

Animator.AnimationPlayed

Fires for all AnimationTrack:Play() calls on AnimationTracks created and owned by the Animator.

Parameters

Name	Type	Default	Description
animationTrack	AnimationTrack		The `AnimationTrack` that began playing.

Field	Value
security	None
capabilities	["Animation"]