Rig and animate a 3D character in Godot 4: The AFK AI add-on, AnimationPlayer and AnimationTree

1. Download the add-on from the Godot plugin page.
2. Copy its addons/afk_ai folder into your project's addons folder. Make the addons folder if your project doesn't have one.
3. Open Project > Project Settings > Plugins and tick Enable next to AFK AI.

An AFK AI dock appears on the right, next to the Inspector.

1. Sign in. Click Sign in in the AFK AI dock. Your browser opens afk.ai; sign in with Google there. The dock shows your email and how many rigs you have left this month. If the browser can't get back to Godot, it shows a sign-in code instead: paste it under I have a sign-in code and click Use.
2. Pick the model. In the FileSystem dock, click the model's file.
3. Choose the options. Body type: Human for people and anything on two legs, or the animal or creature it is. Animations: All animations, or Rig only for just the skeleton. Facing: leave it on Auto.
4. Click Rig. The dock shows what's happening: uploading, waiting, rigging, downloading. Keep working meanwhile.

When it's done, hero_rigged.glb is saved next to hero.glb, imported and selected. The original isn't touched. Rig the same model again and you get hero_rigged_2.glb, so nothing is overwritten.

The simplest player character: a CharacterBody3D with a CollisionShape3D (a capsule), and the rigged model dragged in under it and renamed Hero. Attach this script to the CharacterBody3D:

extends CharacterBody3D

const SPEED := 4.0
var gravity: float = ProjectSettings.get_setting("physics/3d/default_gravity")

@onready var hero: Node3D = $Hero
@onready var anim: AnimationPlayer = $Hero/AnimationPlayer

func _physics_process(delta: float) -> void:
	var input := Input.get_vector("ui_left", "ui_right", "ui_up", "ui_down")
	var direction := Vector3(input.x, 0.0, input.y)
	velocity.x = direction.x * SPEED
	velocity.z = direction.z * SPEED
	if not is_on_floor():
		velocity.y -= gravity * delta
	move_and_slide()

	if direction.length() > 0.1:
		# the model faces +Z: turn that toward where it's going
		hero.rotation.y = lerp_angle(hero.rotation.y, atan2(direction.x, direction.z), 10.0 * delta)
		anim.play("Jog", 0.2)   # 0.2 s blend from whatever was playing
	else:
		anim.play("Idle_A", 0.2)

Run it and the arrow keys jog the character around, easing back to idle when you let go. Calling play with the animation that's already playing carries on with it, so calling it every frame is fine.

To put something in the character's hand, select its Skeleton3D, add a BoneAttachment3D under it, set Bone Name to hand_r, and put the sword under the attachment. It follows the hand through every animation.

To change which animations loop, double-click hero_rigged.glb in the FileSystem dock to open Advanced Import Settings. Pick the animation under the AnimationPlayer on the left, change Loop Mode, and click Reimport.

Every rig that reaches AFK AI uses one of this month's rigs, the same as on afk.ai/rig and in the other AFK AI plugins. Cancel stops the waiting, not the rig, which still counts. A rig that fails isn't counted. When you're out of rigs, the dock says so and shows See plans, which opens afk.ai's plans.