ModsFinder

SmoothPlayerAnimations

by HuaXiaosheng

SmoothPlayerAnimations replaces the stiff vanilla player poses with smoother walking, sprinting, swimming, climbing and idle motion on the client.

FabricForgeNeoForgeClient-side onlyAll rights reserved1.20.1 – 26.3

What it does

Walking, running and sprinting gain smoother transitions between poses, and swimming and crawling get their own movement animations. Climbing and dynamic idle motion are included too, with a layered system that animates the upper and lower body separately so each can blend on its own. Transitions between animations are smoothed out rather than snapping from one pose to the next.

The mod is client-side only, so players install it and servers do not need it. It requires Cloth Config API, Player Animation Library and playerAnimator, and its files target Fabric, Forge and NeoForge for game versions 1.20.1 – 26.3. Some of its features are shown in screenshots and GIFs that use a resource pack, and the author describes the mod as built with compatibility for other animation mods in mind. The code is not open source; the mod is released under All rights reserved.

Key features

  1. Walking and running motion

    Walking, running and sprinting use smoothed poses that stay close to the vanilla look while moving more fluidly.

  2. Swimming and crawling

    Swimming and crawling have dedicated animations that replace the default poses while the player is in those states.

  3. Climbing and idle animations

    Climbing uses its own pose, and idle motion changes dynamically while the player stands still.

  4. Layered body animation

    Upper and lower body animations run as separate layers, so motion on one half of the body does not force the other half into the same pose.

Compatibility

Latest build for each game version and loader.

26.31.1.0+26.3Not available1.1.0+26.3
26.21.1.0+26.2Not available1.1.0+26.2
26.1.21.1.0+26.1Not available1.1.0+26.1
1.21.111.1.0+1.21.11Not available1.1.0+1.21.11
1.21.91.1.0+1.21.9Not availableNot available
1.21.81.1.0+1.21.8Not availableNot available
1.21.11.1.0+1.21.1Not available1.1.0+1.21.1
1.20.11.1.0+1.20.11.1.0+1.20.1Not available
ReleaseBetaAlphaNot available

Only full game releases are shown. This mod publishes no snapshot builds.

Requirements

Dependencies declared by the latest file for each loader.

Required 2

Cloth Config APIConfiguration Library for Minecraft Mods
Required
Player Animation LibraryA library that allows mods to animate the player, in a way that doesn't conflict with other mods. (and much more!)
Required

How it compares

Full comparison

Chat Animation [Smooth Chat] is open source under the MIT License and runs on Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt for 1.20 – 26.3, but it animates chat rather than the player. EaseGUI is also open source, licensed under the GNU Lesser General Public License v3.0 or later, and targets Fabric, Forge and NeoForge for 1.20.1 – 26.3, with its effects applied to menus. Smooth Hover uses only Fabric and NeoForge for 1.21 – 26.3 and is not open source under All rights reserved.

ModLoadersGame versionsEnvironmentUpdated
SmoothPlayerAnimationsFabric, Forge and NeoForge1.20.1 – 26.3Client-side only2026-09-28
Chat Animation [Smooth Chat]Fabric, Forge, NeoForge and Quilt1.20 – 26.3Client-side only2026-10-05
EaseGUIFabric, Forge and NeoForge1.20.1 – 26.3Client-side only2026-09-18
Smooth HoverFabric and NeoForge1.21 – 26.3Client-side only2026-09-23

Questions

Does SmoothPlayerAnimations need Cloth Config API?

Yes. Cloth Config API is a required dependency, along with Player Animation Library and playerAnimator, so all three must be installed next to the mod.

Does a server need to install SmoothPlayerAnimations?

No. Servers do not need it; each player installs it for their own game.

Which loader should be chosen for SmoothPlayerAnimations?

Fabric, Forge and NeoForge all have files. For 26.3, the latest Fabric and NeoForge builds are beta versions dated 2026-09-28, and the Forge file covers 1.20.1.

In the catalog

SmoothPlayerAnimations is one of 3,545 Optimization mods on ModsFinder, and one of 2,575 Optimization mods for Fabric. 8,071 mods support Minecraft 26.3.

Optimization mods3,545Fabric modsMods for 26.38,071

More from HuaXiaosheng

All projects
QuickControls1.20.1 – 1.21.11

Similar mods

Sodium1.16.3 – 26.3Iris Shaders1.16.5 – 26.3Entity Cullingb1.7.3 – 26.3FerriteCore1.16.5 – 26.3ImmediatelyFast1.18.2 – 26.3Sodium Extra1.16.2 – 26.3

What the author says

A lightweight player animation enhancement mod for Minecraft. Smooth Player Animations improves movement and action animations while staying close to the vanilla experience.
HuaXiaosheng, on the Modrinth page

Official listing

Owner
HuaXiaosheng
Published
2026-06-02
Updated on Modrinth
2026-09-28
Facts verified
2026-10-15

Tags

DecorationOptimizationUtility
Open on ModrinthCompare