If you've been looking for a way to make your character look more mystical or supernatural, setting up a roblox floating animation script is honestly one of the quickest ways to change the entire feel of your game. Instead of the standard clunky walking animation that every default avatar uses, a floating script gives your character a smooth, gliding motion that feels way more polished. It's the kind of small detail that separates a generic "first-timer" project from something that actually looks like a professional experience.
I remember when I first started messing around with Roblox Studio, I thought changing the walk cycle was going to be this massive, complicated headache involving high-level math. It turns out, it's actually pretty straightforward once you understand how the default "Animate" script works and how to override it with your own logic. You don't need to be a coding genius to get this working; you just need to know where to put the code and how to tweak a few numbers to get the "vibe" right.
Why Even Use a Floating Animation?
Let's be real: the default Roblox walk is iconic, but it's also everywhere. If you're building a game where players are supposed to be ghosts, gods, wizards, or even just high-tech robots, having their feet hit the ground with every step kind of ruins the immersion.
A floating animation does two things. First, it adds an immediate layer of polish. It tells the player, "Hey, this game has custom mechanics." Second, it changes the way the game feels to play. When you're gliding around, the movement feels more fluid, almost like you're skating on ice but with more control. It's perfect for horror games where a monster needs to drift toward a player, or for simulator games where you want a "premium" feel for certain power-ups.
Setting Up the Basics
Before you start writing your roblox floating animation script, you need to decide if you're using a custom animation you made yourself or if you just want to use code to hover the character.
If you have a custom animation ID from the Roblox library, that's great. But if you don't, you can actually simulate a "float" just by using some clever scripting to manipulate the HipHeight and the character's idle state. Most people prefer a mix of both—a subtle "bobbing" motion caused by code and a specific "arms-out" pose from an animation asset.
To get started, you'll usually want to look at the StarterCharacterScripts folder. This is where your script will live. Anything you put in here will automatically run every time a player's character spawns into the world.
Writing a Simple Floating Script
Here is a basic way to handle this. You'll want to create a LocalScript inside StarterCharacterScripts. We're going to use a bit of math to make the character bob up and down while they move. It's a classic trick, but it works every single time.
```lua local player = game.Players.LocalPlayer local character = player.Character or player.CharacterAdded:Wait() local humanoid = character:WaitForChild("Humanoid") local runService = game:GetService("RunService")
local hoverHeight = 2 -- How high you want to float local bobSpeed = 3 -- How fast the bobbing is local bobIntensity = 0.5 -- How much the character moves up and down
runService.RenderStepped:Connect(function() local time = tick() local bob = math.sin(time * bobSpeed) * bobIntensity humanoid.HipHeight = hoverHeight + bob end) ```
This tiny bit of code is a great starting point. It uses math.sin to create a smooth wave-like motion. If you've ever wondered how games make things look like they're hovering naturally, it's almost always some variation of a sine wave. You can change the bobSpeed to make it more frantic or the bobIntensity to make it a more dramatic hover.
Integrating Custom Animations
Now, if you want that specific "floating" pose—maybe with the legs tucked in or the arms drifting at the sides—you'll need an animation ID. You can find these on the Roblox Marketplace or make your own using the built-in Animation Editor.
Once you have your ID, you need to tell the game to play that animation instead of the default "Run" or "Walk" animations. The easiest way to do this is to find the default "Animate" script that Roblox inserts into every character, copy it while the game is running, and then paste it into StarterCharacterScripts. Inside that script, you'll see a list of animation objects. You just swap out the IDs for the "Walk," "Run," and "Idle" animations with your new floating animation ID.
It sounds like a bit of a chore, but it's the most stable way to do it. If you try to force animations to play over the default ones using a separate script, you often get this weird "glitching" effect where the character's legs try to walk for a split second before the float takes over. It looks messy, and we want to avoid that.
Dealing with R6 and R15
One thing that trips up a lot of developers is the difference between R6 and R15 character models. If you're writing a roblox floating animation script, you have to know which one your game is using.
R6 is the classic, six-part body. It's easier to animate because there are fewer joints, but it can look a bit stiff. R15 is the modern, fifteen-part body that allows for much more fluid movement. If you find a script or an animation online and it's not working, 90% of the time it's because the animation was made for R6 and you're trying to use it on an R15 character (or vice versa). Always double-check your game settings under the "Avatar" tab in the Game Settings menu to make sure you're consistent.
Tweaking the Feel
A common mistake I see is making the floating animation too "static." If a character just glides in a straight line without any tilt or sway, it looks like a laggy part moving through space rather than a living creature.
To fix this, you can add a bit of "tilt" to your roblox floating animation script. When the player moves left, the character should lean slightly left. When they stop, there should be a little bit of "overshoot" where they drift for a second before settling. You can achieve this by messing with the RootJoint CFrame, but that gets into the weeds of CFrame math which can be a bit daunting if you're just starting out.
For now, just focus on the HipHeight and a solid Idle animation. You'd be surprised how much a good Idle animation does for the overall look. If the character looks like they're treading water while standing still, the floating effect becomes ten times more believable.
Common Issues and How to Fix Them
If your script isn't working, don't panic. It's usually something small. Here are a few things that usually go wrong:
- Animation Priority: If your animation isn't showing up, check its Priority. In the Animation Editor, you should set it to "Action" or "Movement." If it's set to "Core," the default Roblox animations will just play over it, and you won't see a thing.
- Script Type: Make sure you're using a
LocalScript. Standard scripts (server scripts) won't handle character animations nearly as smoothly because of the slight delay between the server and the player's computer. - The "Leg Jitter": If the legs are still moving like they're walking, it means the default "Walk" animation is still active. You have to either disable the "Walk" state in the humanoid or replace the ID in the "Animate" script as I mentioned earlier.
Wrapping Things Up
Creating a roblox floating animation script is a fantastic way to add some personality to your project. It doesn't take much—just a little bit of Lua and a decent animation—to completely transform how players interact with your world. Whether you're going for a spooky ghost vibe or a powerful superhero feel, the float is your best friend.
Don't be afraid to experiment with the numbers. Programming in Roblox is all about trial and error. Change the bobbing speed to something ridiculous just to see what happens. Lower the HipHeight so the player's feet barely scrape the floor. The more you play around with it, the better you'll understand how the engine handles movement, and soon you'll be making all sorts of custom locomotion systems.
Now go open Studio and start gliding! It's way more fun than walking, trust me.