7 of the best new features in Xsens Animate

When we started working on Xsens Animate 2025, the mission was clear: make it faster, smarter, and easier to use for VFX and mocap professionals. What we ended up with is a complete shift in how motion data can be captured, processed, and used in production.

This is the most creator-focused version of our software we’ve ever released. If you’ve used Xsens Animate in the past, you’ll notice the difference immediately.

Here are seven new Xsens Animate features that every motion artist, VFX lead, indie creator, game developer, and mocap operator should know about.

Our LA-based Product Specialist and content creator, Edward Green, did a deep dive into all the new features. The videos give you hands-on examples, which we featured in this overview.

1. Dark mode is finally here

Animators have been asking for this for a while, and we knew it mattered. Long sessions on brightly lit interfaces aren't ideal when you're working in a dark studio or switching with other tools that already use dark themes. The Xsens Animate 2025 includes a new dark mode that looks great, reduces eye strain, and helps the whole experience feel more cohesive with the rest of a professional animation pipeline.

2. Colored backgrounds in animation

You can now customize the background color of the 3D viewport in Xsens Animate. Whether you’re optimizing for chroma keying, working with specific lighting setups, or just prefer a certain contrast, this feature gives you full control. Choose from preset colors or define your own to improve visibility, reduce eye strain, or better suit your production pipeline. It’s especially useful when working with green screen environments or checking fine animation details against contrasting tones.

3. A smarter spine model

We’ve completely rebuilt the spine model to better reflect real human movement. In the animation world, it’s difficult to achieve fluid movement, and a lot of its motion comes across as unnaturally stiff. But we created a smoother motion engine, better articulation, and fewer weird wobbles or unnatural transitions. It’s especially noticeable in subtle performances like breathing or leaning. 

4. Male and female body models

This one’s been a long time coming. Now we can choose between male and female anatomical models, alongside the legacy avatar, to better match the performer or subject. These upgrades better represent the center of mass, hip and shoulder width, and limb length between males and females. That means improved accuracy, more realistic motion, and less retargeting guesswork later on.

5. A cleaner UI

Everything in Xsens Animate 2025 is laid out more clearly than it was before. Tools are grouped logically, the interface responds faster, and users can get things done with fewer clicks. Whether that’s calibrating a suit or exporting a take, it just feels more intuitive.

6. Auto Sensor Mapping

We introduced Auto Sensor Mapping as an early feature for Awinda systems, and it's already receiving high praise. The function enables any of the 17 trackers to be placed on any body segment, with the hardware automatically detecting its location. This is especially valuable during high-speed shoots where fast setup is essential.

7. Spatial drift compensation

If you’ve ever done a long take and watched your character slowly drift off into space, you’ll appreciate this. Xsens Animate now includes better compensation for spatial drift, thanks to HTC Vive Mars integration. It quietly corrects those little errors that add up over time, keeping performances grounded and clean even during extended sessions. But we’re not stopping there – more 3D positional aid features are coming soon.

Xsens Animate 2025 isn’t just a minor update. It’s a smarter, more refined platform that makes mocap faster and more accurate from start to finish. From dark mode and colored backgrounds for chroma keying to segmentation mapping, every feature is built to solve real-world challenges we’ve run into on set or in post.

Find out more about Xsens Animate 2025