Why doesn't my CinemachineStateDrivenCamera change vcams when the animator state changes?

Animated Target must point at the right Animator. Instructions list maps state name (or hash) to a child vcam. Confirm both: Animated Target set, States list populated with matching names, and the player's animator currently in that state.

Cinemachine accepts state name; internally hashes for comparison. Spelling must match exactly. If you renamed an animator state, update the StateDrivenCamera mapping.

Layered animator support?

Layer Index field on the StateDrivenCamera. Default 0. If you drive state on layer 1, set Layer Index = 1 to read that layer's state.

Fix: Unity Cinemachine State-Driven Camera Not Switching

Quick answer: Set Animated Target to the actual Animator. Populate States list with exact state name → child vcam mappings. For non-base layers, set Layer Index. Default vcam handles unmapped states.

Animator switches Idle → Combat. CinemachineStateDrivenCamera should swap to the combat vcam — doesn’t. Instructions list missing the Combat state.

The Symptom

Animator state changes; camera stays on previous vcam. Default child vcam continues to be used.

The Fix

CinemachineStateDrivenCamera:
  Animated Target:    PlayerCharacter (Animator)
  Layer Index:        0
  Default Target:     vcam_idle

  States:
    + State: Idle      VirtualCamera: vcam_idle
    + State: Combat    VirtualCamera: vcam_combat
    + State: Cinematic VirtualCamera: vcam_cinematic

Each child vcam under the StateDrivenCamera is selectable in the VirtualCamera column. Spelling matches Animator state names exactly.

Verifying

Trigger an animator state change. Camera should swap. CinemachineBrain inspector shows the active vcam.

“Animated Target. State map. Layer index. Camera follows animator.”

Related Issues

For Cinemachine vcam priority tie, see priority tie. For Cinemachine Recompose extension, see Recompose.

Map states. Camera follows.