play multiple animations on one object

How do I play multiple animations on one Object? I am trying to set up a system where I have the ability to play multiple animations on one object depending on which button has been pressed. I have a set of UI buttons. When clicked, each button triggers an animation on the same object. The issue is I am not sure how to do this efficiently. So far I have just duplicated the object and added each animation to the duplicated object. There must be a better way.

 

Using mecanim - set up a state machine that includes all the animations. Then create the condition for each animation to play. If you don't need transitions and 'character' type features - consider the legacy system.
Check the animation learn section for direction on mecanim and legacy animation systems.

 

Ok, thanks for the reply. I will have a look at the animation learn section.

 

This also exists - but I've not used it before - might be something else to look into.

 

I've got the hang of using mecanim but I can always refer to this as a backup.