Options on futures can be used in conjunction with trading futures as a hedge or used as the primary instrument to trade the underlying future.
The good part if you're using them (buying) is you don't have to be quite as exact as you would if you were trading the actual future. You do have theta (time decay) working against you, but if you're using them in the day trading or swing trade sense, they can work very well. You're also limited on the downside to only the premium you pay for the option, so the max loss is known.
Selling them is a different story than above, in terms of risk, so be cautious there if you're not experienced.
I am in no way affiliated with Tasty Trade, but they have quite a bit of educational info on trading options futures, so hopefully this will help you gain some knowledge.