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Home > Game Development > Graphics Programming > Unity 5.x Animation Cookbook
Unity 5.x Animation Cookbook
Unity 5.x Animation Cookbook

Unity 5.x Animation Cookbook: An advanced solution to all your Animation problems

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Unity 5.x Animation Cookbook

Working with the Animation View

This chapter explains the Animation View, which is an essential tool in Unity's animation workflow, and the following topics are covered in this chapter:

  • Using the Animation View to create a flickering light
  • Blending light colors with the Animation View and the Animator Controller
  • Animating object's world position - creating a moving platform
  • Animating object's local position - creating automatic doors
  • Using the Hierarchy to animate local rotation - creating an orbiting planet
  • Animating triggers - creating a death trap
  • Creating an elevator triggered by player input

Introduction

In the first chapter, we imported animations from external 3D packages to Unity. Now we will learn how to use Unity's powerful built-in tool called the Animation View. It allows us to animate almost everything within the editor and can be used to create interesting gameplay mechanisms. Knowledge of this tool is essential to learn future recipes as we will use Animation View a lot.

Using the Animation View to create a flickering light

This first recipe shows how to make a basic animation inside Unity. We will animate a light-intensity value to create an interesting flickering light effect, which is often found in horror or sci-fi games.

Getting ready

Before we start, you need to have a scene with geometry and at least one light. You can also download the example provided; open the project in Unity and go to the folder Chapter 02 Working with the animation view\Recipe 01 Using the animation view to create a flickering light. You will find a scene called Example.unity there, with a point light that has already been animated.

...

Blending light colors with the Animation View and the Animator Controller

This recipe shows how to use Animation Controllers with the clips created in Animation View.

Getting ready

We will animate the light color in this example. You need to have a scene with at least one light and a mesh to see the effect. You can also download the provided example Unity project and go to the Chapter 02 Working with the animation view\Recipe 02 Using the animation view and the animator controller to blend light colors directory. You will find a scene called Example.unity there, with a direction light that has already been animated. In this example, we also animate the background color of the camera (the camera is a child object...

Animating an object's world position - creating a moving platform

In this recipe, we will create a very common gameplay mechanism: a moving platform. We will use a Rigid body for our character and an animated, kinematic Rigid body for the platform.

Getting ready

Before we start, you should have a scene with your character and a platform you want to animate. You can use the example project; go to the Chapter 02 Working with the animation view\Recipe 03 Animating objects world position - creating a moving platform directory. There is a scene called Example.unity there. If you open it, you will find a Sheep character in the Hierarchy. This is our character, using the Rigidbody component and...

Animating object's local position - creating automatic doors

In this recipe, we will learn how to animate an object's local position to be able to use the same animated object in multiple locations in the scene. We will create another common gameplay mechanism, automatic door, as an example.

Getting ready

To make an animated door, you should have two objects ready: the Door Frame and the Door. The Door should be a child of the Frame in the Hierarchy. It should be placed in the closed position. We assume that our Door will slide upward when opening. You should also have a player character with the Player tag assigned. The character should use a Rigidbody component to move or have...

Using the Hierarchy to animate local rotation - creating an orbiting planet

In this recipe, we will explore local transform animations further. We will use the Hierarchy and create smart parent-child relationships between our game objects to make an interesting effect of orbiting planets. Learning how to animate an object's local position and rotation and use the Hierarchy to our advantage is key to getting the most of Unity's animation system.

Getting ready

Before we start, you need to prepare at least two objects to animate. We are using planets in this example. You can also use the example Unity project provided and go to the Chapter 02 Working with the animation view\Recipe 05 Using the hierarchy to animate...

Introduction

In the first chapter, we imported animations from external 3D packages to Unity. Now we will learn how to use Unity's powerful built-in tool called the Animation View. It allows us to animate almost everything within the editor and can be used to create interesting gameplay mechanisms. Knowledge of this tool is essential to learn future recipes as we will use Animation View a lot.

Using the Animation View to create a flickering light

This first recipe shows how to make a basic animation inside Unity. We will animate a light-intensity value to create an interesting flickering light effect, which is often found in horror or sci-fi games.

Getting ready

Before we start, you need to have a scene with geometry and at least one light. You can also download the example provided; open the project in Unity and go to the folder Chapter 02 Working with the animation view\Recipe 01 Using the animation view to create a flickering light. You will find a scene called Example.unity there, with a point light that has already been animated.

How to do it...

To use the Animation View and create a flickering light, follow these steps:

  1. Open the scene and select a light you want to animate.
  2. With the light selected, go to Window | Animation. The Animation View will open.
  3. To create a new animation, click on the Create button, as shown in the following screenshot:

  1. A Create New Animation Clip will appear...
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Key benefits

  • A straightforward and easy-to-follow format.
  • A selection of the most important tasks
  • and problems.
  • Carefully organized instructions to solve problems efficiently.
  • Clear explanations of what you did.
  • Solutions that can be applied to solve
  • real-world problems.

Description

This recipe-based practical guide will show you how to unleash the power of animation in Unity 5.x and make your games visually impeccable. Our primary focus is on showing you tools and techniques to animate not only humanoid biped characters, but also other elements. This includes non-humanoid character animation, game world creation, UI element animation, and other key features such as opening doors, changing lights, transitioning to different scenes, using physics, setting up ragdolls, creating destructible objects and more. While discussing these topics, the book will focus on mecanim, the Unity 3D animation tool, and how you can use it to perform all these tasks efficiently and quickly. It contains a downloadable Unity project with interactive examples for all the recipes. By the end of this book, you will be confident and self-sufficient in animating your Unity 3D games efficiently.

Who is this book for?

This book is for Unity developers who have some exposure to Unity game development who want to learn the nuances of animation in Unity. Previous knowledge of animation techniques and mecanim is not necessary.

What you will learn

  • Importing animations to Unity
  • Work with different animation assets
  • and components
  • Create, visualize, and edit animated creatures
  • Animating game cut scenes
  • Design character actions and expressions
  • Create gameplay by animating characters and environments
  • Use animations to drive in-game logic

Product Details

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Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : May 27, 2016
Length: 328 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781785883910
Vendor :
Unity Technologies
Category :
Game Development
Languages :
C#
Concepts :
Graphics Programming
Tools :
Unity

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Product Details

Publication date : May 27, 2016
Length: 328 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781785883910
Vendor :
Unity Technologies
Category :
Game Development
Languages :
C#
Concepts :
Graphics Programming
Tools :
Unity

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Table of Contents

10 Chapters
Working with Animations Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Working with Animations
Introduction
Importing skeletal animations
Configuring generic and humanoid rigs
Creating and assigning an Animator Controller
Creating animation transitions in Animator Controller
Using parameters to control the animation flow
Using animations from multiple assets
Looping, mirroring and offsetting the animations
Adjusting the playback speed of animations
Using override animator controllers to animate different types of characters
Importing object animation from a 3D package
Working with the Animation View Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Working with the Animation View
Introduction
Using the Animation View to create a flickering light
Blending light colors with the Animation View and the Animator Controller
Animating an object's world position - creating a moving platform
Animating object's local position - creating automatic doors
Using the Hierarchy to animate local rotation - creating an orbiting planet
Animating triggers - creating a death trap
Creating an elevator triggered by player input
2D and User Interface Animation Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2D and User Interface Animation
Introduction
Exporting a 2D sprite animation from a 3D package
Creating a frame-by-frame sprite animation with the Animation View
Creating a 2D sprite doll animation with the Animation View
Using the Animator Controller to play sprite animations
Creating a fade out - fade in transition with the Animation View
Creating a swipe transition with the Animation View
Using filled images for creating animated progress bars
Using Mecanim states for animating UI button states
Character Movement Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Character Movement
Introduction
Using Blend Trees to blend walk and run animations
Using root motion to drive Rigid Body characters' movement with animations
Using root motion to steer a character
Using animations for better looking transitions
Using root motion for a 180 degrees turn
Making a character jump with 3-phase animation
Using root motion to drive a NavMesh Agents' movement with animations
Using triggers to grab an edge while jumping
Changing the character's collision while crouching
Adding animation to off-mesh links
Using root motion for climbing
Using root motion to create flying characters
Character Actions and Expressions Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Character Actions and Expressions
Introduction
Creating an appear or a disappear animation
Creating background characters and critters with animation-driven behavior
Using Blend Trees to create randomized actions
Using Quaternion.LookRotation() and Animator.SetLookAtPosition() methods to make characters follow an object with their gaze
Action Points - performing an action in a specified spot
Synchronizing an animation with objects in the scene
Using IK for interacting with scene objects
Animating facial expressions with Blend Shapes
Handling Combat Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Handling Combat
Introduction
Using Sub-State Machines in Animator Controller
Using Animation Events to trigger script functions
Using transitions from Any State to play hit reactions
Using root motion to create a dodge move
Checking what Animator state is currently active to disable or enable player actions
Using Animation Events to draw a weapon
Using Avatar Masks and animator controller layers to walk and aim
Using the LookAt() method to aim
Using Blend Trees to aim
Detecting the hit location on a character
Special Effects Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Special Effects
Introduction
Using Animation Events to trigger sound and visual effects
Creating camera shakes with the Animation View and the Animator Controller
Using the Animation View to animate public script variables
Using additive Mecanim layers to add extra motion to a character
Using Blend Shapes to morph an object into another one
Using wind emitters to create motion for foliage and particle systems
Using sprite sheets to animate particles
Animating properties of a particle system with the Animation View
Using waveform of a sound clip to animate objects in the scene
Creating a day and night cycle with the Animation View
Animating Cutscenes Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Animating Cutscenes
Introduction
Using the Animation View to animate the camera
Changing cameras with animation
Synchronizing animation of multiple objects
Importing a whole cutscene from a 3D package
Synchronizing subtitles
Using root motion to play cutscenes in gameplay
Physics and Animations Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Physics and Animations
Introduction
Using cloth
Using rigid body joints
Destructible objects
Creating a humanoid ragdoll with the ragdoll wizard
Creating a generic ragdoll with character joints
Applying force to a ragdoll
Dismemberment
Getting up from a ragdoll
Miscellaneous Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Miscellaneous
Introduction
Using math to animate an object
Using the Lerp() function to animate an object
Using the Rotate() function to animate an object
Preparing motion capture files for humanoid characters
Adding behaviors to Mecanim states

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Customer reviews

Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Empty star icon 4
(4 Ratings)
5 star 75%
4 star 0%
3 star 0%
2 star 0%
1 star 25%
Ali Apr 15, 2017
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
True to what it says on the cover. Basically this is the missing manual that Unity should have provided. All the practical details that you need to get your animations going.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
M. Fischer Jun 02, 2017
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
There is some documentation out there on mecanim and the animation tools, BUT most of them seem to be missing so many things compared to this book.And as an already davanced unity useryou search for indepth information and you can't find it on youTube or in the Unity documentaion..This book finally has it !!!!!!!It explains you the basics very well as well as things that will make your work faster and easier.Always showing it on practical exampels or recepies ;)Totally can suggest this book to every animator that also integrates their animations into unityI simply can say - buy it and have _so_ much more fun with the animation tools in Unity.- Animator Override Controller- UI Graphics and mecanim usage- Rigid Body character movement- A lot about controlling the charatcers root motion- many exampels for using triggers- and sooo much more
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Mohan Krishna Dec 15, 2016
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Lots of information in the book it's use full for beginners like me
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Carlo R. Montoya Jun 25, 2017
Full star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon Empty star icon 1
I'm using Unity 5.5.0f3 and I gave up after reaching Recipe 03 in Chapter 1. I'm sure these worked in the Unity version the author used but there are just too many errors in the new version to disrupt learning. It would be better if the content is online and updated to sync with Unity's latest version.Good thing I ordered a Kindle version and 'returned' it for a refund.This review is not about the author but rather the sad fact that Unity's engine changes so fast that code written a year ago is not guaranteed to work smoothly today.If you're using the same version the author used, I'm sure you'd have a smoother time learning about Unity animation. In my case, I have to look elsewhere.
Amazon Verified review Amazon

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Early Access is a way of us getting our content to you quicker, but the method of buying the Early Access course is still the same. Just find the course you want to buy, go through the check-out steps, and you’ll get a confirmation email from us with information and a link to the relevant Early Access courses.

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Keeping up to date with the latest technology is difficult; new versions, new frameworks, new techniques. This feature gives you a head-start to our content, as it's being created. With Early Access you'll receive each chapter as it's written, and get regular updates throughout the product's development, as well as the final course as soon as it's ready.We created Early Access as a means of giving you the information you need, as soon as it's available. As we go through the process of developing a course, 99% of it can be ready but we can't publish until that last 1% falls in to place. Early Access helps to unlock the potential of our content early, to help you start your learning when you need it most. You not only get access to every chapter as it's delivered, edited, and updated, but you'll also get the finalized, DRM-free product to download in any format you want when it's published. As a member of Packt, you'll also be eligible for our exclusive offers, including a free course every day, and discounts on new and popular titles.