Animation 3D Component

The Animation3D class in Evergine is a specialized component that facilitates the control and management of animations for 3D models. This class is essential for working with animated 3D characters, objects, or environments, allowing for smooth playback, looping, and synchronization of animations. Let's explore the core features and usage of the Animation3D class based on its structure and common use cases.

Properties

This component is created automatically when we instantiate a model that contains animations. It will be in the root entity. In addition, we can create our own component just knowing the following properties:

Property	Description
Clip	(Only Getter) Gets the current AnimationBlendClip in play.
AnimationLayers	(Only Getter) Gets all the registered layers of AnimationBlendClip.
BoundingBoxRefreshed	True if the bounding box of the model has been refreshed.
CurrentAnimation	Holds the name of the animation that is currently active.
Loop	Boolean value that determines whether the animation should restart after completion.
PlaybackRate	Controls the speed at which the animation plays.
CurrentAnimationTrack	(Only Getter) Gets the current animation track (from the Model asset) currently active.
AnimationState	The current status of the animation. It can be Stopped and Playing.
Frame	The current frame of the animation in play.
PlayTime	The amount of time since the current animation started playing
StartAnimationTime	The start time (in seconds) of the animation.
EndAnimationTime	The ending time (in seconds) of the animation.
Duration	The duration (in seconds) of the current animation.
PlayAutomatically	When true, the current animation will start playing on the beginning without requiring manual play.
ApplyRootMotion	Boolean that indicates whether the transform offset from the root entity will be applied to this entity.
SmoothTransitions	If true, the transition between 2 AnimationBlendClips will be using a smooth transition, opposed to the linear interpolation by default.

Methods

The following methods allow us to fully control the animation.

Property	Description
PlayAnimation	Starts the playback of an animation. The new animation can be defined by the AnimationTrackClip name from the Model asset, or directly providing the AnimationBlendClip if we want more specific animation, like a blend tree (more information in this section).
StopAnimation	Stops the animation entirely and it keeps there.
ResumeAnimation	Resumes the animation playback from the moment it time it got stopped.

Sample Code

The following code explores some of the methods.

Animation3D  animation3D; // this object can be acquired through [BindComponent] aswell.

// We plays the 'walking' animation, in loop mode, at double speed and transitioning over 1 second.
animation3D.PlayAnimation("walking", loop: true, transitionTime: 1, playbackRate: 2);

// We plays only a window slice of the 'full_track' animation (from seconds 1 to 5), in loop mode.
animation3D.PlayAnimation("full_track", loop: true, startTime: 1, endTime: 5);

// We can also play directly an AnimationBlendClip.
animation3D.PlayAnimation(animationBlendClip);

// Stops the animation.
animation3D.StopAnimation();

Working with Animation node hierarchies

When dealing with skeletal animations, creating a hierarchy of AnimationBlendClips becomes particularly useful. This feature ensures that complex models with multiple moving parts (such as characters with arms, legs, and head movement) behave correctly as the animation plays. Each node in the model’s hierarchy is mapped to a corresponding bone or joint in the animation, ensuring proper deformation and movement of the model. In this article we explain in detail how to create your own animation blend tree.

Conclusions

The Animation3D class in Evergine provides a robust set of tools for controlling 3D model animations. Whether you're developing character animations or animating complex mechanical systems, the class offers essential features such as looping, playback control, and node hierarchy mapping. By mastering these properties and methods, developers can create lifelike and responsive animations that enhance the visual and interactive quality of their projects.