Animation Control

The Vertex Animation Studio provides helper functions that automatically manage animation modes and provide consistent control whether you’re working with single characters or crowds.

Architecture Overview

The animation system operates through two distinct modes managed by the Animation Mode Manager:

• Single Mode: Direct control of individual animations
• AnimList Mode: List-based animation sequences

Single Animation Mode

Single Mode provides direct, precise control over animations. When you call PlaySingleAnimation, the system:

1. Automatically switches the instances to Single Mode
2. Starts the specified animation immediately
3. Maintains this mode until you call a different animation function

The PlaySingleAnimation function accepts:

• Animation: The specific animation from the VA Asset Collection
• Instance ID / Instance IDs: Single instance or array of instances to affect
• Play Rate: Animation speed multiplier
• Start Position: Where to start in the animation (0-1)
• Blend Duration: Time to blend from current animation
• Loop: Whether to loop the animation
• Reverse: Play the animation backwards
• Override Saved Animation: When true, saves this animation state to the level so it persists across editor sessions and plays automatically on level load

All Available Functions

Core functions available in Single Mode:

• PlaySingleAnimation: Start a specific animation
• StopAnimation: Stop the current animation
• PauseAnimation: Pause/resume playback
• SetAnimationTime: Jump to a specific point
• SetAnimationSpeed: Adjust playback rate
• GetCurrentAnimation: Query what’s playing

Animation List Mode

AnimList Mode enables complex animation behaviors through Animation Lists. When you call PlayAnimationList, the system:

1. Automatically switches the instances to AnimList Mode
2. Activates the specified Animation List
3. The list’s logic takes control of animation playback

The PlayAnimationList function accepts:

• Instance ID / Instance IDs: Single instance or array of instances to affect
• Animation List Index: Which list slot to use in the component (the Animation List object must be pre-configured in the component at this index)
• Override Saved Animation: When true, saves this list assignment to the level so it persists across editor sessions and plays automatically on level load

Direct Mode Object Access

For advanced control, you can get the animation mode object directly and call functions on specific instances:

Getting Mode Objects

Use these functions from the VA Component to access mode objects directly:

• GetAnimationModeObject with VAAnimationMode_Single class - Returns the Single Mode object for direct function calls
• GetAnimationModeObject with VAAnimationMode_AnimList class - Returns the AnimList Mode object for direct function calls
• GetAnimationModeObjectForInstance with an Instance ID - Returns the mode object currently controlling that specific instance

Direct Function Calls

Once you have a mode object, you can call functions directly on specific instances:

Single Mode Functions:

• SetPlayRate: Change animation speed for specific instances
• SetPosition: Jump to specific animation positions
• Pause / Resume: Control playback state per instance
• SetReverse: Change animation direction for instances
• StepForward / StepBackward: Frame-by-frame control

AnimList Mode Functions:

• ChangeInstanceList: Switch instances to different animation lists
• GetInstanceList: Query which list an instance is currently using
• GetInstancesInList: Get all instances using a specific animation list
• GetInstanceListObject: Get the Animation List object for an instance
• GetAnimationListCollection: Access the collection of available animation lists

This approach provides the most granular control over individual instances and their animation behavior.

Events and the Crowd System

The animation system includes a robust event system that’s particularly powerful when used with the Crowd Tools. Events can be broadcast to all instances or specific subsets of your crowd, allowing you to make crowds react dynamically to gameplay events, level changes, or player actions.

Broadcasting Events

For Crowd Systems: Events are broadcast through the AVACrowds parent actor to all crowd instances:

For Non-Crowd Systems: If you’re using VA Mesh Component without the crowd tools, you’ll need to implement your own event system to communicate with your Animation Lists.

Event Handling in Animation Lists

Custom Animation Lists receive events by overriding the CustomAnimationEvent function. Here’s an example:

See Also

• Custom Animation Lists - Create custom animation behaviors
• VA Mesh Component - Single character setup
• VA Instanced Mesh Component - Crowd setup
• Crowd Tools - Placement and management