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Animator - The Ultimate Timeline Cutscene Editor for Unity

Discussion in 'Assets and Asset Store' started by absameen, May 14, 2012.

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What would you like to see next with Animator?

  1. More Camera Transitions

    35 vote(s)
    24.6%
  2. More Videos / Tutorials

    41 vote(s)
    28.9%
  3. HOTween Support

    34 vote(s)
    23.9%
  4. Unity 4.0 Support

    84 vote(s)
    59.2%
  5. Other / Please Specify

    13 vote(s)
    9.2%
Multiple votes are allowed.
  1. absameen

    absameen

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    Hi,

    Is there any reason you need to rename the AnimatorData GameObject? The reason it's fixed is so the built-in player can find the GameObject by searching for it by name.

    Edit: As of v1.26, subfolder support has been added.

    Thank you for the suggestions. Please don't hesitate to contact us again if you have anymore feedback.
     
    Last edited: Aug 23, 2012
  2. imtrobin

    imtrobin

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    Because I'm storing it as a prefab so I can rebuild and merge the scene easily, because of unity limitation. So I prefer to name the prefab properly.
     
  3. absameen

    absameen

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    Update - v1.26.1

    • Misc. Improvement: Subfolder Support. The extension can now be placed in Subfolders.
    • Misc. bug fixes.

    Animator is almost ready to leave Beta! I'd like to thank you all for your feedback and support.
     
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2012
  4. Diegoale2000

    Diegoale2000

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    I've been using Animator for a few hours, and I can only say that I am MADLY in love with it.
    thank you so much for the amazing tool!
     
  5. absameen

    absameen

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    Thank you for the great comments!

    To everyone updating to 1.26.1, there seems to be a bug with Unity's Asset Importer. If you are experiencing graphical issues, delete the file Animator/Files/Skins/Skin Blue/am_skin_blue.guiskin and re-import the Asset.
     
    Last edited: Aug 24, 2012
  6. BrUnO-XaVIeR

    BrUnO-XaVIeR

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    Hi. For Unity 4, the way it handles scene and objects now causes crash on the line 6872 in AMTween.cs.
    Consider adding before that line something like if (target == null) {return;}. Cheers
     
  7. absameen

    absameen

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    Edit: As of v1.53, Unity 4.0 support has been added.
     
    Last edited: Oct 29, 2012
  8. KillQ87

    KillQ87

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    Hi, i am currently working on a project using animator timeline, after i prefabbed the AnimatorData and pulled it from the project into the hierarchy, the animation disappears, i noticed that the data is saved in the scene itself and doesn't save in a prefab, is it possible to have the data saved onto the prefab?
     
  9. imtrobin

    imtrobin

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    I'm trying to merge the animations in another scene, and I'm trying out the Import/Export functions. They seem buggy. I'm testing with default logo sample, v 1.26.1

    1. If I have Verify Saving Assets on, Exporting the Take will hang.

    2. After I export to a new .unity file, I try to reimport. There will be 2 takes, Take1 and Take1(1) . If I select the Take1(1) to Play On Start, it will have Out of Range exception. If I select Take1, then it works fine.
     
    Last edited: Aug 29, 2012
  10. absameen

    absameen

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    Hi,

    At the moment, saving the AnimatorData file into a prefab is not supported. However, you will find that the Import / Export Takes feature will do what you need. A take can be exported as a scene with GameObject references intact. The scene can then be moved and imported into different projects. You can also modify the exported scene and then merge it back with the original scene with the import feature.

    Hi imtrobin,


    We are investigating this issue, but it seems to have disappeared after fixing the following bug:


    Edit: As of v1.27, this problem has been fixed.
     
    Last edited: Aug 31, 2012
  11. KillQ87

    KillQ87

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    Hi,

    Importing and Exporting works, but there is a couple of bugs with syncing the "takes" but workable.

    However currently animating, the animation that is being played ingame is actually different from the preview animation in the timeline. Curve interpolation on the translation track seems to bleed into linear interpolation in maximised on play mode.

    Rotation seems to be affect as well.
     
  12. absameen

    absameen

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    Hi again,

    First of all, I'd like to thank you for purchasing Animator. Please bear with us if you find any bugs. The extension is constantly growing and will remain in Beta until we are sure that any bugs have been ironed out.

    Edit: As of v1.27, this problem has been fixed.

    There should be little to no difference between what you preview in the timeline and what you see in-game. Would it be possible for you to provide screenshots or a video of the problem?

    Best regards,
    Abdulla Ameen
     
    Last edited: Aug 31, 2012
  13. LauraSan

    LauraSan

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    Aug 20, 2012
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    Hi,
    I'm having problems with the Animator.Resume(), if I try to resume my paused take, the animation track stop working properly and some keyframe's assigned actions loose their timing or simply don't play again.
    Plus, you could add a boolean that checks if a take is playing or not, I can't find a way to hide my chapter/take buttons without it, it could be something like if (Animator.IsPlaying()) do something.

    Thanks.
     
  14. imtrobin

    imtrobin

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    I want to report, the performance of the Export editor is very slow when the scene is bigger (I have 10 skinned objects + environment ), I think it displays every bone. If you can add a collapse button so it does not open the whole scene items. Even when I try to scroll the list, it takes 10 secs to respond.

    Also, when I import,the import list does not have the hierarchy, this makes it very hard for me to exclude certain objects, especially if there are skinned since I can't tell which bone belongs to which object.
     
  15. absameen

    absameen

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    Hi Laura,

    Edit: As of v1.27, this problem has been fixed.

    Edit: As of v1.27, this feature has been added. Use Animator.isPlaying to check if a take is currently playing.

    Hi imtrobin,

    Edit: As of v1.50, the Export Take window has been improved with increased performance expand / collapse buttons.

    Edit: Unfortunately, due to the limitations of the Unity Editor, there is currently no efficient way to preview a scene's contents before opening it. Hopefully this will change in the future. The best thing to do right now is to select only the GameObjects you need when exporting a take.
     
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2012
  16. absameen

    absameen

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    Update - v1.27

    • Misc. Improvement: Animator Class Properties
      • isPlaying: Returns true if a take is currently playing.
      • nowPlayingTake: Returns the name of the take that is currently playing.
    • Misc. bug fixes.
     
    Last edited: Aug 31, 2012
  17. LauraSan

    LauraSan

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    Hello,

    Unfortunately I've updated your last correction on Animator, but export and import features don't seem to work anymore.
    Besides that the new version doesn't recognize my old "AnimatorData" in the Hierarchy.

    Thanks in advance!
     
  18. absameen

    absameen

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    Hi again,

    I've just tested upgrading the extension to v1.27 and it works fine. What version are you upgrading from? What happens when you launch Animator after the upgrade? Please be cautious as to not accidentally delete the extension before upgrading, as I suspect that might have been the problem.
     
    Last edited: Sep 4, 2012
  19. LauraSan

    LauraSan

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    Sorry for the late Reply,
    I'm upgrading from the v1.26.
    When I upgraded, the Project had two AnimatorData.cs, one in the 'Files' folder and another inside the 'Scripts'. I tried to delete the old one, but the Animator window lost all the contents and was asking to Add Component again, one that didn't contained any of my previous Takes. Deleting the new AnimatorData.cs didn't work too of course, the other scripts couldn't find the new features.
    So I tried to export my old takes and reimport on a upgraded project, but it only imported some empty objects and nothing changed on the timeline.

    Thanks!
     
  20. Samsson

    Samsson

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    Simple question : Why is Animator still in beta ?
     
  21. absameen

    absameen

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    Hi,

    We've done some testing and could not reproduce the problem. However, we'll continue to investigate the issue. It's strange that the AnimatorData file has been moved to the Scripts folder. Moving or deleting the AnimatorData file might result in lost data, so be careful as to not accidentally alter the file.

    To be safe, it would be best to copy code from the Code View. We're working on features that will allow easier management of hard-copy code that should make the next big update.

    Hi,

    Edit: As of v1.50, Animator has left Beta status!
     
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2012
  22. KillQ87

    KillQ87

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    Hi, i am getting errors like this when i copy and paste frames, its stopping me from cutting, copying and pasting frames, its happened a couple of times of out the blue, it can be a little frustrating. Reloading the scene doesn't help either sometimes.


     
    Last edited: Sep 10, 2012
  23. absameen

    absameen

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    Edit: As of v1.50, this issue has been fixed.
     
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2012
  24. LauraSan

    LauraSan

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    Hello!
    I managed to upgrade my project! I believe the problem was the fact that the AnimatorData.cs wasn't on its proper folder. Thank you!
    The isPlaying property works marvelous, but it raised another issue, no mater how short the track is, the bool always consider that the take goes until the frame 1440. Is there some way to mark one specific frame to be the last one of the take?
    The Pause and Resume is working alright, but the Stop doesn't seem to be working alright. If i stop a take, the animation of the Animation Track doesn't stop, and if it is configured to loop, it will go on forever. And the sound track doesn't stop once it already started to play.

    I guess that's all, thanks!
     
  25. absameen

    absameen

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    Hi,

    Yep, actually, it's a good idea to reduce the number of frames to only the amount you need. To do this, click on "Modify" next to the take settings and enter a smaller number for the number of frames.

    Edit: As of v1.50, this problem has been fixed.
     
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2012
  26. starvanger

    starvanger

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    hi abasameen,

    is it possible to get a tryout version of Animator ? I could test other timeline sequencers, so I could judge, if they are interesting or not for me.

    Additional questions:

    Can I build a player with the tool? Means, play, pause and resume button? Can I build a scrubb functionality, means, setting the current time of the scene to any wanted position?

    Do I have access to the source code with a license of your tool?

    I would have prefered to mail directly, but did not find an e-mail adress.

    starry
     
  27. george845b034

    george845b034

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    not support 4 version

    Script 'Animator' has the same name as built-in Unity component.
    AddComponent and GetComponent will not work with this script.
     
  28. absameen

    absameen

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    Hi starry,

    Unfortunately, there is currently no way to demo the extension. However, I'll be posting new videos soon that should give you a better idea if Animator is right for you.

    Edit: As of v1.50, a Play From Frame / Time feature has been added.

    Yes, Animator comes in an uncompiled form. You will be able to view and modify the source code as you see fit.

    Thanks for the questions. Please don't hesitate to contact me again through the forums if you have anymore questions.

    Edit: As of v1.53, Unity 4.0 support has been added.
     
    Last edited: Oct 29, 2012
  29. KillQ87

    KillQ87

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    Hi,

    Halfway through my project, I just noticed my translation paths and "gizmo" nodes have gone missing, animations and translation still functioning, but the lack of the paths and nodes is a big work handicap.
     
  30. absameen

    absameen

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    Hi,

    Try closing and re-opening Animator. If that doesn't do it, restart Unity. If the gizmos still don't appear, please send me an e-mail or PM and I will be happy to further investigate the issue with you.
     
  31. KillQ87

    KillQ87

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    reimporting helped, strange bug.

    Currently facing an issue where after a cutscene is played, the cutscene doesn't play on start when i tried to play the game and cutscene the second time.
     
  32. absameen

    absameen

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    Hi again,

    Edit: As of v1.50, this issue has been fixed.
     
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2012
  33. absameen

    absameen

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    Update - v1.50

    • New Feature: Camera Switcher Track. Add more interest to your cutscenes:
      • Transition between cameras and colors
      • Fully customizable transitions, from Crossfades to Linear Wipes
    • New Feature: Mega-Fiers Support. A quick way to animate Mega-Morph targets:
      • Animate morphs from the timeline
      • Lip-sync to audio
      • Ease between different morph targets
    • New Feature: Export to JSON. A new way to play takes:
      • Select what tracks to export to JSON
      • Keep your code organized with JSON files
      • Parse a JSON String, possibly retrieved from external sources (such as a web server)
    • New Feature: Play From Frame / Time. Play a take from a specific frame or time.
    • Misc. improvements and fixes.

    Documentation is now available to the public, please see the Asset Store link to find the latest documentation. We also have a new Web Player demo up that showcases the new Camera Switcher Track.

    Animator is now officially out of Beta! Special thanks to everyone who supported us through the beta phase and those who provided excellent feedback!
     
    Last edited: Sep 25, 2012
  34. Samsson

    Samsson

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    Support for Unity 4 would be really useful, it doesn't works on the last beta
     
  35. absameen

    absameen

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    Edit: As of v1.53, Unity 4.0 support has been added.

    New Video - Camera Switcher Track
    Transition between cameras and colors with the Camera Switcher Track.

     
    Last edited: Oct 29, 2012
  36. absameen

    absameen

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    New Video - Setting up an Eye Rig
    Setting up an eye rig with the Orientation Track.

     
    Last edited: Sep 28, 2012
  37. absameen

    absameen

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    Due to the success of the previous price point, Animator's price has been permanently reduced to $30. This feature-rich cutscene editor is great value for money for any indie developer!
     
  38. toto2003

    toto2003

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    look like an awesome tool, how difficult would be to get control noise or shacky cam?
     
  39. funasylum

    funasylum

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    hey this tool looks really awesome and totally needed, honestly, as a way to speed up workflow. i have two questions for you-- i saw some mention of c# in one of the forum posts, but i noticed the code in the 'code view' video is in javascript. is there a toggle for switching between js and c#? our whole project is in c# and so i'm reluctant to mix in js.

    secondly, someone already mentioned this, but do you maybe have plans to incorporate some non itween animations? there are many good non-itween interpolating solutions out there.

    reason is that even though itween is super user friendly, we've discovered that its constant instantiating makes it really unworkable for iphone projects. in fact, we've just spent an entire costly month rewriting all our itweens using a different animation class (AnBSoft's EZAnimator that comes with EZGui). Performance improvement has been upwards of 10x on iphone.

    So i guess if Animator only uses itween based tweens this won't work for us. A shame cuz this really looks like an amazing product my team and I could certainly benefit from.

    thank you for your thoughts and what looks like a great tool!
     
  40. toto2003

    toto2003

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    i second funasylum, pleeeease support iphone performance, u can check hotween! this look pretty solid
     
  41. absameen

    absameen

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    Hi, a shaky cam effect shouldn't be difficult to achieve. There are a number of solutions:

    1. Rotate the camera with a Rotation Track
    2. Move the camera's "look target" with an Orientation Track
    3. Modify the camera's field of view with a Property Track
    4. Or write a property with a custom getter / setter method and add it to a Property Track

    For your convenience, I've written a script that will do a pretty good shaky cam effect that you can use. Simply drag the script onto a camera's GameObject, add the GameObject to a Property Track, and modify the property "shakeAmount". Of course, you're free to modify and use this script as you see fit.

    Download link: CameraShake.cs

    Hi,

    Yes, you can toggle between C# and Javascript.

    We have chosen iTween due to its widespread use in the Unity community. However, we are ready to port Animator to another tweening engine if enough users would like that feature.

    Hi, HOTween seems like a good tweening engine and has been recommended by a several of our customers. If enough users want HOTween support, we will have to oblige.

    Thank you all for your comments. Please don't hesitate to contact us again if you have any more feedback or suggestions.
     
    Last edited: Oct 1, 2012
  42. toto2003

    toto2003

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    dude you re just awesome! just bought it, and so far it s very solid, i use 3ds max and motionbuilder on a daily basis and your tool is a breeze
    thanks
     
  43. george845b034

    george845b034

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    switch platform web player problem

    AMCodeView.cs(774,22): error CS0117: `System.IO.File' does not contain a definition for `WriteAllText'
     
  44. KillQ87

    KillQ87

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    The camera/color switcher is pretty sweet. I love the transitions and its really easy to use.

    My current project requires coloured text as narration on black color screen, i am thinking of using NGUI but the black camera will black out the screen so i cannot see the text.

    Secondly is it possible to fade game objects? As a person without much knowledge on scripting i think i would find such a feature useful.
     
  45. absameen

    absameen

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    Hi george,

    I've been trying to reproduce this error without success. Can you please provide more information as to when it occurs? Also, what OS and version of Unity are you running? Thanks.

    Hi KillQ87,

    You would have to add a camera that will render both the GUI and the black background to the Camera Switcher Track. I haven't used NGUI personally, but you could either have a black background drawn in your GUI or place a plane with a black texture behind the GUI.

    The camera transitions use the GUI depth of -9999999. Another solution is to set the depth of your GUI to a lower number, such as -9999999999, to draw it on top of the camera transitions.

    Yes, it is possible to adjust the transparency of a GameObject with the Property Track. For your convenience, I've written a simple script that you can use to modify transparency.

    Simply attach the script to a GameObject, add the GameObject to a Property Track, and set the property to "alpha" under the "ModifyAlpha" component. It should be noted that you should use a shader that supports transparency, such as any of the standard Unity shaders under the Transparent category.

    Download link: ModifyAlpha.cs
     
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2012
  46. bitever

    bitever

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    Hi, I buy the asset today and I think a very useful tool.

    Is there any way to animate in local, in order to benefit the same animation in different positions?

    Thanks!
     
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2012
  47. absameen

    absameen

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    Hi bitever,

    Currently, you can simply offset the code that you copy from the Code View. For example:

    Code (csharp):
    1.  
    2. Vector3 newPosition = new Vector3(30f, 10f, 90f);
    3. Vector3 offset;
    4.  
    5. // Track1 (Translation)
    6. GameObject track2OBJ = GameObject.Find("Main Camera");
    7.  
    8. //track2OBJ.transform.position = new Vector3(0f, 1f, -10f); // Set Initial Position
    9. track2OBJ.transform.position = newPosition; // Set New Initial Position
    10.  
    11. Vector3 oldPosition = new Vector3(0f, 1f, -10f); // Use old initial position
    12. offset = newPosition -  oldPosition ; // Calculate the offset
    13.  
    14. AMTween.MoveTo (track2OBJ, AMTween.Hash ("delay", 0f, "time", 1f, "position", new Vector3(0f, 1f, 12.82622f) + offset /* Add offset */, "easetype", "linear"));
    15.  
    Thanks for the question. If you have anymore feedback or questions, please don't hesitate to contact us again.
     
    Last edited: Oct 5, 2012
  48. topaz1012

    topaz1012

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    Oct 4, 2012
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    I used, how to do transparent material animation in Animator?
     
  49. absameen

    absameen

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    Hi topaz1012,

    Here is a script that you can download: ModifyAlpha.cs

    Drag it onto a GameObject, add the GameObject to a Property Track, and set the property to "alpha" under "ModifyAlpha". You can then add keyframes and modify the alpha value from 0 to 1, where 0 is transparent and 1 is opaque.

    It should be noted that the material has to support transparency. As mentioned above, you can use any built-in Unity shaders from the Transparent category. For example: Transparent/Bumped Diffuse

    Thanks for the question. If you have any more feedback or suggestions, please don't hesitate to contact us again.
     
    Last edited: Oct 4, 2012
  50. EdwinLyons

    EdwinLyons

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    We'd love to be able to have animation takes stored on prefabs - otherwise it's unusable for us. We want to animate some elements of our UIs that live in prefabs. These UIs are used across multiple scenes, so the animator data can't live in the scene.