Unable to build AnimationClip at runtime

Unity Engine
1

I need to be able to dynamically build usable AnimationClips at runtime based on data that’s unknown at build time. I’m currently using Version 5.2.4.

using UnityEngine;
using UnityEngine.Experimental.Director;
public class PivotController : MonoBehaviour {
    void Start () {
        var posxKeys = new Keyframe[3];
        posxKeys[0] = new Keyframe( 0.0f, 0.0f);
        posxKeys[1] = new Keyframe( 4.0f, 1.0f);
        posxKeys[2] = new Keyframe( 8.0f, 0.0f);
        var curve = new AnimationCurve(posxKeys);

        var clip = new AnimationClip() { legacy = false };
        clip.SetCurve("", typeof(Transform), "localPosition.x", curve);

        Animator animator = gameObject.AddComponent<Animator>();
        var mixer = new AnimationMixerPlayable();
        mixer.AddInput(new AnimationClipPlayable(clip));
        animator.Play(mixer);
    }
}

This controller works when applied to a gameObject and run in the editor. The same code fails when compiled and executed, with the following error -

“Can’t use AnimationClip::SetCurve at Runtime on non Legacy AnimationClips”

If I set legacy = true the error messages go away, but the animation then fails in both Editor and Runtime.

There has to be some way of doing this in a stand alone executable. In a somewhat related issue, there also seems to no way of creating a looping clip at runtime (clip.wrapMode = WrapMode.Loop doesn’t do it). As near as I can tell the only way to do this is to serialize the Animation clip, modify the property, and reapply - which is not an option outside of the Editor. Why are there no dynamic runtime options available?

2

Its currently not possible to create Animation at runtime ( unless using Legacy )

We are working on adding that soon.

3

I’m willing to live with Legacy animationClips for the time being, but I don’t seem to be able to make that work either.

What would I have to add to the above sample (besides legacy = true) in order to get it to work?

4

Ok - fixed it. I was attempting to use the Animator component to play a legacy clip. If I use the Animation component instead then this sample works at Runtime. Thanks.

Animation animation = gameObject.AddComponent();
animation.AddClip(clip, “test”);
animation.Play(“test”);

2 Likes
5

Cool, do you know when we will be able to do it? I’m currently able to create animations at runtime in the editor

6

I am also waiting on this! I believe its been a couple of years haha

7

@deus0 It’s work now. You just have to set your animationClip legacy to true before call the setCurve function

AnimationClip animClip = new AnimationClip();
animClip.legacy = true;
animClip.SetCurve("", typeof(), $"{nameof()}", YourAnimationCurve);
1 Like
8

Hello! When is this supposed to happen? Because I do really need this feature! Thanks

2 Likes
9

Ditto - can someone from unity explain the limiting factor please ? It seems like the sort of thing that isnt depending on specific hardware acceleration etc. Is it a licensing issue ?

1 Like
10

This is doubly important given
a) how much Unity has been hyping Timeline as being the way to manage animations and
b) the fact that Timeline doesn’t support legacy animations at all (it rejects the clips on the standard animation tracks)

I have a set of custom timeline playable assets that except for this would be able to runtime generate the animations I need, but because of this seemingly arbitrary limitation it’s all unusable.

1 Like
11

This is something that I really need. I can’t believe that coming soon is now 4 years ago. When exactly is soon?

12

We are working on adding that soon.???

Ok… I am still waiting.

3 Likes
13

more than 5 years is soon for Unity apparently

14

This feature is REALLY needed! Does someone know a workaround for this, besides writing some sort of manual transform manipulation from scratch…

2 Likes
15

@pierrepaul any update?

16

Any updates on this? This issue has been open now for almost 6 years.

1 Like
17

The unity dev that responded to this back in 2016 hasn’t posted on the forums since 2019 so probably doesn’t even work there anymore. I seriously doubt this is even on their radar.

18

Can’t use AnimationClip::SetCurve at Runtime on non-legacy AnimationClips

_JS_Log_Dump @ Build.framework.js:2.
How long we have to wait for?

2 Likes
19

Unity: Soon™ we will implement this very important feature, but we think acquiring 100 companies first is more important…

20

In 2022, you can only create legacy animation at runtime with Unity, what a time to be alive!

3 Likes