Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Extending the animation control
In the previous recipe, we built the basics for an animation by managing the
Control
class. This would be fine for many types of games, but for a game where a character is in
focus, let's say an FPS, we would want a more detailed control. This is where the concept
of
AnimChannel
comes in handy.
AnimChannel
is a way of dividing a skeleton into
different groups of bones and applying an animation only to them. As we will find out in
this recipe, this means we can have different animations playing on different parts of the
body at the same time.
Tip
Applying animations only to certain channels can help reduce the workload tremendously
for a character-focused game. Let's say we're making an FPS or RPG where the character
can wield a number of different items and weapons, both one- and two-handed. Making
full-body animations for all the combinations, including standing, walking, running, and
more, is not feasible. If instead, you are able to apply the weapon animation only to the up-
per body and a walk animation to the lower body, you get a lot more freedom.
This recipe will also describe some other tricks that might help in developing the game.
