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Basic Animations
This tutorial contains a brief and simple overview, of unit animations both through triggers and the object editor, as well as their uses.
Common Ability/Animation Strings
Common Animation Strings Include:
- walk
- attack
- morph
- morph alternate
- defend
- birth
- death
- spell
- decay
- dissipate (hero only)
Modifiers:
- fast (walk)
- swim(walk/stand)
- throw (spell)
- slam (attack/spell)
- channel (stand)
- work (stand)
- spin (attack walk)
- hit (stand)
- ready (stand)
- lumber (attack, stand, walk)
- gold (attack, stand, walk)
- flesh (decay)
- bone (decay)
To these when you cast an ability, is very simple. For an example I'll look at the Human > Mountain King > Storm Bot
You'll notice near the top that it says, Art > Animation Names > spell, throw.
If you open up the value, you'll find that it shows two separate strings, 'spell' and 'throw'. The first string ('spell'), assigns at least part of the animation. If you were to delete 'throw' it would play the mountain kings spell animation. Since 'throw' is there, it, in effect, modifies the 'spell' and makes the mountain king play his "spell throw" animation instead.
Now, I have a problem for you: What would you do to play the Tauren Warchiefs "slam" animation?
Built in Unit Animations
When you select a unit, under its art there area a few animation related things. These are:
- Blend Time - The time that it takes the unit to switch betweem two animations. ie: A Footman is walking around, and is then ordered to attack an adjacent unit. Since his Blend Time is 0.15 seconds, it will wait that time before starting the other animation.
- Cast Backswing - Cast Backswing is the point at which the unit will start its animation , before casting an ability. For example: A priest is casting Heal. Before he does so, he will play an animation, like swinging back his staff or lifting his hands.
- Cast Point - Is the point in its cast animation that a unit will start the effect. If a sorceress is casting slow, she'll wait until .450 until the effect starts.
- Run Speed - The speed at which the animation is played. For units, which you want to appear to be traveling fast (High MS values) you should input a higher value here as well.
- Walk Speed - See Run Speed.
Now for the combat animations: These can be found under Combat, near the top of the list.
- Animation Backswing Point - This is the same as "Cast Backswing", seen above.
- Animation Damage Point - The point into the animation at which damage is dealt. Same as "Cast Point", also seen above.
Triggered Animations
Triggering Animations, can be very useful for spell making, cinematics and many visual displays. Some of the most basic commands are:
-
Basic Actions
-
Animation - Play No unit's stand animation
-
Animation - Play No unit's stand animation, using only Common animations
-
Animation - Queue No unit's stand animation
-
Animation - Reset No unit's animation
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- The unit animation is selected using the same method (mentioned earlier in the tutorial) as common animation strings, and abilities.
- The selected unit could be: A unit from a unit group (picked unit), a specific variable (<YourUnit>), or an event trigger (ie: Triggering Unit).
The commands:
- Animation - Play No unit's attack animation - forces the play of an animation. Plays it only once.
- Animation - Play No unit's stand animation, using only Common animations - Stops it from playing strange animations (ie: Skeletal "Leg Wobble" walk animation. Useful in cinematics.
- Animation - Queue No unit's stand animation - This will play the animation after, the current animation has been completed.
- Animation - Reset No unit's animation - Resets the current animation to the action that the unit is undertaking.
Pyrogasm - For miscellaneous help, review, and inspiration.
Rao Dao Zao - for "Blend Time" explanation
Donut3.5 - additional animation tags
Just_Spectating - additional animation tags
DevineArmy - additional animation tags
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