Steps - rmfandyplayz/UnityUIAnimationTools GitHub Wiki

An animation is a list of steps. Each step changes one thing on one object: fades it, moves it, plays a sound, and so on. Pick a Type and the Inspector shows only the fields that type uses.

Step types

Type What it does
Moving and sizing
Anchored Position Moves a UI element. The usual way to slide something in or out.
Local Position Moves an object by its plain Transform position. Use Anchored Position for UI unless you have a reason not to.
Rotation Turns it. On UI, only use Z, since X and Y tip a flat element over in 3D.
Scale Grows or shrinks it. 1 is normal size.
Size Delta, Offset Min, Offset Max Resize a UI element in different ways. See Sizing a RectTransform.
Punch and shake
Punch Anchored Position, Punch Rotation, Punch Scale A quick jolt that springs back. See Punch and Shake.
Shake Anchored Position, Shake Rotation, Shake Scale A random wobble that settles back.
Colour and fading
Canvas Group Alpha Fades a Canvas Group: a whole panel, children included.
Graphic Alpha Fades one Image, RawImage or text (TextMeshPro included).
Graphic Color Tints one Image, RawImage or text.
Shaders
Material Float, Material Color Animates a value on the element's shader, e.g. a transition's _Progress. See Material and Shader Properties.
Other
Set Active Turns an object on or off at a moment in the animation.
Play Sound Plays a sound at a moment in the animation. See Sound.
Custom Property Animates a number, colour or text on any script: a score counter, typewriter text, a slider. See Custom Property.

Set Active and Play Sound are instant: they happen at one moment rather than over time, so they have a Delay but no Duration or Ease.

The moving and sizing steps (apart from Rotation) can also travel along a curve instead of a straight line. See Movement Paths.

Timing

Every step has three timing fields:

  • Start: click the button to switch it.
    • AFTER PREVIOUS: waits for everything above it to finish, then starts.
    • WITH PREVIOUS: starts at the same time as the step above it.
  • Duration: how long the step takes, in seconds.
  • Delay: extra wait before this step starts. Works with both Start options.

So the list reads top to bottom like a timeline:

AFTER  Fade in the panel      0.25s
WITH   Grow the panel         0.25s    ← same time as the fade
AFTER  Slide in the title     0.3s     ← once both are done
WITH   Fade in the title      0.3s     ← same time as the slide
WITH   Fade in the button     0.3s  delay 0.1   ← a moment after the title

A step marked WITH PREVIOUS joins the group above it. Stagger items in a group with small delays (0, 0.05, 0.1…) for a cascade.

Reading a step header

Collapsed, each step reads like a line of a timeline:

AFTER   Logo (Scale)   0.25s   Out Back

That's: when it starts, the object it drives, the property in brackets, the duration, and the ease.

  • [self] means the player's own object.
  • A long Target Path is shortened from the front (…/HoverHighlight), since the end of a path names the object. Hover a shortened header for the full text.
  • A ⚠ at the end means the step won't do anything as it stands. Open it for the reason. See Warnings and Common Issues.

Adding steps quickly

Once a list has one step, + copies the last step instead of adding a blank one, which is usually what you want. To put a step in the middle of a list, right-click a step's header and use Paste Step Above / Below. See Copy and Paste.

Animation settings

Below the steps, each animation has a few settings of its own:

Setting What it does
Loops How many times the whole animation plays. 1 = once (normal), 2 = twice, -1 = forever until stopped.
Loop Type Only matters when Loops isn't 1. Restart jumps back to the start each time. Yoyo plays forwards, then backwards, then forwards. Incremental repeats the same change again and again, so a move of +50 keeps going: 50, 100, 150.
Play At Custom FPS A stop-motion look. See Stylised Motion.
Snapping Pixel-perfect movement. See Stylised Motion.
Apply From Values Immediately See From and To. Leave it on.
Interrupt Others Whether playing this stops the player's other animations, and how. See Interrupting and Chaining.
On Complete Runs when the animation finishes on its own. Not when it's interrupted or stopped.
Notes A text box for yourself: what this animates, what plays it, why that odd delay is there. Nothing reads it.

Player settings

At the top of the UI Animation Player itself:

Setting What it does
Use Unscaled Time On by default. Keeps UI animating while the game is paused (Time.timeScale = 0). Leave it on for pause menus.
Kill On Disable On by default. Turning the object off stops its animations, and their On Complete doesn't fire.
Shared Anim. Asset Optional. A shared library of animations. See Animation Sets.
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