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3D Object Animations

3D Object Animations affect world-space objects, meshes, and props — used for cinematic object motion and gameplay feedback.

Overview​

Purpose: Animate 3D objects in world space

Common Use Cases:

  • Object Movement: Smooth position changes
  • Rotation Effects: Spinning and rotating objects
  • Scale Effects: Growth and shrink animations
  • Path Following: Objects following curves
  • Physics-Based: Gravity, forces, physics interactions
  • Procedural: Continuous looping effects

Animation Types​

Transform Animations​

  • Move 3D — Move in world space
  • Move Local 3D — Move in local space
  • Rotate 3D — Rotate in world space
  • Rotate Local 3D — Rotate in local space
  • Scale Local 3D — Scale transformation

Advanced Animations​

  • Move Path — Follow curved path
  • Rotate To — Rotate to target rotation
  • Look At Target — Look at target object
  • Jump — Jump motion
  • Teleport — Instant position change
  • Orbit Around — Orbit around point
  • Pivot Shift — Pivot point movement

Physics-Based Animations​

  • Bounce 3D — 3D bounce effect
  • Hover Oscillate — Hovering oscillation
  • Spin Loop — Continuous spinning
  • Wiggle Transform — Random wiggle
  • Drift — Drifting motion

Spring Animations​

  • Spring Follow — Spring-follow motion
  • Overshoot Move — Overshoot movement
  • Elastic Scale 3D — Elastic scale in 3D
  • Spring Position — Spring-based position

Simulation Animations​

  • Pendulum — Pendulum physics
  • Magnetic Attraction — Magnetic pull effect
  • Buoyancy — Buoyancy simulation
  • Vortex — Vortex motion
  • Gravity Well — Gravity well effect
  • Companion Follow — Companion following
  • Damped Rotate — Damped rotation
  • Gravity Drop 3D — Gravity-based drop
  • Float Rise — Floating rise motion
  • Spin Bounce — Spinning bounce
  • Velocity Move — Velocity-based movement
  • Inertia Translate — Inertia translation

Procedural Animations​

  • Loop Bounce — Looping bounce
  • Loop Pulse Scale — Looping pulse scale
  • Loop Orbit — Continuous orbit
  • Loop Sway — Continuous sway
  • Loop Wobble — Continuous wobble
  • Loop Look At Target — Continuous look-at
  • Loop Wiggle — Continuous wiggle

Common Parameters​

  • Duration: 0.5–3.0s typical (quick moves: 0.3–1.0s, cinematic: 2.0–5.0s)
  • Easing: EaseInOutCubic for smooth motion, EaseOutBounce for bouncy effects
  • Loop Type: None (one-time), Loop for continuous effects (Spin, Orbit, Sway)

Performance Notes​

  • Use local-space transforms (Move Local 3D, Rotate Local 3D) for UI and character-attached elements to avoid costly world matrix updates
  • Prefer world-space transforms only when needed for absolute positioning

Best Practices​

  • Combine Rotate Local 3D + Scale Local 3D using parallel chaining for dynamic object reveals
  • Use local-space transforms for better performance
  • Use procedural animations for continuous ambient effects

Next: Camera Animations