How to sync ObjectAnimation with AnimatedModel animation?

Hi folks )
I try to figure out with some kind of cutscenes tech
for this reason I create animation in blender for camera movement: targetBone , cameraBone, ect… this all works fine.
also I wrote additional script for export camera specific parameters (shift xy, fov, zoom, clip) from blender into ObjectAnimation.xml file.
the length of both animations(skinned and object) is the same, around 9 sec.

And for now I need to find way to sync both. Actually I want to synchronize object animation into AnimationModel
I mean if Animation model has time is (7.3s) then object animation set the same time.
How this may be done?

Is it possible to add some kind of method - ObjectAnimation->SetParentAnimation( AnimatedModel ) ?

Had to look up the API and the ObjectAnimation simply updates itself forward when set, which isn’t sufficient for scenarios like this. The manual time positioning as in the issue github.com/urho3d/Urho3D/issues/926 shouldn’t be hard to do.

The manual time positioning as in the issue github.com/urho3d/Urho3D/issues/926 shouldn’t be hard to do.
I think the switching ObjectAnimation and ValueAnimation into manual mode time control it’s better then this - ObjectAnimation->SetParentAnimation( AnimatedModel )
because this code do the same sync, but in low-level manner

void HandleUpdate(StringHash eventType, VariantMap& eventData) { using namespace Update; float timeStep = eventData[P_TIMESTEP].GetFloat(); if (am) { animationState->AddTime(timeStep); objectAnimation->SetTime(animationState->GetTime()); } }

and one another question: Is it possible to use ValueAnimation / ObjectAnimation for long time objects animation (10-30 sec) ? if we will be saying in performance terms, it have the same performance as skinned animation ?

updates itself forward when set
I guessing it may do not do this “update forward” if flag manualUpdate_ = true are present.

bool ValueAnimationInfo::Update(float timeStep)
{
  if (!animation_ || !target_)
        return true;

  if (!manualUpdate_)
    currentTime_ += timeStep * speed_;

And in this case OA/VA continue to use currentTime_.
The value currentTime_ we may change manually with - SetTime(float time) as we wish.

Performance per track is roughly similar to skeletal animation, it advances in a list of keyframes and interpolates between the adjacent keyframes. However object animations like camera movement typically has a lot less separate tracks than skeletal animations (which have track per bone, and can have easily e.g. 20+ bones). Have to check the object animation code, if it’s nicely written and caches the last keyframe it has advanced to, animation length shouldn’t be a factor in performance.

Yes, when manual time control is desired it shouldn’t update automatically. I’ll meditate on whether I’ll add SetAutoUpdate(false) or SetManualUpdate(true) but the end result is roughly same.

However object animations like camera movement typically has a lot less separate tracks than skeletal animations
Actually i use skeletal animation for camera movements ) and ObjectAnimation only for camera parameters animation.
That’s why I needed this sync between skinned animation and OA.
I think it more easily for me use bones for camera movement and orientation with cooperate in OA for animate camera parameters.
I just try figure out with cutscenes making, and may be in future I do this in other way.

I also want to mention few things, that i think probably also needed to introduce to engine in future:

[spoiler]1. Introduce supporting for animate RenderPath parameters, with helps OA or VA for animate such things as: tags enabling/disabling, values parameters animation…
2. TimeLine component, for adjusting time of few various animated objects(group) at once.

TimeLine* tm1 = new TimeLine(context_)

AnimationState->SetTimeLine(tm1)
ObjectAnimation->SetTimeLine(tm1)
ValueAnimation->SetTimeLine(tm1)
…
n - animated components

tm1->SetTime(time);
tm1->AddTime(time);
tm1->Pause(true/false);
tm1->PlayingDirection(forward/backward)[/spoiler]

I’ve noticed that object and value animation don’t account for each segment length (distance between 2 keyframes) to adjust a constant speed, so a long segment is super fast to travel and a short segment is slow.

i’m testing my previous stuff for cutscene after this new changes (PR) into master and do not find “fast traveling” effect, I guess it works fine now.
but i’m do just visual compare between in-engine animation and blender viewport animation and it looks at first sight as the same.

or you mean something else ?

Sorry, I simply forgot to ‘time’ my keyframes not evenly, I’m using Inkscape to build my anims.

today I finish to create primitive cutscene.
Basically it based on Hellblade video intro, with few my own changes for simplify, because i’m not very good animator

But actually in this animation I do not use OA or VA yet.
I think it will be second pass with adding - camera specific animation parameters.