Animation events in Unity - Step-by-Step Execution

Concept Flow - Animation events

Start Animation

↓

Animation Playing

↓

Animation Event Triggered?

No→Continue Animation

Yes↓

Call Specified Function

↓

Continue Animation

↓

Animation Ends

Animation plays and checks for events at specific frames; when an event triggers, it calls a function, then continues.

Execution Sample

Unity

void Footstep() {
    Debug.Log("Footstep sound plays");
}

// Animation event calls Footstep() at frame 10

Defines a function Footstep() called by an animation event during playback.

Execution Table

Step	Animation Frame	Event Triggered?	Action	Output
1	1	No	Play animation frame 1	No output
2	5	No	Play animation frame 5	No output
3	10	Yes	Call Footstep()	Logs: Footstep sound plays
4	15	No	Play animation frame 15	No output
5	End	No	Animation ends	Animation stops

💡 Animation reaches end frame, no more events to trigger

Variable Tracker

Variable	Start	After Step 1	After Step 2	After Step 3	After Step 4	Final
Animation Frame	0	1	5	10	15	End
Event Triggered	False	False	False	True	False	False
Output Log	""	""	""	"Footstep sound plays"	"Footstep sound plays"	"Footstep sound plays"

Key Moments - 3 Insights

Why does the function Footstep() only run at frame 10?

Because the animation event is set to trigger only at frame 10, as shown in execution_table row 3.

Does the animation stop when the event triggers?

No, the animation continues playing after the event calls the function, as seen in steps 4 and 5.

What happens if no event is set on a frame?

The animation just plays that frame without calling any function, as shown in steps 1, 2, and 4.

Visual Quiz - 3 Questions

Look at the execution table, what is the animation frame when the event triggers?

A 15

B 5

C 10

D 1

💡 Hint

Check the 'Animation Frame' and 'Event Triggered?' columns in execution_table row 3

At which step does the output log show 'Footstep sound plays'?

A Step 3

B Step 2

C Step 4

D Step 1

💡 Hint

Look at the 'Output' column in execution_table row 3

If the event was moved to frame 5, what would change in the execution table?

A Output log would show 'Footstep sound plays' at frame 15

B Event Triggered would be Yes at frame 5 instead of 10

C Animation would stop at frame 5

D No changes would happen

💡 Hint

Refer to how event triggers are marked in the 'Event Triggered?' column

Concept Snapshot

Animation events let you call functions at specific frames during animation playback.
Set events in the animation editor to trigger functions.
When the animation reaches that frame, it calls the function.
Animation continues playing after the event.
Useful for syncing sounds or effects with animation.

Full Transcript

Animation events in Unity allow you to run code at exact frames during an animation. The animation plays frame by frame. When it reaches a frame with an event, it calls the linked function, like Footstep() in the example. The animation does not stop; it keeps playing after the event. This helps add sounds or effects timed perfectly with the animation.