3 Demos and New Blending Feature

Lots of demos you can try this time - yay! Tip: For better performance, unload one demo before you view the next.

Instructions for all demos below

Command	Keyboard	Gamepad
Walking-direction	arrow keys	analog stick 1
Walking-speed	shift	-
Facing-direction	W, A, S, D	analog stick 2
Jump	space	button A
Time slow down / speed up	numpad - / +	-

You can control the characters with either the keyboard or with a game pad. With a game pad, such as an XBox 360 controller, the direction and speed can be controlled precisely with ease, while independently controlling facing direction with the secondary stick.

Climb the crates and boards. Use shift to run; default is walking. Note that this demo only uses one animation for walking and one for running.

In this demo the terrain can be dynamically controlled with the sliders at the top. You can create stairs, slopes, and various combinations. The terrain will reflect the changes once the character has walked a little distance to the left or right. Enable manual mode to control the character yourself, as described above. This demo uses four animations for walking (forward, backwards, and sideways) and also four for running.

Walk around this structure in space with crazy gravity! (Nobody said anything about Mario Galaxy...)

Animation groups

I have worked hard on finding a way of making the Locomotion System easy to integrate with an existing animation framework in a game while keeping it flexible.

I have now implemented a feature where animations used by the Locomotion System are grouped together in animation groups. For example, animations for walking and running in different directions could be put in a single animation group.

The group as a whole can be controlled manually the same way as regular animations are controlled in Unity, while the blending of the individual animations in a group are automatically controlled by the Locomotion System. Furthermore, the system supports using multiple animation groups, so e.g. one group can be used for normal walking and running (in all directions), and another group for sneaking (in all directions).

The new feature can be seen in the demos above in two ways:

• When the character jumps, an animation is cross-faded in that is not controlled by the Locomotion System. This way the feet do not attempt to stay on the ground while the character is jumping.
• When the character is standing still for a little while, an "waiting" animation is cross-faded in. Since this animation is also controlled by the Locomotion System, the feet stay properly grounded.

Testing the Locomotion System

I make the Locomotion System as my Master Thesis in collaboration with Unity Technologies. It will be available for free for users of Unity once it is finished.

As a part of my thesis, I want to test the usability of the system. If you are a Unity user and would like to try out the system and help me by evaluating it, please let me know! The Locomotion System is by no means finished yet, but it is now almost at a stage where it is ready for preliminary testing.

Also, comments are much appreciated!