Animating via component

As of version 2.0, we’ve introduced a comprehensive animation system that makes it incredibly easy to create dynamic, engaging lighting effects. The VolumetricLightAnimation component provides built-in support for pulsing, color cycling, and flickering effects with minimal setup required.

Quick Start

Adding Animation to a Light

1. Select a GameObject with a VolumetricLight component

2. Add the VolumetricLightAnimation component

3. Enable “Enable Animations” in the inspector

4. Configure your desired effects using the intuitive interface

Writing your own animation presets / components

You can also extend our system to write your own preset animations, i.e. to add them repeatedly to different objects.

Basic Usage

using Sparrow.VolumetricLight;

using UnityEngine;

public class BasicAnimationExample : MonoBehaviour
{
  [SerializeField] VolumetricLightAnimation m_Animation = default;

  void Start()

  {
    // Enable all animation types
    m_Animation.enableAnimations = true;
    m_Animation.enablePulsing = true;
    m_Animation.enableColorCycling = true;
    m_Animation.enableFlickering = true;
  }
}

Animation Types

Pulsing Effects

Create dynamic intensity variations with three different patterns:

// Sine wave pulsing - smooth and organic
m_Animation.enablePulsing = true;
m_Animation.pulsingPattern = VolumetricLightAnimation.PulsingPattern.Sine;
m_Animation.pulsingSpeed = 1.5f;
m_Animation.pulsingIntensity = 0.5f;

// Square wave strobing - sharp on/off effect
m_Animation.pulsingPattern = VolumetricLightAnimation.PulsingPattern.Square;
m_Animation.pulsingSpeed = 2f;
m_Animation.pulsingIntensity = 0.8f;

// Random noise pulsing - unpredictable and organic
m_Animation.pulsingPattern = VolumetricLightAnimation.PulsingPattern.Random;
m_Animation.pulsingSpeed = 1f;
m_Animation.pulsingIntensity = 0.3f;

Available Patterns:

Sine: Smooth, wave-like pulsing
Square: Sharp on/off strobing
Random: Noise-based, unpredictable pulsing

Color Cycling

Smoothly transition between colors using predefined palettes or custom color arrays:

// Using predefined palettes
m_Animation.enableColorCycling = true;
m_Animation.colorPalette = VolumetricLightAnimation.ColorPalette.Fire;
m_Animation.colorSpeed = 0.8f;
m_Animation.colorSmoothness = 1.2f;

// Using custom colors
Color[] customColors = { Color.red, Color.blue, Color.green, Color.yellow };
m_Animation.SetCustomPalette(customColors);
m_Animation.colorPalette = VolumetricLightAnimation.ColorPalette.Custom;

Predefined Palettes:

Fire: Red to yellow gradient
Ice: Blue to white gradient
Neon: Bright, saturated colors
Sunset: Warm orange tones
Ocean: Blue to cyan gradient
Forest: Green gradient
Custom: Use your own color array

Flickering Effects

Create realistic candle/fire-like flickering with noise-based intensity variation:

m_Animation.enableFlickering = true;
m_Animation.flickerIntensity = 0.6f;
m_Animation.flickerSpeed = 3f;
m_Animation.flickerRandomness = 0.7f;
m_Animation.minFlickerIntensity = 0.2f;

Advanced Features

Time Synchronization

Use time offsets to create synchronized or wave-like effects across multiple lights:

// Create a wave effect across multiple lights

public class WaveEffect : MonoBehaviour
{
  [SerializeField] VolumetricLightAnimation[] m_Lights = default;

  void Start()
  {
    for (int i = 0; i < m_Lights.Length; i++)
    {
      m_Lights[i].timeOffset = i * 0.5f;  // Stagger each light by 0.5 seconds
    }
  }
}

Runtime Control

Dynamically enable/disable animation types at runtime:

public class DynamicControl : MonoBehaviour
{
  [SerializeField] VolumetricLightAnimation m_Animation = default;

  void Update()
  {
    // Toggle pulsing based on distance to player

    float distance = Vector3.Distance(transform.position, Camera.main.transform.position);

    m_Animation.SetAnimationEnabled(
        VolumetricLightAnimation.AnimationType.Pulsing,
        distance < 10f
    );
  }
}

Preset Effects

The system includes several built-in presets for common effects:

public class PresetExample : MonoBehaviour
{
  [SerializeField] VolumetricLightAnimation m_Animation = default;

  void Start()
  {
    // Apply fire effect preset
    ApplyFirePreset();
  }

  void ApplyFirePreset()
  {
    m_Animation.enableAnimations = true;
    m_Animation.enablePulsing = true;
    m_Animation.pulsingPattern = VolumetricLightAnimation.PulsingPattern.Random;
    m_Animation.pulsingSpeed = 2f;
    m_Animation.pulsingIntensity = 0.3f;
    m_Animation.enableColorCycling = true;
    m_Animation.colorPalette = VolumetricLightAnimation.ColorPalette.Fire;
    m_Animation.colorSpeed = 1.5f;
    m_Animation.enableFlickering = true;
    m_Animation.flickerIntensity = 0.4f;
    m_Animation.flickerSpeed = 3f;
  }
}

Performance Considerations

The animation system is optimized for performance:

Only processes when enableAnimations is true
Uses efficient noise functions for flickering
Minimal impact on frame rate
Automatically disables when not needed

// Disable animations when not visible for performance

public class PerformanceOptimized : MonoBehaviour
{
  [SerializeField] VolumetricLightAnimation m_Animation = default;
  [SerializeField] Camera m_Camera = default;

  void Update()
  {
    // Only animate when light is visible
    bool isVisible = GeometryUtility.TestPlanesAABB(
        GeometryUtility.CalculateFrustumPlanes(m_Camera),
        GetComponent<Renderer>().bounds
    );

    m_Animation.enableAnimations = isVisible;
  }
}

Common Use Cases

Campfire Effect

// Realistic campfire with random pulsing, fire colors, and flickering
m_Animation.enableAnimations = true;
m_Animation.enablePulsing = true;
m_Animation.pulsingPattern = VolumetricLightAnimation.PulsingPattern.Random;
m_Animation.pulsingSpeed = 1.5f;
m_Animation.pulsingIntensity = 0.4f;
m_Animation.enableColorCycling = true;
m_Animation.colorPalette = VolumetricLightAnimation.ColorPalette.Fire;
m_Animation.enableFlickering = true;
m_Animation.flickerIntensity = 0.6f;

Neon Sign Effect

// Bright, strobing neon sign
m_Animation.enableAnimations = true;
m_Animation.enablePulsing = true;
m_Animation.pulsingPattern = VolumetricLightAnimation.PulsingPattern.Square;
m_Animation.pulsingSpeed = 2f;
m_Animation.pulsingIntensity = 0.8f;
m_Animation.enableColorCycling = true;
m_Animation.colorPalette = VolumetricLightAnimation.ColorPalette.Neon;
m_Animation.colorSpeed = 1.5f;

Candle Effect

// Subtle, realistic candle flickering
m_Animation.enableAnimations = true;
m_Animation.enableColorCycling = true;
m_Animation.colorPalette = VolumetricLightAnimation.ColorPalette.Fire;
m_Animation.colorSpeed = 0.3f;
m_Animation.enableFlickering = true;
m_Animation.flickerIntensity = 0.5f;
m_Animation.flickerSpeed = 4f;
m_Animation.flickerRandomness = 0.8f;

API Reference

Properties

enableAnimations: Master toggle for all animations
enablePulsing: Enable/disable pulsing effects
enableColorCycling: Enable/disable color cycling
enableFlickering: Enable/disable flickering effects

Methods

SetAnimationEnabled(AnimationType, bool): Enable/disable specific animation types
SetCustomPalette(Color[]): Set a custom color palette
ResetToOriginal(): Reset light to original state

Enums

PulsingPattern: Sine, Square, Random
ColorPalette: Fire, Ice, Neon, Sunset, Ocean, Forest, Custom
AnimationType: Pulsing, ColorCycling, Flickering

This animation system provides a powerful and intuitive way to bring your volumetric lights to life with minimal code and maximum visual impact!