To set the loop time, or more accurately, the looping behavior, for an animation clip in Unity, you modify the animation's properties within the Unity editor, specifically using the options provided in the Animation window or the Inspector when the clip is selected.
This controls how the animation repeats (or doesn't repeat) after it completes one cycle.
Accessing Loop Options
- Select Your Animation Clip: In the Project window, locate and select the specific animation clip asset you want to modify.
- Open Animation Settings: Go to the animation and set it as looping. This is typically done by accessing the clip's import settings. You can usually find these settings in the Inspector window when the clip is selected.
- Find the Loop Behavior Dropdown: The reference states: In the Animation window look at the bottom for something that should say 'Default' - it's a drop-down menu with looping options. This dropdown menu provides choices for how the animation should behave upon reaching its end. While often labeled 'Default' or similar in older versions or specific contexts, the key is looking for the dropdown that controls playback behavior after the clip's duration.
Understanding the Looping Options
The options available in this dropdown determine the clip's "loop time" behavior:
- Loop: As described in the reference, Loop starts the animation over. The animation will continuously repeat from the first frame after playing the last frame. This is the standard way to make an animation loop indefinitely.
- PingPong: This setting PingPong plays it back and forth. The animation plays from start to end, then reverses and plays from end back to start, and repeats this cycle.
- Clamp Forever: This option Clamp Forever freezes the animation at the state of the last frame etc.. After playing through once, the animation will stop, and the animated properties will retain the values from the final frame.
By choosing one of these options, you define how your animation handles its playback duration and repetition, effectively controlling its looping "time" and pattern within your Unity project.
