2D Animation Pipeline

Purpose

Define authoring, import, and state machine rules for 2D animations so they play correctly, transition cleanly, and stay within performance budgets.

Use When

• the project uses frame-by-frame sprite animations or skeletal 2D animations
• animation state machines need standardization across characters or entities
• new animated entities are being added and need to follow project conventions
• placeholder animations are being replaced with final art

Inputs

• art bible or visual direction for animation style
• animation list per entity (idle, run, jump, attack, death, etc.)
• frame rate and loop settings per animation type
• skeletal rig requirements (if using Spine, DragonBones, or engine-native skeletal 2D)

Process

1. define animation naming convention and folder structure per entity
2. set frame rate, loop mode, and blend settings per animation type
3. establish sprite sheet layout for frame-by-frame or export rules for skeletal rigs
4. configure animation state machine transitions and parameters
5. validate animation playback, transition smoothness, and memory footprint

Outputs

• animation naming and folder convention
• frame rate and loop settings per animation type
• state machine transition map (states, parameters, conditions)
• validation checklist for new animation submissions

Quality Bar

• every animation follows naming convention and lives in the correct folder
• frame rate is consistent within each animation type — no mixed rates
• state machine transitions are complete — no missing states or dead ends
• animation memory footprint stays within the platform budget

Common Failure Modes

• inconsistent frame rates that cause jitter or timing mismatches
• missing state machine transitions that leave entities stuck in a state
• oversized sprite sheets that waste memory on unused frames
• skeletal rigs with incompatible bone counts or naming across entities

Related Agents

• 2d-artist
• animation-programmer
• technical-artist

Related Commands

• art-2d-pass
• perf-budget
• unity-placeholders

Related Skills

• animation-state-patterns

Notes

• Keep this skill aligned with the relevant rules layer and current project documentation.
• If engine-specific constraints materially change the workflow, hand off to the matching engine skill or engine-specific reviewer.
• Boundary: this skill owns animation authoring, import, and wiring conventions; animation-state-patterns owns runtime state-machine architecture.