How To: Wait for Animation End - Roblox Tips | Wait For Animation To End Roblox

Waiting Game: How to Make Your Roblox Scripts Smoother by Waiting for Animations to End

So, you're building a cool game in Roblox, right? You've got some awesome animations, maybe a character flipping, dodging, or even just sitting down. But you've noticed something annoying: your code keeps running before the animation finishes. Players are getting teleported before the flip is done, or the dialog starts before they've even sat down. Frustrating, isn't it?

That's where learning to properly "wait for animation to end" comes in. It's a crucial skill for making your game feel polished and responsive. Let's dive into how you can do it!

Why You Need to Wait (and What Happens When You Don't)

Think of animations as visual stories. They take time to unfold. If you try to jump to the next chapter before the current one is done, things get messy. In Roblox terms, this means:

Glitches and Jank: Your character might teleport mid-animation, creating an unnatural and jarring experience.
Broken Logic: Maybe you're trying to give the player an item after they complete a specific animation. If the code runs too early, they might miss out on the reward.
Confused Players: Ultimately, a buggy game leads to a frustrating experience for your players. And nobody wants that!

Imagine this: You've created a cool roll animation for your character. You want them to be invulnerable during the roll, then vulnerable again after. If your code doesn't wait for the roll to actually finish, the player might get hit during what should be an invulnerable state. Talk about unfair!

The Key: `AnimationTrack:GetMarkerReachedSignal()` and `AnimationTrack.Stopped`

Okay, so how do we wait? Roblox provides a couple of built-in mechanisms that we can leverage: AnimationTrack:GetMarkerReachedSignal() and AnimationTrack.Stopped.

Using `GetMarkerReachedSignal()` for Precision

GetMarkerReachedSignal() is like setting milestones in your animation. You define specific points (called "markers") in your animation timeline, and then your code can listen for when the animation reaches those markers.

Here's how it works:

Add Animation Markers: In the Roblox Animation Editor, you can insert markers into your animation timeline at specific frames. Give them descriptive names, like "RollEnd", "SitDownPoint", or "JumpStart".
Connect to the Signal: In your script, you get the AnimationTrack (the playing instance of your animation) and connect to the GetMarkerReachedSignal() signal. You pass the marker name as an argument.

local animator = script.Parent.Humanoid:WaitForChild("Animator")
local animation = script.RollAnimation -- Replace with your Animation object
local animationTrack = animator:LoadAnimation(animation)

animationTrack:Play()

animationTrack:GetMarkerReachedSignal("RollEnd"):Connect(function()
    -- Code to run AFTER the "RollEnd" marker is reached
    print("Roll animation ended!")
    -- Re-enable collision, give the player an item, etc.
end)

This code snippet loads the animation, plays it, and waits for the "RollEnd" marker. Only then does it execute the code inside the Connect function. Pretty neat, huh?

Using `AnimationTrack.Stopped` for a Simple Wait

AnimationTrack.Stopped is a simpler approach. It fires an event when the entire animation has finished playing. It doesn't give you the granularity of markers, but it's perfect for situations where you just need to know when the whole animation is complete.

Here's how to use it:

local animator = script.Parent.Humanoid:WaitForChild("Animator")
local animation = script.SitAnimation -- Replace with your Animation object
local animationTrack = animator:LoadAnimation(animation)

animationTrack:Play()

animationTrack.Stopped:Connect(function()
    -- Code to run AFTER the animation has completely finished
    print("Sitting animation finished!")
    -- Start a dialog, open a door, etc.
end)

This code will wait until the SitAnimation has played all the way through before executing the code in the Connect function. Super straightforward!

Choosing the Right Method

So, which one should you use?

GetMarkerReachedSignal(): Use this when you need precise control and want to execute code at specific points within the animation. For example, if you want to spawn a particle effect halfway through a jump animation.
AnimationTrack.Stopped: Use this when you simply need to wait for the entire animation to finish before continuing. For example, you might use this to prevent a player from moving again until their "victory dance" animation has completed.

Common Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Forgetting to Load the Animation: Make sure you're actually loading the animation using Animator:LoadAnimation() before trying to play it.
Typing Errors: Double-check the marker name in your script against the marker name in the Animation Editor. Typos are sneaky!
Not Connecting the Signal Properly: Ensure that your Connect function is properly set up to handle the signal.
Trying to Access the AnimationTrack Before It Exists: This can happen if you're trying to get the AnimationTrack in the wrong part of your script. Make sure the AnimationTrack has been created and loaded before you try to access it.

Putting It All Together: A Practical Example

Let's say you want your character to perform a magic spell animation, and after the animation is complete, you want to create a magical explosion. Here's how you could do it:

local animator = script.Parent.Humanoid:WaitForChild("Animator")
local spellAnimation = script.SpellAnimation -- Replace with your Animation object

local animationTrack = animator:LoadAnimation(spellAnimation)

animationTrack:Play()

animationTrack.Stopped:Connect(function()
    -- Create the magical explosion
    local explosion = Instance.new("Explosion")
    explosion.Parent = workspace
    explosion.Position = script.Parent.HumanoidRootPart.Position
    explosion.BlastRadius = 10
    explosion.BlastPressure = 100000

    print("Magic spell completed! Explosion created!")
end)

This code ensures that the explosion is created only after the entire spell animation has finished playing. This avoids the explosion appearing before the spell animation even starts, which would look really odd.

Final Thoughts

Waiting for animations to end is a fundamental part of creating a smooth and responsive Roblox experience. By mastering GetMarkerReachedSignal() and AnimationTrack.Stopped, you can take your game development to the next level and ensure that your animations and code work together seamlessly. So go forth and create some awesome, well-timed experiences! Good luck, and happy coding!