Unsupported bones permanently affect subsequent animations

[canny]

Test content is in a box at https://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Danger!%20Danger!/66/40/39

---

The animation uploader currently allows animations to include additional Bento body bones that are not part of the supported body animation skeleton for standard human avatars, such as Spine1–Spine4.

Because these bones are not reset by Second Life's default animation system, they remain in their last animated state after the animation ends.

As a result, subsequent, perfectly valid animations can appear broken, even though the problem actually originates from a previous animation. This makes the issue extremely difficult to diagnose and causes creators of correct animations to receive support requests for problems they did not create.

Because the animation uploader accepts these unsupported body animation bones without any warning, creators may not even realize they are exporting animation data that can affect subsequent animations.

This is not just an issue for individual animations. Full-perm animation packs are widely reused by furniture creators throughout Second Life. A single incompatible animation pack can therefore affect a large number of products created by different people, while the resulting support requests are often directed at the wrong creator.

Possible solutions

• Reject unsupported body animation bones during upload.

• Warn creators when unsupported body animation bones are detected during upload.

• Automatically reset unsupported body animation bones when an animation ends.

Addressing this would significantly improve compatibility between animations from different creators.

https://secondlife.canny.io/admin/feedback/bug-reports/p/unsupported-bones-permanently-affect-subsequent-animations

[canny]

This issue has been linked to a Canny post: Unsupported bones permanently affect subsequent animations 🎉

[Dan-Linden]

We need demo files to show the bug.

[froukjehoorenbeek]

Sure, I’ll prepare it tomorrow and send it to you in-world.

[froukjehoorenbeek]

I have sent you an in-world test object containing two animations: StandardSpine and AdditionalSpineBones, along with a README describing the reproduction steps. I've also attached a comparison image here showing the expected and actual behavior.

A more experienced animator then I, RohanaRaven Zerbino, said in the bug report she would like to propose a dual animation upload system:
• one that validates compatibility with the SL Avatar Skeleton.
• one that provides the freedom Animesh and Custom Avatar creators need.

[RohanaRaven]

Allow me to add a tiny piece to the puzzle here.

Please note that I am referring specifically to the SL Avatar Body Animation Skeleton, and nothing else.

The SL Avatar Body Animation Skeleton has never changed and never received additional bones. It still relies on the existing default body animation system for resets, something Bento additions do not have, and I fail to understand why.

Meanwhile, SL has expanded to support other animation use cases, such as Animesh and custom avatars, which may require and can afford different bone structures and workflows, as they are standalone and custom-built systems.

The problem is that some animators, in an attempt to achieve more "realistic" animations, made the poor and irresponsible decision to animate additional bones outside the existing Avatar Body Animation Skeleton.

When additional bones are used in Avatar Body Animation Skeleton animations, they are not covered by default animation ’reset’ system. They remain in their last position and affect properly made animations played afterward.

This is especially visible with full-perm animations, as furniture creators combine animations from different sources. The result directly affects other creators' work and reputation. It becomes a virus spreading through the grid.

Because SL now serves different animation ecosystems, I believe the upload system should reflect that. .

Hence my proposal for a dual animation upload system:

• one that validates compatibility with the SL Avatar Body Animation Skeleton together with Bento additions
• one that provides the freedom Animesh and Custom Avatar creators need.