Animated VTF textures not implemented #47

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opened 2026-03-20 06:16:59 +00:00 by kit · 0 comments

kit commented

2026-03-20 06:16:59 +00:00

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Problem

Source VTF textures can contain multiple frames for animation (flag TEXTUREFLAGS_ANIMATED or simply multiple frames in the VTF header). We currently decode only frame 0 and never update, so animated textures appear static.

Visible in

shader_test_01 — several cubes use animated materials (energy effects, scrolling textures) that should be visually active.

What's needed

VTF decoder (vtf.js): Already parses the frame count from the VTF header but only decodes frame 0. Need to decode all frames and store them.
Texture animation system: A per-material animation driver that cycles through frames at the correct rate. Source uses AnimatedTextureVar proxies with $animatedtexturevar, $animatedtextureframenumvar, and $animatedtextureframerate.
Render loop integration: Update animated texture frames each frame based on elapsed time.

Additional considerations

Some materials use texture scrolling ($texturescrollvar) rather than frame animation — different mechanism, similar visual effect.
Material proxies in general are a larger system we'll eventually need to support for dynamic material effects.

## Problem Source VTF textures can contain multiple frames for animation (flag `TEXTUREFLAGS_ANIMATED` or simply multiple frames in the VTF header). We currently decode only frame 0 and never update, so animated textures appear static. ## Visible in `shader_test_01` — several cubes use animated materials (energy effects, scrolling textures) that should be visually active. ## What's needed 1. **VTF decoder** (`vtf.js`): Already parses the frame count from the VTF header but only decodes frame 0. Need to decode all frames and store them. 2. **Texture animation system**: A per-material animation driver that cycles through frames at the correct rate. Source uses `AnimatedTextureVar` proxies with `$animatedtexturevar`, `$animatedtextureframenumvar`, and `$animatedtextureframerate`. 3. **Render loop integration**: Update animated texture frames each frame based on elapsed time. ## Additional considerations - Some materials use texture scrolling (`$texturescrollvar`) rather than frame animation — different mechanism, similar visual effect. - Material proxies in general are a larger system we'll eventually need to support for dynamic material effects.