Playing basic imported animations in UDK

Question

I'm trying to wrap my head around basic animations in UDK.

I've created a simple turret-like structure in Maya, rigged, skinned, and animated. It has 4 bones. I have done all the steps necessary for exporting and importing as an FBX (baked animations, etc.)

I've imported it into UDK, and can view both the AnimSet and SkeletalMesh in the Content Browser.

The AnimSet Editor previews the animation perfectly. This is a looping animation. I can load the SkeletalMesh into my scene, but I can't figure out how to trigger the animation.

What is the simplest way to trigger this animation at run-time?

I could have it start when the scene loads and loop indefinitely, or I could have it triggered by pressing a switch or using a trigger volume. I just can't figure out how to make that happen.

Also, any resources on diving deeper into this subject would be greatly appreciated as well. Thanks!

Answer 1

The simplest way would be to create a kismet sequence.

Create some form of trigger mesh - or timer, that when triggered activates an animation on the skeletal mesh

There is some great reference on the skeletal mesh pipeline as well as kismet on the UDN

http://udn.epicgames.com/Three/VideoTutorials.html#Skeletal%20Mesh%20Pipeline%20-%20Using%20UDK