Configuring the part animation

• In the Project window, click on the imported FBX object.
• In the Inspector window, click on the Animation tab.
• Set "Anim. Compression" to "Off".
• Split the animation into four states in the "Clips" list: retracted, deploy, deployed, and retract.
  1. The retracted and deployed states are a single frame.
  2. You should prefix these states with the part name to avoid confusion if multiple parts of the mod contain animation.

• Drop the part under model and unpack it completely.

• In the Part folder, create an Animation Controller.

• Double-click on the controller to open the Animator tab.
• Drag the four states into the Animator tab.
  1. Start with retracted so that it automatically links to Entry, then the other three.

• In the Animator Parameters tab, create:
  1. a boolean "isDeployed",
  2. a trigger "reverseAnimStateChange",
  3. a float "playbackMul" = 10.

• Create the transitions between states.
  1. Entry → retracted
  2. retracted ↔︎ deploy
  3. deploy → deployed
  4. deployed ↔︎ retract
  5. retract → retracted

• Click on the transition from retracted to deploy:
  1. set "Exit Time" to 0,
  2. uncheck "Has Exit Time",
  3. uncheck "Fixed Duration" (in Settings),
  4. set "Transition Duration" to 0,
  5. add the boolean "isDeployed" = True to the list of conditions,
  6. check the animation by playing it in the preview window.

• Perform the same operation on the transition from deployed to retract, except that "isDeployed" = False.
• Click on the transition from deploy to retracted:
  1. Set "Exit Time" to 0,
  2. Set "Transition Duration" to 0,
  3. Add the "reverseAnimStateChange" trigger to the list of conditions.

• Perform the same operation on the transition from retract to deployed.
• Click on the retracted state:
  1. Add the "Module_Anim State Informer" module.

• Perform the same operation on deployed.
• Click on the transition from deploy to deployed:
  1. Set "Exit Time" to 0.99,
  2. Set "Transition Duration" to 0.01.
• Perform the same operation on the transition from retract to retracted.
• Click on each state and in "Speed" > "Multiplier", select "Parameter". It should automatically display "playbackMul" in the dropdown. This is for playing the animation ten times faster in the VAB.

• On the mesh, add the "Animator" module and select the controller under "Controller".

• On the root part, click "Add Component" > "Module_Deployable".
  1. Set "Animator" to the mesh.