Effect Stutter and Compiler Error

[Tomqui]

1. The Effects stutter when playing them. This seems to be inconsistent with effects sometimes playing with / or without the stutter

TextDemoBug.mp4

2. There's a compiler error in SequenceManager due to StartManualEffect no longer having a return type.

[ArrowTheFighter]

I'm also getting some weird stuttering. I can't quite figure out when it happens because it's not always. Would love some help figuring this out tho.

https://imgur.com/a/LgsPocF

[Zophiel]

@Tomqui @ArrowTheFighter
it’s a one-frame flash because you start the effect but you don’t write the t=0 vertex colors until the next throttled Update() tick. TMP renders once in between with its original (opaque) vertex colors.

• StartOnStartEffects() only calls StartEffect() on each entry and sets nextUpdateTime_ = 0; it doesn’t touch the mesh/colors. So the very next render uses the pre-effect colors (alpha = 1).
• The actual color/alpha changes only happen inside Update(), where you iterate visible characters and call ApplyEffect(...), then push colors back to the mesh. This is gated by updatesPerSecond via nextUpdateTime_, so it can occur a frame after starting.
• Your alpha fade is implemented correctly in Effect_Color (OnlyAlpha sets color.a = Interpolate(startAlpha, endAlpha, ...)), but that code doesn’t run until ApplyEffect is invoked by the next update, hence you briefly see the unmodified (opaque) mesh first.
• StartEffect just flips flags and timestamps on the effect (sets started = true, startTime = GetTime(...)) and adjusts wrap modes; it doesn’t write any vertex data.

So the “state before animating” you’re seeing is simply TMP’s unchanged vertex colors being drawn once before your first effect application pass runs.

[Zophiel]

meant to tag @LeiQiaoZhi

[rsmeowry]

Had the same problem (in a script), and a temporary fix i managed to get working is just calling TextEffect#Update right after TextEffect#Refresh.