SSE How are casting animations linked to spells?

[baphy93]

I've checked all over the Creation Kit, in the Race Attack Data tab, the Actor Animation tab, the spell and magic effect tabs, and can't find what accomplishes this. How do I link, e.g., the hagraven's .hkx animation files to her e.g., fireball or flames spell?

[Sphered]

They aren't directly. Spells DO change animation conditions though, and its these conditions that decide what animations the NPC is "eligible" to perform at this moment

 

So if wielding a spell that is both hands only, the only cast animations that are "eligible" at this moment to be invoked, are both-hands-casting animations. If you swap to a dual wield spell in each hand, the conditions have now changed to where you can see leftcast, right cast, or both cast. Which you see, depends on what you do

[dylbill]

Sphered is correct. The animation that displays is based on the type of spell, and which hand it's in. If you want to look at the conditions for which animation plays, look under the Gameplay tab in the CK, and animations. There look under Actors/Characters/Behaviors, then under ActionLeftAttack and ActionRightAttack. Search through those and you will find the magic animations and what conditions are on them.