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UnityTimelapse

Simple script designed to quickly create timelapses in Unity HDRP. Ideal for presenting scenes, cinematics, or testing lighting variations without using Timeline. Version 0.4.4 -> Has only a directional light rotation, volumetric cloud offset animation and water simulation speed.

This project is made/test under Unity 6.1 (6000.1.12f1)

Version License

Features:

  • Interpolated sun rotation (Directional Light)
  • Volumetric Clouds offset animation
  • Water simulation speed (HDRP Water)
  • Customizable duration, loop option
  • Speed curve for smoother transitions
  • Runtime input handling (start/reset)

Requirements

  • Volumetric Clouds (HDRP) – if enable
  • WaterSurface (HDRP) – if enable

DemoGIF v0.4.3

How to Use:

  • Fork and Copy the project folder (Runtime/ and Editor/ are required) into your Unity project.
  • Make sure to use HDRP with the necessary components (Volumetric Clouds / WaterSurface) – if enable

Setup

  1. Create an empty GameObject and attach Timelapse.cs from Runtime/.

  2. Assign:

    • The Directional Light (the sun)
    • The Volume containing the Volumetric Clouds component
    • The WaterSurface (if used, and loop disabled)

  3. Define:

    • Cycle Duration in seconds
    • Speed Curve preset (controls global timelapse speed)

      : X=0→1 is progress, Y=0→1 is adjusted speed)

    • Enable/disable Loop, Clouds, Sun, Water as needed
    • Sun Rotation Start and Sun Rotation End (in degrees, Euler)
    • Cloud Offset Start and Cloud Offset End
    • And the Water Surface – Time Multiplier

If Loop is enabled, water management is automatically disabled.

Loop Mode (Day/Night Cycle)

The Timelapse script was not originally designed as a full day/night cycle system. However, using the Loop mode, you can simulate a continuous cycle easily – useful for quick prototypes or scene presentations.

Quick Setup

  1. Enable the sun

    • Assign a Directional Light to the sun variable.
    • Set: 
      sunRotationStart = new Vector3(0f, -30f, 0f);
sunRotationEnd   = new Vector3(360f, -30f, 0f);
    • The cycle will interpolate from 0° to 360° for a perfectly seamless loop.

  2. Enable clouds (optional)

    • Clouds use a simple offset (cloudOffsetStart → cloudOffsetEnd).
    • No special setup needed: the loop remains seamless since the offset repeats naturally.

  3. Water handling

    • When loop = true, water is automatically disabled (no timeMultiplier).
    • When loop = false, water can be animated using waterTimeMultiplier.

⚠️ Important

This is not intended as a full production day/night system.
For a production-ready solution, consider using:

  • Unity Timeline
  • Specialized lighting/skybox frameworks
  • Or a custom system handling weather, ambient lighting, etc.

This Loop mode is mainly a bonus feature for fast timelapse prototypes or scene showcases.

Helper – Curve to Keyframes

A small tool is included to quickly convert an AnimationCurve into C# code (Keyframes):

  • Accessible via Tools > Curve To Keyframes in the Unity toolbar
  • Allows you to draw a curve in the editor
  • Clicking "Generate C# Keyframes" automatically copies the code to the clipboard
  • Useful for creating static presets in SpeedCurvePresets.cs

🔮 Roadmap (v0.5.x → v1.0.0)

  • Multi-element Control:

    • Fog (density, color)
    • Lens Flare size/intensity
    • Water (orientation, reflection parameters)

  • Object Management:

    • Enable/disable objects at specific times
    • E.g., disable fill lights after a certain offset

  • Advanced Options :

    • Ping-pong (back and forth)
    • Separate timers (clouds ≠ sun)
    • Custom editor (cleaner interface, presets manager)

  • Official Unity package

    • Demo scene + presets
    • Asset Store release (v1.0.0)

🤝 Contact:

For issues, suggestions, or contributions, feel free to open an issue on the GitHub repository.