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Add to SafariWhen comparing Spine vs GAF:Flash to Unity, the Slant community recommends Spine for most people. In the question“What are the best 2D animation tools for Unity?” Spine is ranked 2nd while GAF:Flash to Unity is ranked 9th. The most important reason people chose Spine is:
Spine provides integrated modules for 14 major engines including GameMaker Studio, Cocos2Dx, LOVE, MonoGame, Unity, XNA, Flash, HTML 5, libgdx, Corona, and more. Generic runtime libraries are also available for C, C++, Objective C, C#, JavaScript, Lua and ActionScript 3. Dozens of third party libraries support additional targets.
Question Ranking
Pros
Pro Integration libraries support most engines
Spine provides integrated modules for 14 major engines including GameMaker Studio, Cocos2Dx, LOVE, MonoGame, Unity, XNA, Flash, HTML 5, libgdx, Corona, and more. Generic runtime libraries are also available for C, C++, Objective C, C#, JavaScript, Lua and ActionScript 3. Dozens of third party libraries support additional targets.
Pro Simplified UI allows for an easy learning curve
No-nonsense workflow allows you to create your artwork in programs much better suited for the task like Illustrator and Inkscape for example, while Spine itself focuses only on the important task of skeletal animation.
Pro Allows for easy use of artwork from third party programs
Spine's developers provide scripts which makes exporting artwork from third party programs much easier to do.
Pro Community-driven feature roadmap
Esoteric Software maintains public Waffle issue trackers to help plan and prioritize feature additions.
Pro Funded via Kickstarter
Spine received resounding support from Kickstarter backers, beating its pledge goal by over 5 times. A second successful Kickstarter added meshes and other important features.
Pro Price high for this product
Pro Can convert 99% of what can be done in Flash
GAF supports such Flash features as:
Masks support;
Filters support;
No limitations on timeline;
Conversion of shape tweens;
Frame labels.
Pro No need to use large Sprite Sheets
With GAF converter you get a highly optimized texture atlas and a config file. You don't need to take trouble over cumbersome sprite sheets. You can easily modify an already working in Unity animation and play around with the animations parts whenever you need.
Pro Alows using Flash animations in Unity
You can convert Flash animations directly in Unity with the help of plug-in. The converted .gaf file consists of a texturte atlas and a binary config.
Pro Supports different frameworks
Full playback API supported in Unity3d, Cocos2d-x, Cocos2d, Starling.
Pro Light, fast, and optimised
GAF is lightweight and fast in a project.
Pro Uses dynamic text
GAF can use dynamic text in animation on some platforms.
Pro Can customize sprite animation
GAF can swap a sprite with another.
Cons
Con Spine Professional is expensive
Spine Essential includes nearly all features, except IK, weights, and meshes. Spine Professional is expensive, though it does give all future updates for life (Spine is updated very often).
Con Requires EVERY developer to have a license
Ever developer needs a license, not just the animator, or an overall license for the project. The license agreement is extremely restrictive.
Con Doesn't support gamemaker 2.3
Con No integration for lesser known engines
Spine does not directly support some game engines, such as Construct 2 or Clickteam Fusion.
Con Sound support available only in Premium version
GAF Converter supports sound but only in the Premium version.
Con Doesn't support sounds
GAF does not support importing audio along with Flash animations.
