c# - Unity: How to animate a flashing TextMesh (so varying the alpha when the player does something)? -

i have tried retracing steps survival shooter tutorial (create animation clip on property of textmesh, vary alpha, , create state machine), animating alpha property in textmesh.meshrenderer._color object nothing, because object disappears on runtime (even though animator window accepts valid object animate...), , animation window shows object missing when reopen it--so thinking must kind of throwaway color object?

the problem "color" can edit in text mesh object. otherwise, state machine working perfectly; , animation seems playing...just nothing happening...and, said, when reopen animation clip in animation window, property labeled 'missing,' though have not touched respective object.

coming trying do: trying implement flashing label in game (rather on hud) invisible until player gets close, whereupon starts flashing (it control suggestion). maybe textmesh object wrong object; maybe animation process wrong...but think easier answer might go how implement trying do...rather trouble shoot mistake making...

you can animation , through code. go code. coroutines, lerp , time.deltatime type of animation possible in unity. code below blink textmesh when starttextmeshanimation() called , continue until stoptextmeshanimation() called. change speed calling changetextmeshanimationspeed() , passing in speed value. in seconds. 0.2 5f fine.

public textmesh textmesh; public float animspeedinsec = 1f; bool keepanimating = false;  private ienumerator anim() {      color currentcolor = textmesh.color;      color invisiblecolor = textmesh.color;     invisiblecolor.a = 0; //set alpha 0      float oldanimspeedinsec = animspeedinsec;     float counter = 0;     while (keepanimating)     {         //hide         while (counter < oldanimspeedinsec)         {             if (!keepanimating)             {                 yield break;             }              //reset counter when speed changed             if (oldanimspeedinsec != animspeedinsec)             {                 counter = 0;                 oldanimspeedinsec = animspeedinsec;             }              counter += time.deltatime;             textmesh.color = color.lerp(currentcolor, invisiblecolor, counter / oldanimspeedinsec);             yield return null;         }          yield return null;           //show         while (counter > 0)         {             if (!keepanimating)             {                 yield break;             }              //reset counter when speed changed             if (oldanimspeedinsec != animspeedinsec)             {                 counter = 0;                 oldanimspeedinsec = animspeedinsec;             }              counter -= time.deltatime;             textmesh.color = color.lerp(currentcolor, invisiblecolor, counter / oldanimspeedinsec);             yield return null;         }     } }  //call start animation void starttextmeshanimation() {     if (keepanimating)     {         return;     }     keepanimating = true;     startcoroutine(anim()); }  //call change animation speed void changetextmeshanimationspeed(float animspeed) {     animspeedinsec = animspeed; }  //call stop animation void stoptextmeshanimation() {     keepanimating = false; }`