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Overview

The Delay action pauses execution for a specified duration before the next action in the same list runs. It allows you to control timing between events—such as waiting for narration to finish, letting an animation complete, or creating dramatic pacing in your training.

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When to Use

  • Wait for narration: pause before showing instructions until voice-over finishes
  • Animation synchronization: wait for a model animation to complete before moving to the next step
  • User perception: add intentional pauses so learners can process information
  • Sequential events: space out multiple actions for clarity and comprehension
  • Scene transitions: give time for visual elements to settle before the next interaction

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Parameters

ParameterTypeRequiredDescription
DurationnumberYesThe pause duration in milliseconds (ms). Example: 2000 = 2 seconds, 500 = 0.5 seconds.

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Key Behavior

  • Sequential delays: If you have multiple actions in a list with delays between them, they execute in order with pauses between each.
  • Training continues: The delay does not freeze the training. Learners can still interact with the 3D scene, click buttons, or trigger transitions during the delay.
  • Scope: A delay only affects actions within the same action list (e.g., all actions in onEntry or all actions in a transition).

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Practical Example

Scenario: A training state shows a narrated explanation of a machine component. You want to play narration, wait for it to finish, then display a text prompt for the learner to interact with.
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In the state’s onEntry action list, add actions in this order:
  1. Play Audio action: select your narration file
  2. Delay action: duration 3000 (3 seconds, matching your narration length)
  3. Show Prompt or other action to display the next instruction
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The training plays the narration, waits 3 seconds (giving the audio time to finish), then shows the next prompt. If the learner clicks before the delay completes, the prompt still appears on schedule.
Another example:
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In a transition’s action list:
  1. Play Object Animation: animate a valve opening (2 seconds)
  2. Delay: 2000 milliseconds
  3. Set Variable: mark the valve as open
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This ensures the variable is set only after the visual animation completes, keeping logic and visuals in sync.
Estimate your delay based on the media duration plus a small buffer:
  • Narration: measure the audio clip length
  • Animation: check the animation duration in your 3D model
  • Visual settle: add 200–500 ms for natural-looking pacing
Example: 3-second audio + 500 ms buffer = 3500 ms delay.
Delays are relative to when the action list starts, not to each other. If you have a 2-second delay followed by a 3-second delay, the second action runs 3 seconds after the list starts, not 5 seconds. To create cumulative delays, use separate Delay actions in sequence or add the durations together for a single Delay.