Help Making Retro Style 3D Animations (NOT skeletal based - > Frame based)

In old 2D games certain sprites would be called for each segment of an animation.
I would like to do this for a 3D model I am working on that will require a very low poly count model for each animation - effectively making it look like a 3D “Sprite”

What I understand is there is a Vertex Animation tool - but it seems like it can only be used to repeat the same animation over and over - and not be called to create a variety of animations such as run, jump, attack, crouch…

And Flipbook Animations are strictly 2D, right?

Anyone have any idea of how I could accomplish this?

Thanks for your time!

If you really don’t want do it with bones, you could make several morph targets and animate them…

But in fact, I don’t get exactly what you want to do…
Could you post a picture of your model for us to figure how to animate it ?

From what I understand, it’s not a technique problem you have but more an interpolation one.
You want that the model had several poses and play them without interpolate between them, right ?
Something like a 5 fps animation ? Like they did in the Lego movie, some sort of fake stop motion ?

Just like this: http://www.caveofpixels.com/uploads/2/2/3/0/22304110/8820572.jpg?334
A unique model for each “frame” of the animation."

All I can find are people using the Vertex Animation Tool to melt meshes - not animating a character for run, strafe, shoot, etc…

Here is my model in the idle pose: Imgur: The magic of the Internet

It can be done, but the more parts you need to animate the more complex it becomes. I’ve done some basic ‘minecraft’ characters (ISMs) using this brilliant write up : Wait. What? - Minecraft Modeling, Animation - Part 2 of x

Dont.
Simply Dont.

Bones are faster than Morph Targets.