Suggestion

[electrocnic]

https://github.com/cg-tuwien/Gears-Vk/blob/11881f892a57622b3db943aee30e1350d417e9f2/framework/src/model.cpp#L984

Instead of

animation_clip_data model_t::load_animation_clip(unsigned int aAnimationIndex, double aStartTimeTicks, double aEndTimeTicks) const {
  double endTicks = glm::min(aEndTimeTicks, durationTicks);
}

I suggest either using a default value for aEndTimeTicks, e.g.

animation_clip_data model_t::load_animation_clip(unsigned int aAnimationIndex, double aStartTimeTicks, double aEndTimeTicks = 0) const ...

or maybe we could find some other way?

Because:

animation_clip_data model_t::load_animation_clip(unsigned int aAnimationIndex, double aStartTimeTicks, double aEndTimeTicks = 0) const {
  double endTicks = (aEndTimeTicks == 0.0) ? durationTicks : glm::min(aEndTimeTicks, durationTicks);
}

would allow users to simply call this method without providing a "huge enough" and arbitrary value for aEndTimeTicks, which we did in our EZG code last year:

gvk::animation_clip_data anim_clip = gvkModel->load_animation_clip(animId, 0, 10'000'000);

I suppose it would be a really nice opt-in to be able to define a specific aEndTimeTicks value, but per default users will most likely just want to play the full animation, which is anyways inferred by this method without the user needing to know the exact value from outside.

gvk::animation_clip_data anim_clip = gvkModel->load_animation_clip(animId, 0);

[electrocnic]

Second for the aStartTimeTicks.
0 would be a good default value here, as most likely the animation should start at the beginning.
The method could actually in most situations be called like this:
gvkModel->load_animation_clip(animId);

[electrocnic]

For example I made a commit on my branch for the implementation of the first skinning stage: linear blend skinning: da84c60