Unity CrossHair Follow Mouse & Unity Change Camera View Tutorial - 3D Game Development Course 2022
Table of Contents
Introduction
In this tutorial, we will learn how to implement a crosshair that follows the mouse and how to change the camera view in Unity. This guide is part of a 3D game development course aimed at helping you become a creative game developer using the Unity game engine. By the end of this tutorial, you'll be equipped with essential skills to enhance your game's user interface and camera mechanics.
Step 1: Setting Up the Crosshair
To make a crosshair that follows the mouse, follow these steps:
-
Create a Crosshair UI Element
- Open your Unity project.
- Navigate to the
Hierarchy
window. - Right-click and select
UI
>Image
. - Rename the new Image to "Crosshair".
-
Adjust Crosshair Image Properties
- Select the Crosshair in the
Hierarchy
. - In the
Inspector
panel, set the Image Source to your crosshair graphic. - Adjust the
Rect Transform
properties:- Set
Anchor
to the center of the screen. - Set
Pivot
to (0.5, 0.5). - Adjust
Width
andHeight
to match your graphic size.
- Set
- Select the Crosshair in the
-
Create a Script to Follow Mouse
- Right-click in the
Project
window, selectCreate
>C# Script
, and name it "CrosshairFollowMouse". - Open the script and implement the following code:
using UnityEngine; public class CrosshairFollowMouse : MonoBehaviour { void Update() { Vector3 mousePosition = Input.mousePosition; mousePosition.z = 10; // Set a distance from the camera transform.position = Camera.main.ScreenToWorldPoint(mousePosition); } }
- Right-click in the
-
Attach the Script
- Drag the "CrosshairFollowMouse" script onto the Crosshair object in the
Hierarchy
.
- Drag the "CrosshairFollowMouse" script onto the Crosshair object in the
Step 2: Changing the Camera View
Now, let's set up the camera to switch views based on user input.
-
Create a Camera Control Script
- In the
Project
window, right-click and selectCreate
>C# Script
, and name it "CameraControl". - Open the script and add the following code:
using UnityEngine; public class CameraControl : MonoBehaviour { public Camera mainCamera; public Camera alternateCamera; void Update() { if (Input.GetKeyDown(KeyCode.C)) { SwitchCamera(); } } void SwitchCamera() { mainCamera.gameObject.SetActive(!mainCamera.gameObject.activeSelf); alternateCamera.gameObject.SetActive(!alternateCamera.gameObject.activeSelf); } }
- In the
-
Assign Cameras in the Inspector
- Create two cameras in your scene if you haven't already.
- Select your main camera and alternate camera and configure them as needed.
- Attach the "CameraControl" script to an empty GameObject in your scene.
- In the
Inspector
, link themainCamera
andalternateCamera
fields to their respective camera objects.
-
Test the Camera Switch
- Enter Play mode in Unity.
- Press the
C
key to toggle between the two camera views.
Conclusion
In this tutorial, we covered how to create a crosshair that follows the mouse cursor and how to implement a camera switch in Unity. These skills are fundamental for improving user experience in your 3D games. As a next step, consider experimenting with different crosshair designs and camera angles to enhance your game's visual appeal and functionality. Happy game developing!