Third Person Controller Unity 3D - Unity Player Movement 3D Third Person Animation Game Course 2022

Introduction

This tutorial guides you through creating a third-person controller in Unity 3D, focusing on player movement and third-person animations. By following these steps, you'll enhance your game development skills and bring your 3D game ideas to life. This tutorial is part of a larger course aimed at aspiring game developers.

Step 1: Setting Up Your Unity Project

1. Open Unity Hub and create a new 3D project.
2. Import necessary assets:
   • Use the Unity Asset Store to find a character model and animations suitable for third-person view.
   • Import the Standard Assets package for additional components.
3. Create your game scene:
   • Set up a basic terrain or environment where the player will navigate.

Step 2: Adding the Player Character

1. Drag your character model into the scene.
2. Configure the Character:
   • Add a Rigidbody component to enable physics interactions.
   • Ensure to set the Rigidbody's constraints to freeze rotation on the X and Z axes to prevent tipping.
3. Add an Animator Component:
   • Assign the animator controller that contains the walking, running, and idle animations.

Step 3: Implementing Player Movement

1. Create a new C# script named PlayerMovement.
2. Attach the script to the player character.
3. Write the movement code:

   using UnityEngine;
   
   public class PlayerMovement : MonoBehaviour
   {
       public float speed = 5f;
       public Animator animator;
       private Vector3 moveDirection;
   
       void Update()
       {
           Move();
           Animate();
       }
   
       void Move()
       {
           float horizontal = Input.GetAxis("Horizontal");
           float vertical = Input.GetAxis("Vertical");
           moveDirection = new Vector3(horizontal, 0, vertical).normalized;
           transform.Translate(moveDirection * speed * Time.deltaTime, Space.World);
       }
   
       void Animate()
       {
           animator.SetFloat("Speed", moveDirection.magnitude);
       }
   }
   

4. Customize your movement speed in the Unity Inspector to fit your game's design.

Step 4: Camera Follow

1. Create a new C# script named CameraFollow.
2. Attach the script to the main camera.
3. Write the camera follow code:

   using UnityEngine;
   
   public class CameraFollow : MonoBehaviour
   {
       public Transform player;
       public Vector3 offset;
   
       void LateUpdate()
       {
           transform.position = player.position + offset;
       }
   }
   

4. Set the camera offset so it follows the player appropriately, adjusting the position until you achieve a desirable view.

Step 5: Testing and Tweaking

1. Playtest the game:
   • Check player movement and animations to ensure they are responsive.
   • Adjust the speed and camera offset based on the gameplay experience.
2. Common pitfalls to avoid:
   • Ensure that the Animator parameters are correctly set up to transition between animations.
   • Double-check Rigidbody settings to prevent unwanted physics behavior.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned how to set up a third-person controller in Unity 3D, implement player movement, and create a camera that follows the player. As you continue developing your game, consider exploring additional features such as combat mechanics or environmental interactions to enhance gameplay. Keep experimenting and building on these foundational skills to become a proficient game developer.