Creating Character Movement in Unity 3D Using Code

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If you’re looking to create dynamic and engaging character movement in your Unity 3D games, then look no further. In this step-by-step guide, we will explore how to create character movement using code in Unity. We’ll cover everything from setting up basic movement controls to creating complex animations and interactions between characters.

What Is Character Movement?

Before we dive into the technical details, let’s first define what we mean by “character movement.” Character movement refers to the movement of a character or object within a game world. This can include walking, running, jumping, flying, and any other type of movement that you want your character to be able to do.

How to Create Character Movement in Unity

In Unity, there are several ways to create character movement. One popular method is to use scripting. Scripts are small programs that run in the background of your game and can be used to control various aspects of your game world, including character movement. In this guide, we will focus on using scripts to create character movement.

Getting Started with Character Movement in Unity

To get started with character movement in Unity, the first step is to create a new character object. This can be done by going to GameObject > 3D Object > Mesh Filter, and then selecting a character model from the Assets window. Once you have your character object set up, you can add a Rigidbody component to it. This will allow you to control the physics of your character’s movement.

Creating Basic Movement Controls

We’ll start with movement in three dimensions (3D) using the keyboard. To do this, we’ll need to create a new script and attach it to our character object. In this script, we’ll use the Input.GetAxis() method to read the input from the keyboard and move our character accordingly.

<script>
using UnityEngine;
public class CharacterController : MonoBehaviour
{
    public float speed = 5f; // Movement speed
    private Rigidbody rb; // Reference to the Rigidbody component
    void Start()
    {
        // Get the Rigidbody component
        rb = GetComponent<Rigidbody>();
    }
    void Update()
    {
        // Read input from the keyboard
        float horizontalInput = Input.GetAxis("Horizontal");
        float verticalInput = Input.GetAxis("Vertical");

        // Move the character horizontally and vertically
        Vector3 movement = new Vector3(horizontalInput * speed, 0f, verticalInput * speed);
        rb.velocity = movement;
    }
}
</script>

Adding Animation to Character Movement

Now that we have basic movement controls set up, let’s add some animation to our character. Animations can help bring your characters to life and make them feel more realistic. In Unity, animations are created using the Animation window. To create an animation for our character, we’ll need to first create a new animation clip in the Animation window.

Creating an Animation Clip

Once we have our animation clip set up, we can attach it to our character object and use scripting to control when and how it plays.

<script>
using UnityEngine;
using System.Collections;
public class CharacterController : MonoBehaviour
{
    public float speed = 5f; // Movement speed
    private Rigidbody rb; // Reference to the Rigidbody component
    public Animation clip; // Reference to the animation clip

    void Start()
    {
        // Get the Rigidbody and animation components
        rb = GetComponent<Rigidbody>();
        clip.gameObject.layer = LayerMask.NameToLayer("Character");
    }

    void Update()
    {
        // Read input from the keyboard
        float horizontalInput = Input.GetAxis("Horizontal");
        float verticalInput = Input.GetAxis("Vertical");

        // Move the character horizontally and vertically
        Vector3 movement = new Vector3(horizontalInput * speed, 0f, verticalInput * speed);
        rb.velocity = movement;

        // Play the running animation when the character is moving
        if (horizontalInput != 0 || verticalInput != 0)
        {
            clip.Play("Running");
        }
        else
        {
            clip.Stop();
        }
    }
}
</script>

Creating Complex Character Movements

Now that we have basic movement controls and animations set up, let’s create some more complex character movements. One popular type of character movement in games is jumping. To create a jumping mechanic for our character, we can use scripting to check if the player has pressed the jump button and then apply a force upward to make the character jump.

Creating a Jumping Mechanic

<script>
using UnityEngine;
using System.Collections;
public class CharacterController : MonoBehaviour
{
    public float speed = 5f; // Movement speed
    private Rigidbody rb; // Reference to the Rigidbody component
    public Animation clip; // Reference to the animation clip
    public Transform groundCheck; // Reference to the ground check transform
    public LayerMask groundLayer; // Layer mask for the ground layer

    void Start()
    {
        // Get the Rigidbody and animation components
        rb = GetComponent<Rigidbody>();
        clip.gameObject.layer = LayerMask.NameToLayer("Character");
    }

    void Update()
    {
        // Read input from the keyboard
        float horizontalInput = Input.GetAxis("Horizontal");
        float verticalInput = Input.GetAxis("Vertical");

        // Move the character horizontally and vertically
        Vector3 movement = new Vector3(horizontalInput * speed, 0f, verticalInput * speed);
        rb.velocity = movement;

        // Check if the player is on the ground and has pressed the jump button
        bool isGrounded = Physics.OverlapCircle(groundCheck.position, 0.1f, groundLayer);
        if (Input.GetButtonDown("Jump") && isGrounded)
        {
            // Apply a force upward to make the character jump
            rb.AddForce(new Vector3(0f, 5f, 0f), ForceMode.Impulse);

            // Play the jumping animation
            clip.Play("Jumping");
        }
    }
}
</script>

Conclusion

In this guide, we’ve learned how to create basic movement controls and animations for our characters in Unity using scripting. We’ve also learned how to create more complex character movements like jumping by combining these techniques.