[General] Smooth camera effect

[Geoffrey]

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Hi everybody,

here is a smooth camera effect I use.

Step One : Add a camera xD
Step Two : Create a script and paste this code
Step Three : Drag and Drop the script into the camera in hierarchy
(Select camera in Hierarchy)
Step Four : in the inspector, drag the player you want to follow into “Target”
Step Five : Do your Settings

My settings for a really tiny effect:

Smooth Speed: 10 (it’s not time to sleep)
Look ahead Factor: 1.5
Edge Buffer: 0.5
Damping Factor: 0.5

Max zoom out distance: 0.2
Zoom out speed: 0.5
Zoom in speed: 0.5
Movement Treshold: 1
Sustained Movement Time: 1

Smooth Follow: The camera follows the player smoothly using SmoothDamp.
Look Ahead: The camera slightly anticipates the player’s movement.
Edge Buffer: Prevents the camera from moving too far away from the player.
Damping: Adds an inertia effect to the camera’s movement.

maxZoomOutDistance: Maximum zoom-out distance.
zoomOutSpeed: Speed at which the camera zooms out.
zoomInSpeed: Speed at which the camera zooms in.
movementThreshold: Minimum movement speed required to trigger zoom.
sustainedMovementTime: Duration of movement needed before zooming starts.

using UnityEngine;

public class SmoothCameraController : MonoBehaviour
{
    [Header("Target")]
    public Transform target;

    [Header("Follow Settings")]
    [Range(0.1f, 10f)]
    public float smoothSpeed = 3f;
    public Vector3 offset = new Vector3(0f, 0f, -10f);

    [Header("Advanced Settings")]
    [Range(0f, 5f)]
    public float lookAheadFactor = 1.5f;
    [Range(0f, 2f)]
    public float edgeBuffer = 0.5f;
    [Range(0f, 1f)]
    public float dampingFactor = 0.1f;

    [Header("Dynamic Zoom")]
    [Range(0f, 1f)]
    public float maxZoomOutDistance = 3f;
    [Range(0f, 5f)]
    public float zoomOutSpeed = 1f;
    [Range(0f, 5f)]
    public float zoomInSpeed = 2f;
    [Range(0f, 3f)]
    public float movementThreshold = 0.1f;
    [Range(0f, 5f)]
    public float sustainedMovementTime = 1f;

    private Vector3 velocity = Vector3.zero;
    private Vector3 lastTargetPosition;
    private Vector3 lookAheadPos;
    private float currentZoomLevel = 0f;
    private float sustainedMovementTimer = 0f;
    private float baseOrthographicSize;
    private Camera cam;

    private void Start()
    {
        if (target != null)
        {
            lastTargetPosition = target.position;
            transform.position = target.position + offset;
        }

        cam = GetComponent<Camera>();
        if (cam != null)
        {
            baseOrthographicSize = cam.orthographicSize;
        }
    }

    private void LateUpdate()
    {
        if (target == null) return;

        UpdateZoom();
        UpdateCameraPosition();
    }

    private void UpdateZoom()
    {
        // Calculer la vitesse de déplacement du joueur
        Vector3 movementDelta = (target.position - lastTargetPosition);
        float movementSpeed = movementDelta.magnitude / Time.deltaTime;

        // Mettre à jour le timer de mouvement soutenu
        if (movementSpeed > movementThreshold)
        {
            sustainedMovementTimer += Time.deltaTime;
        }
        else
        {
            sustainedMovementTimer = Mathf.Max(0, sustainedMovementTimer - Time.deltaTime);
        }

        // Calculer le niveau de zoom cible
        float targetZoom = 0f;
        if (sustainedMovementTimer > sustainedMovementTime)
        {
            float zoomProgress = (sustainedMovementTimer - sustainedMovementTime) / sustainedMovementTime;
            targetZoom = Mathf.Min(maxZoomOutDistance, zoomProgress * maxZoomOutDistance);
        }

        // Appliquer le zoom progressivement
        float zoomSpeed = targetZoom > currentZoomLevel ? zoomOutSpeed : zoomInSpeed;
        currentZoomLevel = Mathf.Lerp(currentZoomLevel, targetZoom, Time.deltaTime * zoomSpeed);

        // Appliquer le zoom à la caméra
        if (cam != null)
        {
            cam.orthographicSize = baseOrthographicSize + currentZoomLevel;
        }
        else
        {
            // Pour une caméra en perspective, modifier la position Z
            offset.z = -10f - currentZoomLevel * 2f;
        }
    }

    private void UpdateCameraPosition()
    {
        // Calculer la direction du mouvement
        Vector3 moveDirection = (target.position - lastTargetPosition).normalized;
        lastTargetPosition = target.position;

        // Calculer la position anticipée (look ahead)
        Vector3 targetLookAheadPos = moveDirection * lookAheadFactor;
        lookAheadPos = Vector3.Lerp(lookAheadPos, targetLookAheadPos, Time.deltaTime * dampingFactor);

        // Position cible finale avec offset et look ahead
        Vector3 desiredPosition = target.position + offset + lookAheadPos;

        // Appliquer le smooth damp pour un mouvement fluide
        Vector3 smoothedPosition = Vector3.SmoothDamp(
            transform.position,
            desiredPosition,
            ref velocity,
            smoothSpeed * Time.deltaTime
        );

        // Appliquer les limites de la caméra
        smoothedPosition = ApplyCameraBounds(smoothedPosition);

        // Mettre à jour la position de la caméra
        transform.position = smoothedPosition;
    }

    private Vector3 ApplyCameraBounds(Vector3 position)
    {
        if (target == null) return position;

        Vector3 targetPos = target.position;
        float maxDistance = lookAheadFactor + edgeBuffer + currentZoomLevel;

        float distanceX = Mathf.Abs(position.x - targetPos.x);
        float distanceY = Mathf.Abs(position.y - targetPos.y);

        if (distanceX > maxDistance)
        {
            float sign = Mathf.Sign(position.x - targetPos.x);
            position.x = targetPos.x + (maxDistance * sign);
        }

        if (distanceY > maxDistance)
        {
            float sign = Mathf.Sign(position.y - targetPos.y);
            position.y = targetPos.y + (maxDistance * sign);
        }

        return position;
    }

    public void ResetCamera()
    {
        if (target != null)
        {
            transform.position = target.position + offset;
            velocity = Vector3.zero;
            lookAheadPos = Vector3.zero;
            lastTargetPosition = target.position;
            currentZoomLevel = 0f;
            sustainedMovementTimer = 0f;
            
            if (cam != null)
            {
                cam.orthographicSize = baseOrthographicSize;
            }
        }
    }
}

• Terence

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[Terence]

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Thanks Geoffrey, can you post a video of the smoothed camera effect? That will help people get an understanding of how the effect looks like, so they can decide if they want it in their project.

[Geoffrey]

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I can’t edit but here is the link:

• Terence

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[Terence]

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Thank you Geoffrey. I really love the way your birthday suit hero runs around.

I’ve also fixed the Imgur issue, so your images should be embedding correctly now.

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