- Installing Unity
- Getting to Know the Unity Editor
- Navigating the Unity Scene View
- Summary
- Q&A
- Workshop
- Exercise
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Navigating the Unity Scene View
The Scene view gives you a lot of control over the construction of a game. The ability to place and modify items visually is very powerful. None of this is very useful, though, if you cannot move around inside the scene. This section covers a couple different ways to change your position and navigate the Scene view.
The Hand Tool
The Hand tool (hotkey: Q) provides a simple way to move about the Scene view with the mouse (see Figure 1.14). This tool is especially useful if you are using a mouse with only a single button (because other methods require a two-button mouse). Table 1.1 briefly explains each of the Hand tool controls. (Don’t worry about the other buttons next to the Hand tool yet. They are covered a little bit later.)
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FIGURE 1.14 The Hand tool.
TABLE 1.1 The Hand Tool Controls
Action |
Effect |
Click-drag |
Drags the camera around the scene |
Hold Alt and click-drag |
Orbits the camera around the current pivot point |
Hold Ctrl (Command on Mac) and right-click-drag |
Zooms the camera |
You can find all the Unity hotkeys at http://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/UnityHotkeys.html.
Flythrough Mode
Flythrough mode enables you to move about the scene using a traditional first-person control scheme. This mode feels like home for anyone who plays first-person games (such as first-person shooters). If you don’t play those games, this mode might take a little getting used to. Once you become familiar with it, though, it will be second nature.
Holding down the right mouse button while your mouse cursor is over the Scene view puts you into Flythrough mode. All the actions laid out in Table 1.2 require that the right mouse button be held down.
TABLE 1.2 Flythrough Mode Controls
Action |
Effect |
Move the mouse |
Causes the camera to pivot, which gives the feeling of “looking around” within the scene. |
Press the WASD keys |
The WASD keys move you about the scene. Each key corresponds with a direction: forward, left, back, and right, respectively. |
Press the QE keys |
The QE keys move you up and down, respectively, within the scene. |
Hold Shift while pressing the WASD or QE keys |
Has the same effect as using the WASD or QE keys but much faster. Consider Shift to be your “sprint” button. |
TIP: ADDITIONAL LEARNING
When using the New Project or Open Project dialog, your eyes may have magically been draw to the Learn button present there (see Figure 1.15). Clicking that button displays Unity’s new learning resources. These resources are a fantastic augmentation and are well worth your time if you’d like even more practice getting to know the basics of the Unity engine. (I am a little biased: I helped make them.)
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FIGURE 1.15 The Learn section of the Project dialog.