Simple Car Controller in Unity (Copy Script)

Summary

This Unity tutorial teaches you how to create a simple car controller and a camera that smoothly follows the car, all without writing any code. The tutorial covers setting up wheel colliders, adding a rigidbody for physics, and configuring the car's driving parameters. It also introduces the Cinemachine package to make the camera follow the car with smooth motion. With detailed step-by-step instructions, this tutorial is perfect for beginners looking to get their car simulation up and running quickly and easily, using Unity's built-in tools and assets.

Takeaways

• 😀 Use any car model with four separate wheel meshes to create the car controller.
• 😀 Add a box collider to the root object of the car and ensure it doesn’t touch the ground for proper wheel interaction.
• 😀 Attach a rigidbody to the root object to apply physics to the car.
• 😀 Create and position wheel colliders at each of the car’s wheels (front-left, front-right, rear-left, rear-right).
• 😀 Adjust the wheel collider’s radius and position to match the car’s wheels, ensuring proper alignment.
• 😀 Create a CarController script, which can be found in the description, and attach it to the car's root object.
• 😀 Assign the correct values to the CarController script, including motor force, brake force, and max steer angle.
• 😀 Set the rigidbody mass to around 1300 to avoid the car floating or behaving unrealistically.
• 😀 Fix car flipping by adjusting the spring and damper values of the wheel colliders.
• 😀 Install the Cinemachine package to create a smooth camera that follows the car.
• 😀 Set up the camera with a follow point on the car and adjust the follow offset and damping for smoother tracking.

Q & A

What is the purpose of adding a box collider to the car's root object?

The box collider helps define the car's physical boundaries for collision detection, ensuring the car interacts correctly with the environment and other objects in Unity.

Why is it important that the box collider does not touch the ground?

The collider should not touch the ground because the wheels of the car need to handle the collision with the ground. If the box collider interferes, the car's physics and controller won't work properly.

What role does the rigidbody play in the car's setup?

The rigidbody component is essential for applying physics to the car, allowing it to respond to forces like gravity, collisions, and user input for movement and rotation.

How do wheel colliders function in this setup?

Wheel colliders are special colliders used to simulate the wheels of the car. They handle the physical interaction of the wheels with the ground, including steering and suspension, and are essential for the car controller's operation.

What is the purpose of the 'Car Controller' script?

The 'Car Controller' script controls the movement of the car by responding to user input (e.g., W, A, S, D for steering and driving). It handles parameters like motor force, brake force, and steering angle to simulate realistic car physics.

Why does the car flip easily after adding the controller, and how can this be fixed?

The car flips easily because the wheel colliders' spring and damper values are too low, making the car unstable. Doubling the spring and damper values helps stabilize the car and prevent it from flipping too easily.

What is the purpose of the Cinemachine package in this tutorial?

The Cinemachine package is used to create a smooth camera system that follows the car. It allows for an easy, customizable camera setup without needing to write custom camera scripts.

How does the camera follow the car, and what adjustments are made for a smoother view?

The camera follows the car using a virtual camera created with Cinemachine. The 'follow point' is positioned above the car, and the camera's follow offset is adjusted to give a more natural, smooth view by setting it to (0, 1.2, -6) and reducing horizontal damping to 0.

What should be done if the camera behavior feels unnatural after setting it up?

If the camera behavior feels unnatural, you can adjust the follow offset and damping settings. In the tutorial, the follow offset is set to (0, 1.2, -6) to give a better perspective, and horizontal damping is set to 0 to reduce camera lag and make the movement smoother.

How can you ensure the car controller works correctly after adding the car's rigidbody?

After adding the rigidbody, ensure that the car's mass is set correctly. The tutorial suggests setting the rigidbody mass to around 1300 kg to make the car's physics realistic and prevent issues like it being too light to drive properly.