Code Optimization For Camera Switching

[dreydevman]

hi everyone! I am new to C# and Unity and would like to ask different ways on writing this code:

 public GameObject player;
    public Vector3 offset1st = new Vector3(0, 5, -7);
    public Vector3 offset3rd = new Vector3(0, 0, -7);
    private bool CamSwitch; 

    void Start()
    {
        player = GameObject.Find("Vehicle");
      
    }

    void Update()
    {
        if (Input.GetKeyDown(KeyCode.Space)) {
            CamSwitch = !CamSwitch;
        }

    }
    void LateUpdate()
    {

        if (CamSwitch)
        {
            transform.position = player.transform.position + offset3rd;
        }
        else if (!CamSwitch)
        {
            transform.position = player.transform.position + offset1st;
        }

        
    }

I successfully made this simple code working toggling between Camera’s first and third person view on a driving game. Just wondering if there are better ways to write this.

Looking forward to discuss with you all!

[tleylan]

Well there are few issues with it. The most noticeable is that LateUpdate will execute one of two position changes even when nothing has changed. You probably need a private bool to represent it’s current position.

I can’t actually tell but it appears that having possibly set the player object (it’s public BTW) you actually want the Vehicle game object. If you can assign that rather than Find it you would be slightly better off.

And the formulas you have in LateUpdate are “identical” save the offset used. That can easily be a single line with a ternary operator to determine which offset to use.

[Kurt-Dekker]

@dreydevman

I successfully made this simple code working toggling between Camera’s first and third person view on a driving game.

You really should use Cinemachine. Yes I get that’s just two cams you’re exclusively enabling, but still, Cinemachine baby.

ALSO: this is a huge no-no, as tley hints at above:

@dreydevman

        player = GameObject.Find("Vehicle");

Remember the first rule of GameObject.Find():

Do not use GameObject.Find();

More information: Regarding GameObject.Find · UnityTipsRedux

Why cant i find the other objects?

As Spiney says above, reference it by a master script, like this one I might use for my player: using System.Collections; using System.Collections.Generic; using UnityEngine; // @kurtdekker - put this on the root of your player. // It does NOTHING except give you quick access // to other parts of the player. // // For instance, your player hierarchy might look like: // // PlayerPrefab // VisibleAnimatedGeometry // Weapon1 // Weapon2 // DialogPopup public class …

In general, DO NOT use Find-like or GetComponent/AddComponent-like methods unless there truly is no other way, eg, dynamic runtime discovery of arbitrary objects. These mechanisms are for extremely-advanced use ONLY.

If something is built into your scene or prefab, make a script and drag the reference(s) in. That will let you experience the highest rate of The Unity Way™ success of accessing things in your game.

“Stop playing ‘Where’s GameWaldo’ and drag it in already!”

Here’s why all this stuff is CRAZY code:

SetActive(false) on Start() only working on Unity editor, but not on build target

If the app starts and already has the reference(s) filled in during the loading process by what is saved in the scene, you’re done. Anything else is more steps. More steps is more places for bugs. code doesn’t execute (you misnamed Start() as start() ) code executes too late (something tries to use the reference in Awake() before Start() ) something external (another class) tries to grab it, not realizing Start() hasn’t run yet. mistype the tag tag gets removed tag gets chan…

[dreydevman]

you are indeed correct. I privated the offsets and it works better. I am going to try rewriting it with ternary operation.

Thank you