Smooth Follow script and z axis

Questions & Answers
1

hello i would like for the camera to smooth follow on the z axis aswell as the other axises whilst looking at my spaceship from a certain distance. The other axis works fines but z is causing me difficulties

var target : Transform;
var distance = 5.0;
var height = 5.0;
var heightDamping = 2.0;
var rotationDamping = 3.0;

@script AddComponentMenu("Camera-Control/Smooth Follow")

function LateUpdate () {
// Early out if we don't have a target
if (!target)
	return;

// Calculate the current rotation angles
var wantedRotationAngleY = target.eulerAngles.y;
var currentRotationAngleY = transform.eulerAngles.y;

var wantedRotationAngleX = target.eulerAngles.x;
var currentRotationAngleX = transform.eulerAngles.x;

var wantedRotationAngleZ = target.eulerAngles.z;
var currentRotationAngleZ = transform.eulerAngles.z;

// Damp the rotation around the y-axis
currentRotationAngleY = Mathf.LerpAngle (currentRotationAngleY, wantedRotationAngleY, rotationDamping * Time.deltaTime);
currentRotationAngleX = Mathf.LerpAngle (currentRotationAngleX, wantedRotationAngleX, rotationDamping * Time.deltaTime);
currentRotationAngleZ = Mathf.LerpAngle (currentRotationAngleZ, wantedRotationAngleZ, rotationDamping * Time.deltaTime);

// Damp the height
//currentHeight = Mathf.Lerp (currentHeight, wantedHeight, heightDamping * Time.deltaTime);

// Convert the angle into a rotation
var currentRotation = Quaternion.Euler (currentRotationAngleX, currentRotationAngleY, currentRotationAngleZ);

// Set the position of the camera on the x-z plane to:
// distance meters behind the target
transform.position = target.position;
transform.position -= currentRotation * Vector3.forward * distance;
transform.rotation= currentRotation ;


// Always look at the target
transform.LookAt (target);

}

3

problem solved.

this was causing the problem from the above code

transform.LookAt (target);

i am assuming it always makes you look at the target at an exact z rotation

2

I tried creating a camera like this before but I also got stumped on the Z-axis, but there’s a script called “SmoothFollow” in the Standard Assets folder that does the trick!

4

Just modifying the original script like that doesn’t allow you to properly set height anymore, and the camera freaks out at certain angles because they’re using the euler angles. Here’s my solution:

			//Get relevant rotations
		Quaternion currentRotation=transform.rotation;
		Quaternion wantedRotation=target.rotation;
		
		//Lerp to new rotation
		Quaternion newRotation=Quaternion.Lerp(currentRotation, wantedRotation, rotationDamping*Time.deltaTime);
		
		//set rotation
		transform.rotation=newRotation;
		
		//set position: back distance, up height
		transform.position=target.position-(transform.forward*distance)+(target.up*height);