Cameras and animation

Camera fly-throughs are animations in which the camera is moved and rotated over time across specific positions to create a cinematic. Their importance is primarily to create cut-scenes, though not exclusively. It can be useful for the creation of stylized third-person cameras and other top-down views in which the camera motion must be mapped in a specific and deliberated way. One of the most common methods to create a camera motion like this is to predefine them either using Unity's animation editor or third-party tools such as Maya, Blender, and 3DS Max. However, there are times when more programmatic control is required over the camera to adjust its position manually, away from an average center, using smooth, curved motions, passing through a series of points or following a specific and predefined route. This section considers three approaches.

Follow cameras

Perhaps, one of the most common camera needs is a follow camera, that is, a camera that tracks a specified...