Neesarg Banglawala
Software Development
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Third-Person Camera System
The goal of my thesis was to architect controller is in charge of moving the
smart and aesthetically pleasing camera curves to give the best-suited movement
a camera system that would enable
movements. The motivation behind this
project came from some of my favorite
characteristics to a camera.
action-adventure games like Tomb Raider, One of the most crucial things I learned
the camera affects the player experience is the importance of good debugging
Uncharted and The Last of Us, in which
deeply at many levels. My thesis project
uses a game engine that I personally
developed at SMU Guildhall. Development
time of the project was about seven to
eight months.
My camera system allows a designer to
code custom camera behaviors, camera
constraints, and motion controllers. As
in the process of developing this project
tools, especially for a camera system.
Because there are multiple behavior
logics, raycasts, collisions, and physics
calculations all happening at the same
time, being able to visualize exactly what’s
happening is very important to identify the
root of any malfunction. To do so, I heavily
relied on my debug renderer.
the name suggests, a camera behavior A good camera is critical for any
For example, follow camera, shoulder significantly expanded my knowledge in
dictates how a camera would behave.
view camera, and freelook camera are
commonly used camera behaviors in
third-person games. Camera constraints
are a set of rules that can be applied
to a camera behavior. Lastly, a motion
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camera; it can use different easing
SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT
third-person game. This project has
this problem space. Any game director
would agree on this: if the player does not
notice the camera, that means you have
done your job right.