Unity Primitives and Transform controls
Last updated
Last updated
Unity can work with any 3D models of any shape that can be created with a modelling software. But there are a few primitive objects that can be created within Unity, namely Cube, Sphere, Capsule, Cylinder, Plane, Quad, etc.
You can create any of these by selecting GameObject > 3D Object > -- Or you can right-click on the hierarchy window > 3D Object > --
Creates a cube with each side 1 unit in length. It can be used as a box of any dimension or as a place holder for programmers to test mechanics.
Creates a sphere of unit diameter (radius - 0.5 units)
This is a simple cylinder, 2 units tall and 1 unit wide.
This is a flat surface, 10 units long and placed on the XZ plane of the local coordinate system.
The quad is a one unit long primitive, though it looks like the plane, it is smaller, renders 2 sides unlike the plane which renders only top side and is oriented in the local XY axis.
In order to test the Transform Controls, add a primitive object so you can't really test transform controls on an empty scene.
You'll find the transform controls on the top-left corner of the Unity Editor. The first tool is the " Hand Tool".
Select the Hand tool, then drag over the Scene view to pan the entire scene:
Right-click and drag to rotate the camera around your current position; notice that the hand icon transforms into an eye:
Next, hold down Ctrl (or Cmd) and Alt (or Option), right-click and move the mouse up to zoom into the scene. Moving the mouse down zooms out. Or if you want do it the easy way, just use the scroll wheel:
The Translate tool lets you select and position a GameObject in the scene:
You’ll notice when you select a GameObject while the Translate Tool is active, you’ll see three colored arrows growing from its centre. These arrows indicate the three-dimensional axes of the object: the x-axis is the red arrow, the y-axis is the green arrow, and the z-axis is the blue arrow:
Note: this group of three colored arrows are known as a gizmo in Unity-speak. A gizmo is 3D geometry or texture that provides information regarding the GameObject.
In this case, the gizmo indicates the direction of each axis. As you learn more about Unity, you’ll be able to add your own gizmos to indicate things.The great thing about gizmos is they’re only displayed in the Scene View, and you can turn them off when they’re no longer needed.
The third button is the Rotate Tool, which lets you rotate any object.
You’ll notice three spherical colored lines when you select an object to rotate; these lines indicate the axis to rotate around. Simply select the line and drag your mouse to rotate the GameObject. To free rotate without being constrained to an axis, select the space between the lines and move your mouse:
Now try selecting one of the coloured lines and move your mouse to rotate it in that specific axis.
Next is the Scale Tool
The Scale tool lets you scale a GameObject either along a single axis, or proportionately on all axes.
To scale an object along an axis, select the GameObject then drag the square end of an axis line; the GameObject will scale along that axis. To scale the entire GameObject, select the centre point of the GameObject and drag the mouse either forwards or backwards to scale the GameObject up or down respectively:
The shortcut keys for the Hand Tool is - Q, translate is W, rotate is E, and scale is R. So, for any transform control, you can use " Q, W, E and R" to easily get things done.
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