Free Look

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Choose the first-person Free Look View Type when the player should look around without automatically rotating the character or redirecting the character’s item. Pair it with the First Person Free Look Movement Type so movement and character rotation remain independent of camera yaw.

Free Look works well for observation, body-aware interaction, mounted movement, and games where the weapon or character keeps its own forward direction while the player glances elsewhere. Use Combat when the camera, character facing, reticle, and item-use direction should stay aligned like a conventional first-person game.

Set up the camera and character

  1. Select the camera with the Camera Controller component and expand View Types.
  2. Use the add control and select First Person Free Look.
  3. Select its radio button in the Active column. When the camera also has third-person View Types, select Free Look in First Person View Type.
  4. Select the character and open Ultimate Character Locomotion > Movement Types.
  5. Add First Person Free Look if it is not already present, select its radio button in the Active column, and choose it in First Person Movement Type when both perspectives are available.
  6. Configure horizontal and vertical look mappings through Input.
  7. Enter Play Mode and compare camera yaw, character facing, movement, aiming, and item direction before tuning inherited camera motion.

The First Person Free Look Movement Type leaves the movement input vector unchanged and reports that the character can look independently of its Transform rotation.

Configure yaw limits and correction

  • Yaw Limit sets the minimum and maximum camera yaw relative to the current base rotation. A range narrower than 360 degrees constrains the view; a full 360-degree range allows unrestricted yaw.
  • Yaw Limit Lerp Speed controls how quickly the camera is corrected toward the nearest valid limit when input would move it out of range.
  • Base Rotation Type determines what rotates the frame used by the yaw limits.

Yaw Limit Lerp Speed does not automatically recenter the view to zero. It corrects an out-of-range yaw back to the configured boundary. Character-relative recentering comes from the selected base rotation, while aim-relative character alignment is controlled separately by the Movement Type.

Choose a base rotation by scenario

Base Rotation Type Use it when Observable result
None The permitted look arc should remain in its current world-relative orientation. Character or platform rotation does not rotate the camera’s yaw baseline.
Rotate With Character The player should keep the same relative glance direction as the character turns. Character rotation moves the yaw baseline while the camera retains its local Free Look offset.
Rotate With Moving Platform The view should stay relative to a platform while the character stands on it. Platform rotation moves the camera baseline; off the platform, the previous base remains until another change affects it.

Use a narrow Yaw Limit for a head-turn or glance mechanic. Use a wide or full range for free observation. Increase Yaw Limit Lerp Speed for a firmer boundary and reduce it for a softer correction, then test rapid input at both ends of the range.

Choose aiming behavior

The matching First Person Free Look Movement Type adds Rotate With Camera On Aim:

  • Leave it disabled when aiming should preserve the character’s independent forward direction.
  • Enable it when input-started Aim should rotate the character toward the Camera Controller’s gameplay look direction.

This option changes the character only while the Aim ability is active from player input. It does not turn ordinary look input into Combat behavior.

Free Look item direction is based on the first-person objects when they exist, or the Camera Controller anchor otherwise, rather than automatically using the freely rotated camera Transform. Test the actual item, reticle, and animation together; the visible camera can point somewhere different from the item’s forward direction by design.

Configure inherited first-person settings

Free Look inherits its overlay rendering, field-of-view, springs, bob, shake, pitch limits, and head tracking from First Person.

Scenario Inherited settings to check
Arms and items must stay visible near walls Object Overlay Render Type, culling masks, and first-person field of view
Crouching or animated head motion changes the camera height Smooth Head Offset Steps, Look Down Offset, Position Lower Vertical Limit, and Collision Radius
Movement, landing, or recoil should affect the view Primary and Secondary Springs, Bob, Shake, fall impact, and strafe roll
Pitch should remain comfortable while yaw is independent Pitch Limit, head rotation, and camera offsets

Establish independent yaw and item direction with procedural motion minimized. Restore springs, bob, shake, and head rotation one at a time after the gameplay relationship is correct.

Compare with Combat

Option Camera relationship Character rotation Item and gameplay look
Free Look Camera yaw can move independently within its limits. Ordinary look input does not rotate the character; optional Aim alignment can do so. Uses the first-person object or anchor direction, so it may differ from camera forward.
Combat Camera yaw and character facing stay coordinated. The matching Combat Movement Type rotates the character toward camera look. Reticle, facing, and item-use direction are intended to agree.

If a player expects every centered reticle action to follow camera forward, Combat is usually the clearer choice. If looking and acting in different directions is intentional, communicate both directions through the reticle, item pose, or other game feedback.

Verify in Play Mode

  1. Stand still and rotate to both yaw limits. The camera should stop or ease back at each boundary without rotating the character.
  2. Move forward, backward, left, and right while looking to the side. Movement should remain relative to the character’s orientation rather than the freely rotated camera.
  3. Set Base Rotation Type to each mode the project uses, then rotate the character or a moving platform. Confirm that only the selected source rotates the yaw baseline.
  4. Aim with Rotate With Camera On Aim disabled and enabled. Confirm that input-started Aim aligns the character only in the enabled case.
  5. Equip and use each relevant item while looking away from its facing direction. Confirm that project feedback communicates the actual item-use direction.
  6. Look through the full pitch range, crouch, jump, land, zoom, and approach a wall. Inherited rendering, head tracking, and camera motion should remain controlled.
  7. If both perspectives are present, switch away and back. Free Look, its local yaw, and the configured first-person Movement Type should resume without an unexpected snap.

Troubleshooting

Symptom Check Fix
The character turns whenever the camera turns. Combat may be active, or Rotate With Camera On Aim may be enabled during Aim. Activate Free Look on both camera and character; disable the Aim option when alignment is not wanted.
The camera rotates beyond the intended arc. Yaw Limit may span 360 degrees or use the wrong minimum and maximum. Set the intended range, then test both boundaries with rapid input.
The camera hits a yaw boundary too sharply or too slowly. Yaw Limit Lerp Speed controls boundary correction. Tune the speed at both limits; do not expect it to recenter to zero.
Character rotation unexpectedly changes the camera’s look arc. Base Rotation Type may be Rotate With Character. Choose None for a world-relative base or the platform mode for platform-relative behavior.
A rotating platform leaves the camera behind. The base may not follow the moving platform. Choose Rotate With Moving Platform and verify the character is detected on that platform.
The item fires somewhere other than camera center. Free Look intentionally separates camera forward from item or anchor direction. Use Combat when camera-centered firing is required, or adjust the project’s reticle and feedback to show the true direction.
Look input does not rotate the camera. Player Input mappings, cursor state, or the active View Type may be incorrect. Verify Input and confirm Free Look is selected in the Active column.
Arms, items, or the body clip into the view. Inherited overlay, head tracking, offsets, or collision settings may not fit the character. Follow the rendering and head-tracking checks on First Person.

Developer details

FreeLook is a serializable FirstPerson View Type with a recommended First Person Free Look Movement Type and the default Zoom state. The current API uses BaseRotationType with None, RotateWithCharacter, and RotateWithMovingPlatform; the old RotateWithCharacter Boolean is obsolete.

When Free Look activates, ChangeViewType calculates yaw relative to the character so switching into the option preserves the current view. Rotate constrains yaw only when the configured span is less than 360 degrees, then updates the base from the character or moving platform when requested. LookDirection raycasts along the first-person object rotation, falling back to the Camera Controller anchor when no first-person objects exist.

The paired Movement Type returns independent look behavior and listens for input-started Aim. With Rotate With Camera On Aim enabled, it rotates the character toward the Camera Controller look direction only while that Aim state is active.