How to Use Unity Cinemachine Virtual Cameras

Before Unity Cinemachine, camera movement had to be directly set using keyframes or carefully scripted with code.

What is Unity Cinemachine?

In a word, Unity Cinemachine opens up a whole new world of possibilities for animation, design, and game development, as well as for directors working with virtual cameras. It's important to understand that Unity Cinemachine is designed for use with Unity's virtual cameras, not real cameras, although in some situations they can be combined.

When using Cinemachine, you don't need to know how to write code, although for some components coding is still necessary, such as for a zoom script using the mouse wheel. What's even more interesting is that with virtual cameras, you can create complex behaviors in minutes that used to take hours or even days.

This can be an ideal solution for cinematographers who have been looking for a way to fully automate the camera system in a game.

Before Unity Cinemachine, tracking movements or even creating different camera angles in a single scene was a slow and painstaking process. You had to not only create each movement but also fine-tune it.

However, now Cinemachine introduces a whole set of so-called "smart" camera modules that simplify this process.

Cinemachine can do with virtual cameras on your computer what real camera operators can do for a director on the set of a major motion picture. In fact, by using Cinemachine from Unity, you have an entire army of camera operators at your disposal.

Who Might Be Interested in Unity Cinemachine?

Any cinematographer, game developer, artist, or anyone who uses Unity as a tool to create complex behaviors and who has no desire to learn or continue writing code or detailing keyframes day after day.

In short, Unity Cinemachine is a game-changer. It completely changes the landscape of game development, digital animation, and especially in-game camera systems.

Is There a Learning Curve in Cinemachine?

Of course. Just like with any new technological development. However, the way Unity designed Cinemachine makes it streamlined, with a quick learning curve and robust features that make it worth the investment.

What's even better and why more people will likely be interested in using Unity Cinemachine is that it's not a separate program, but a plugin. It plugs directly into Unity software and allows you to get started immediately.

It's easy to install and is a flexible system that allows you to manage all virtual cameras from the start, from initial setup to full immersion in animation. It is designed to unlock the potential of Unity cameras without piling a lot of extra work on your shoulders. Another advantage that may be appealing to those seeking these benefits is that it does not interfere with your current workflow.

All components and behaviors you have already set up in the project you are currently working on will be preserved, and you don't have to do anything. This has long been a bane of creative minds when a new plugin or software update is developed.

You can even store cinematography data so that it doesn't need to be coded directly for the Unity camera you are currently using.

What If You're Not Using Unity?

Then Unity Cinemachine won't be useful to you, but if you are using another system or different software for real-time 3D effects for games, films, or other purposes, Unity will truly elevate the creation process to a whole new level.

Some of the best entertainment and game software developers in the world turn to Unity, so Cinemachine may be so interesting to these creative individuals. Additionally, the Unity camera is an important aspect that must be used for Cinemachine to be useful.

Now that we've covered that, let's look at a few examples of Unity Cinemachine in action.

Unity Cinemachine in Action

Cinemachine is not just for those using multiple cameras. This sets it apart from other software plugins, and the power of Cinemachine lies in its ability to provide many different views using just one camera, while you would need to use multiple cameras otherwise. This allows users to create smoother and more seamless transitions between all these views. Moreover, it requires far less processing power than having many different cameras running simultaneously.

One of the best, earliest, and most striking examples of Cinemachine in action is the Emmy® award-winning short film "Baymax Dreams". It was created by Unity in collaboration with Disney Television Animation. They won the Technology and Engineering Emmy® award for excellence and engineering creativity.

Pros and Cons of Unity Cinemachine

As with almost every software available on the market worldwide today, there are positive and negative sides. The same can be said for Unity Cinemachine. However, the pros far outweigh the cons, especially considering the amount of time that can be saved on coding and keyframing. Let's do a brief overview of some of the positive aspects of the Unity Cinemachine plugin.

Don't forget that previously game creators and developers focused more on functionality, but now, largely due to the addition of Cinemachine cameras, they can spend more time and energy on the entertainment aspect, especially visual attention to detail, than before.

Why We Love Cinemachine

Cinemachine Works Fast.

In other words, it's stable and fast, with the ability to run the entire program in seconds. One common comment from Unity users, especially when it comes to adding Cinemachine as a plugin, is that the program doesn't freeze or lag, even when you are conducting many experiments, especially when importing assets. Adding multiple cameras, deleting and re-importing objects, using extremely high settings, and even lighting do not seem to affect Unity's functionality and performance.

The Results Look Stunning.

Yes, in the past Unity was a bit lacking in interior rendering. However, now with Cinemachine, those interior renders are starting to look simply stunning. Of course, it all depends on what you want to achieve and what original footage you are using as source.

Importing Files Is Very Easy.

Some rendering programs make the file import process difficult. However, Unity accepts FBX files in both binary and ASCII format. While other programs tend to mess with animations (i.e., they can be accidentally modified on import), Unity does not. It recognizes animations automatically. Asset import is not only accurate but also fast. This is a huge plus when it comes to in-game development.

There Are Many Plugins Worth Considering.

Yes, Cinemachine is a plugin for Unity, but what makes this plugin great for this platform is that there are many other plugins that can work with Cinemachine without issues. You can extend editing functionality with a range of assets from the Asset Store, and when you add Cinemachine, you have an incredible, reliable set of tools at your fingertips that not only saves an incredible amount of time but also allows you to create stunning landscapes and amazing, smoothly transitioning scenes for your audience or gamers.

Unity Was Originally Built for Game Developers.

This may not seem like such a big plus for animation designers and film developers, but for game developers it is definitely an advantage. After all, when a program is developed with a specific audience in mind, it is tailored to what game developers want, need, and strive for. Given that, Cinemachine is a feature-rich plugin that was also designed with game developers' wishes in mind. Although subsequent versions of Unity are introducing more features for artists, at its core it is still a game engine. However, now with Cinemachine, you no longer need to code, or at least, you need to code much less.