Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Orthographic cameras
Every newly created camera object in Unity is, by default, configured as a
perspective camera, unless you change the default settings. This type of camera most
closely corresponds to real-life cameras that have a position within the 3D space, a
curved lens, and employ methods to convert captured images onto a flat, 2D surface,
like a screen. The chief symptom of such a camera is foreshortening, the name given
to the distortion applied to rendered objects. Specifically, rendered objects grow
smaller as they recede into the distance, the shape and appearance of objects change
as they move further from the center of vision, and all parallel lines converge at a
vanishing point somewhere in the distance, whether on the horizon line itself or on a
secondary line. In contrast to perspective cameras, however, there are orthographic
cameras. These are useful for the creation of 2D and truly isometric games and not
just for the semblance of isometric. With orthographic cameras, the lens is flattened
out to a plane, and the result is a loss of foreshortening, that is, parallel lines remain
parallel, objects don't shrink with distance, 2D remains 2D even when moved
away from the center of the view, and so on. You can easily switch a camera from
Perspective
to
Orthographic
using the
Projection
type setting from the Object
Inspector, as shown in the following screenshot:
Changing a Perspective camera to an Orthographic one
