Detailed Articulation of Feet in Unity3D

I’m following a lot of tutorials, and continue to make progress in Unity3D.

My character’s feet now react better with the environment. Here she is standing casually with each foot at different levels. With the right code attached to each foot, she will adjust her stance automatically, according to the height and angle of whatever surface is beneath her, including slopes, boulders, etc.

The last image shows the person-sized capsule — a cylinder with a half-sphere at the top and bottom — that handles most of the physics for the character (e.g. keeping her from falling through floors or walking through walls). In each case, the capsule is resting on the upper step, and the right foot is extended outside of the capsule.

I’m quite pleased with how the character’s clothes move with her body, though at the moment her hair is like a hard shell — it doesn’t rest on her shoulders or sway when she moves. (I already know how to solve that problem, but for now I can’t be bothered… I’m having more fun learning new things.)

Today I dropped $15 to buy an indie developer’s system for adding a feature I didn’t feel like coding myself: custom footstep sounds as the character walks across different surfaces. It took me longer to download the add-on from the Unity Asset Store’s slow servers than it did to follow the instructions and get it working in my test project.

I do intend to use Unity3D for a sabbatical project, so there will be long-term practical benefits to me as I learn more about this tool; however, for now, I’m just enjoying seeing what I can do when I devote focused time. I’ve already started on my syllabuses for the fall. I intend to get back to that full-time next week.

I continue to be amazed that an amateur like me can create something like this.