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Asked: 2025-06-06T06:14:08+05:30

Why isn’t my PlayerCamera object correctly following the character instantiated by GameSceneCharAssignManager in Unity?

I’ve been working on a Unity project, and I’m stumped on this issue with my camera setup. I have a `PlayerCamera` script that’s supposed to follow my character, which is instantiated in the scene by the `GameSceneCharAssignManager`. The problem is that the camera isn’t following the character at all, and I’ve been trying to figure out why.

In my `PlayerCamera` script, I’m checking if the `GameSceneCharAssignManager.instance` and the `selectedChar` are not null, which they never are when I debug them. However, the camera just doesn’t seem to track the player character after it’s instantiated. The `handRef` variable in `PlayerCamera` correctly references the character’s transform, and I can see the debug message confirming that it’s assigned properly.

Here’s a quick recap of the code I have. In `GameSceneCharAssignManager`, I instantiate the character using a saved index from `PlayerPrefs`. This part seems to work, as I’m able to get the correct character based on the stored index.

Then, in the `PlayerCamera` script, I’m trying to set the camera position every frame in the `Update` method to match the character’s position. But for some reason, the camera doesn’t seem to update its position as expected.

I’ve double-checked that both scripts are attached to the correct GameObjects – `PlayerCamera` is on my camera GameObject, and `GameSceneCharAssignManager` is on an empty GameObject meant to manage the character.

Honestly, it feels like I’m missing something really obvious, but I can’t put my finger on it. Is there something I’m overlooking, perhaps in how the camera should follow the character? Could it be a timing issue with when the character is instantiated versus when the camera starts trying to follow it? Any insights would be super helpful because I’m stuck!

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    2 Answers

    1. It sounds like you’re running into a classic issue with camera following in Unity. Here are a few things you can check to help you troubleshoot:

      • Check Update Method: Make sure that in your PlayerCamera script, you are updating the camera’s position in the Update method correctly. It should look something like this:

        void Update() {
    if (GameSceneCharAssignManager.instance != null && GameSceneCharAssignManager.instance.selectedChar != null) {
        Transform target = GameSceneCharAssignManager.instance.selectedChar.transform; 
        transform.position = new Vector3(target.position.x, target.position.y + offsetY, target.position.z - distanceZ);
    }
}

        Make sure you are using the right offset to get the camera to the right height and distance from your character.

      • Timing Issue: If the camera starts trying to follow the character before it’s instantiated, it won’t find the character to follow. To address this, you might want to ensure that you are setting the camera’s target after the character is fully instantiated. One way to do this is to use a coroutine in your GameSceneCharAssignManager that waits for a frame or two before calling the camera to start following.

        IEnumerator StartFollowing() {
    yield return new WaitForEndOfFrame(); // Wait for the character to be fully instantiated
    PlayerCamera.instance.SetTarget(selectedChar.transform);  // Example function to set the target
}
      • Null Checks: Although you mentioned that your selectedChar is not null, make sure that you are checking the right variable. You may consider placing debug log statements within your update method in the camera script to confirm whether it’s actually reaching them.

        Debug.Log(GameSceneCharAssignManager.instance.selectedChar != null ? "Character found!" : "Character is null!");
      • Camera Settings: Ensure that the camera’s settings allow it to see the character. Check the camera’s position in the scene view to make sure it’s not blocked by anything.
      • Layer Visibility: Check if the camera’s culling mask is set appropriately to see your character. Sometimes, layers can cause the camera not to render certain objects.

      Try these tips out, and hopefully, your camera will start following your character as intended. Good luck!

    2. It sounds like you’re probably running into an initialization or execution order problem. Even though your debug logs seem fine, the camera script might be attempting to follow the player before the player’s transform is fully initialized or correctly positioned in the scene. Instead of updating the camera’s position in the Update() method, try using LateUpdate(). Unity recommends moving cameras in LateUpdate() because it executes after all the other scripts’ Update methods have completed. This ensures your camera always tracks the most recent character position.

      If using LateUpdate() still doesn’t fix the issue, double-check that you’re correctly updating the camera’s position by setting its coordinates explicitly, such as transform.position = handRef.position + cameraOffset;. Additionally, confirm your camera is not accidentally parented or positioned incorrectly in the scene hierarchy, restricting its movement. If none of these suggestions resolve the problem, ensure there are no other scripts or animations overriding the camera’s position. Carefully reviewing script execution order in Unity’s Project Settings might also help identify conflicts or unintended timing issues between initialization scripts and gameplay scripts.