custom editor rotation

When you set initial and target rotations for a puzzle in the Scene view, you can rotate the interactable in two ways. This document explains why the optional view-plane modifier was added.

Key Takeaway

Using the view-plane modifier when capturing lets you preview and set rotations the same way the player will experience them during gameplay. See what I mean by watching this video on the helpful videos page (TODO).

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Two Ways to Rotate in the Editor

1. Normal rotation (no modifier)

• Uses Unity’s built-in rotation tool.

• Manipulating the rotational handles makes the object rotate around world axes.

• In the Inspector you often see clean euler angles (e.g. only Y changing when you use the green handle).

2. View-plane rotation (hold your modifier key)

• With the interactable selected (make sure you've selected the parent!), hold the modifier key (e.g. Shift) configured in your Shadow Capture Studio Config (or in the Installation Guide).

• The rotation gizmo switches to view-plane axes.

• The axes are computed from the camera’s view of the object:

  • One axis is “up” on screen (yaw in view space).

  • One is “right” on screen (pitch in view space).

  • One is “into the screen” (roll).

• This matches how WASD / stick rotation works at runtime.

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Why This Matters

Runtime uses view-plane axes

At runtime, when the player holds D or A, the object does not rotate around world Y. It rotates around the axis that is “up” in the camera’s view of the object. So:

• If the camera is level (looking horizontally), that axis is close to world Y → you mainly see Y change in the Inspector.

• If the camera is tilted or from above/below, that “view up” axis has X and Z components → rotating with D/A will change X, Y, and Z in world space, even though the player only pressed one key.

So “turn right” (D) is always “turn right on screen,” not “spin around world up.”

Camera not level

When the camera is not level:

• World-axis rotation (no modifier): Dragging the green handle still only changes world Y. That can look different from what the player will get when they press D.

• View-plane rotation (modifier held): The handle is aligned with the same axes the runtime uses. So the rotation you apply in the editor matches what the player can achieve with WASD.

If you capture initial or target rotation using only the green (world Y) handle, the orientation can still be correct if your interactable aligns with your camera. Using the view-plane modifier when capturing lets you preview and set rotations the same way the player will experience them.

When to Use Which

• No modifier (world axes): Use when you want to set rotation in pure world space (e.g. “exactly 90° around world Y”) or when you don’t care about matching runtime feel.

• Modifier held (view-plane): Use when you want the Scene view rotation to match runtime WASD. Position the Scene view (or use the scene’s Main Camera) like the puzzle camera, then hold the modifier and rotate. The result is consistent with what the player gets when holding a single key.