Create a Basic Wandering AI Character in Unity!

Create a Basic Wandering AI Character in Unity!

Table of Contents

  1. Introduction
  2. Downloading the Asset
  3. Importing the Prefab
  4. Setting Up the Animator Controller
  5. Creating the Idle State
  6. Creating the Walk State
  7. Looping the Animations
  8. Adding the Nav Mesh Agent
  9. Baking the Navigation
  10. Creating the Wander AI Script
  11. Setting Public Floats
  12. Setting Private Booleans
  13. Updating the Animator Component
  14. Randomly Rotating and Walking
  15. testing the Script
  16. Conclusion

How to Create a Basic Wandering AI Character

In this Tutorial, we will learn how to create a basic wandering AI character in Unity. We will use a free asset from the Asset Store for this tutorial, so make sure to download and import it into your project. Once imported, we'll find the prefab of our character and add it to the scene. Then, we'll set up the animator controller, create the idle and walk states, and add animations to them. Additionally, we'll add a Nav Mesh Agent and write a Wander AI script to make the character randomly rotate and walk.

1. Introduction

Creating an AI character that wanders around is a common requirement in Game development. In this tutorial, we'll go through the step-by-step process of creating a basic wandering AI character using Unity.

2. Downloading the Asset

To start, we need to download a free asset from the Unity Asset Store. This asset will provide us with a character model and animations that we can use for our tutorial. Once downloaded, import the asset into your Unity project.

3. Importing the Prefab

After importing the asset, navigate to the Package folder and find the prefab of our character. There should be four prefabs available. Choose the appropriate one for your project and drag it into your scene.

4. Setting Up the Animator Controller

Inside the character object, locate the Animator component and open the Animator Controller. By default, it will have a set of animations. We will delete all the animations and start fresh.

5. Creating the Idle State

To create the idle state, right-click in the Animator Controller and choose Create State > Empty. Name this state "Idle" (with a lowercase "i"). This name will be referenced in the script, so make sure to match the names accordingly.

6. Creating the Walk State

Similarly, create another state called "Walk" (with two "a's"). This state will be responsible for the walking animation.

7. Looping the Animations

Locate the idle animation in the package folder and drag it into the Motion field of the Idle state. Repeat the same step for the walk animation and the Walk state. Make sure to check the "Loop Time" and "Loop Pose" options for both animations.

8. Adding the Nav Mesh Agent

To make our character move around, we need to add a Nav Mesh Agent component to it. Add the Nav Mesh Agent component to your character object.

9. Baking the Navigation

In the navigation tab of Unity, click on "Bake" to generate the NavMesh. This will allow our character to navigate around the scene using the Nav Mesh Agent.

10. Creating the Wander AI Script

Create a new C# script called "WanderAI" and open it in your preferred code editor. In this script, we will define the behavior of our wandering AI character.

11. Setting Public Floats

Inside the WanderAI script, set some public floats that will allow you to adjust the character's movement and rotation speed through the inspector.

12. Setting Private Booleans

Set some private booleans to keep track of the character's wandering, rotating left, rotating right, and walking states.

13. Updating the Animator Component

In the Update method of the script, check if the character is not wandering. If so, start the coroutine called "Wander". If the character is rotating right, play the idle animation. If the character is rotating left, also play the idle animation.

14. Randomly Rotating and Walking

Inside the coroutine called "Wander", set random ranges for the rotation and waiting times. Use conditional statements to determine the character's rotation direction and play the corresponding animations.

15. Testing the Script

Drag the WanderAI script onto the character object. Adjust the public floats in the inspector if necessary. Test the scene to see the character stop, play the idle animation, move forward, play the walk animation, and randomly rotate and walk around.

16. Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully created a basic wandering AI character in Unity. Feel free to customize and expand upon this concept for your own projects.

Pros

  • Easy to implement and customize
  • Adds dynamic movement to your game
  • Can be used for various types of AI characters

Cons

  • Limited functionality compared to more advanced AI systems
  • Requires additional scripting for complex behaviors

Highlights

  • Creating a wandering AI character in Unity
  • Using a free asset from the Asset Store
  • Setting up the animator controller
  • Adding animations and looping them
  • Implementing random rotation and walking behavior
  • Testing the functionality of the script

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q: Can I use this tutorial with any character model? A: Yes, you can use this tutorial with any character model. Simply replace the existing character with your own model and adjust the animations accordingly.

Q: Can I customize the wandering behavior of the AI character? A: Yes, you can customize the wandering behavior by modifying the random ranges and waiting times in the WanderAI script.

Q: Can I add additional animations to the character? A: Yes, you can add additional animations to the character as long as they are compatible with the Animator component and you update the script accordingly.

Q: Can I use this tutorial for a 2D game? A: This tutorial is specifically designed for 3D games. However, you can adapt the concepts and apply them to a 2D game with some modifications.

Resources:

  • Unity Asset Store (URL)

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