Best way to achieve a billboard

jeancallisti

The goal is to create a 3D game where all the characters are 2D sprites, always facing the camera (i.e. "billboard").
The controls are a classic point-n-click system.

I've narrowed it down to one of two scenarios :

Solution 1 (manual):
- Create a 3D game (Evil Lair assets)
- Create a player character from an empty node using the Character wizard
- Create a "2D sprite" child to the player node.
- Drop that sprite into the "sprite child" slot of the player Component
- Add any simple "billboard" C# script to the sprite node , to make it always face the camera.

Solution 2 (using built-in AC features)
- Create a 3D game (Evil Lair assets)
- Create a player character from an empty node using the Character wizard
- Create a "2D sprite" child to the player node.
- Drop that sprite into the "sprite child" slot of the player Component
- Change "Rotate sprite to" to "Camera facing direction" or "Full camera rotation" depending on my esthetic taste.

I really really want to use solution #2 because it seems perfectly tailored to my needs
QUESTION: Is it some sort of trap? Does Solution #2 actually work? In particular, will it mess with the actual direction that the player is facing and sabotage the navigation system?
My instinct dictates that solution #1 seems more reliable because it only turns the sprite itself, not the whole player node. But maybe I'm overthinking this!

ChrisIceBox

The purpose of the "sprite child" is to allow for such billboarding, without interfering with turning and navigation in 3D space. The character's root object is able to move around in 3D, while the 2D sprite child faces the camera independently.

I would recommend starting with #2 and see if you encounter issues. Bear in mind that you needn't start with an empty GameObject - if you place a Sprite in the scene, and assign that in the Character Wizard, AC will automatically assign it as the new character's "Sprite child".

Just be sure to check Turn root object in 3D? in the Player component once the character has been created. The Character Wizard should do this for you, but doesn't currently - I'll address this in the next AC update.