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A/V [ WOOT ] -- *Snapcam NAVIGATION STUDIO - 2.1*

Discussion in 'Tools In Progress' started by awesomedata, Sep 4, 2017.

  1. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    NAVIGATION STUDIO is the original suite of navigation tools and systems designed to completely-overhaul the Unity Editor (and Game World!) navigation experiences, with a laser-focused eye toward effortless world-editing and design processes for large or complex game worlds!

    Not only does it entirely change the way you move around Unity scenes by offering comfortable, direct viewport navigation controls, it also offers other highly-innovative navigation options (including its own namesake "Snap" points -- which zip you across to any point in your world, no matter how far away or in how tight of a spot it happens to be!), using nothing more than a click (Grid Navigator) or a flick of the wrist (Snap Navigator)! The included "Navigators" that enable this functionality can be quickly customized to allow you to move around exactly the way you'd want, leading to a custom navigation style that ultimately suits the specific editing AND visualization needs of your game AND your favorite plugins!

    Snapcam NAVIGATION STUDIO can even be used in large 2D isometric or orthographic games like Metroidvanias, epic topdown RPGs, First Person Shooters (FPS), or anything with expansive worlds or tight geometry you need to be able to navigate around quickly and easily.


    Editor Navigators (Currently Availaible):

    ORIGINAL-interface-screen.png



    Upcoming Navigators:


    The "Adventure" and the "WStream" Navigators are coming soon! -- For now, it's a secret as to what they do...

    I will only say that Snapcam has, up until now, been focused on the Editor navigation experience... but I want Snapcam to be MORE! -- Now it's time for bringing that same innovation to navigating your game-design...!


    ^___~​


     
    Last edited: Jun 25, 2018
  2. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    The "Navigator" Introduction

    At first glance, the "Navigators" found in NAVIGATION STUDIO appear to just be "windows" that don't do much. However, the "simplicity" is only a facade -- they have tons of functionality under their surface.

    Much of each Navigator's beauty is not as much in what it DOES, but what in it does WITHOUT. For example, the Snap Navigator proves there is no need for a heavy interface (with lots of buttons or sliders shoved in your face) or tons of hard-to-remember (finger-tying) shortcuts! -- If you've used a Navigator once, you'll never forget how to use it again, nor will you want to ever use anything else in its place.


    Let's see why...


    Snap Navigator

    FastWorkflow_1.jpg

    FastWorkflow_2.jpg



    FollowPath_1.jpg

    FollowPath_2.jpg


    Grid Navigator

    ORIGINAL-gridnavigator.png




    (...continued below!)
     
    Last edited: May 11, 2018
  3. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    (...continued from above!)




    View Navigator

    This Navigator doesn't really have a "window" (unless you call its "Scene" viewport options a "window") -- BUT! -- It's the most ESSENTIAL Navigator offered for the Editor since its sole purpose is to make direct viewport camera motion effortless to control! -- (I'll include some gifs soon to show this in action!)






    Snap/Grid/View Navigators -- All Work Together!

    Tight-Spots!.jpg




    More than meets the eye!!


    Transformers!!!

    Oh... Uhh.. I got carried away there.. Yeah.. What I meant to say was...


    Hidden Functionality (fun).png



    For example...​



    More CTRL!!.jpg

    Camera-to-Scene.jpg
     
    Last edited: May 11, 2018
  4. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    The "Navigators" currently included in NAVIGATION STUDIO are:


    Snap Navigator -- It's like having the little "Navigator" window from Photoshop (the thumbnail view of your entire 2D document with a red rectangle in it that helps navigate while zoomed in) -- except for your *entire 3D scene* instead!!

    To manage this lofty goal, Snapcam allows you to define certain places and camera angles in your scene where the bulk of designing/editing will take place, and instead of dragging a rectangle around, sometimes very imprecisely if you're zoomed in (because you obviously want finer control, right?), with Snapcam, you simply drag a slider left and right to get you exactly where you want to be in your huge 3D (or 2D!) world.

    Snapcam actually is an *improvement* on the 2D Photoshop design for the reasons mentioned above, and as such, it can be used in 2D games, like Metroidvanias, epic topdown RPGs, or really anything with large expansive worlds!


    Grid Navigator -- A fast way to access your "snaps" with a single key. No need to fiddle with a slider. This streamlined interface acts as either a pop-up that disappears when you click your snap location's thumbnail, or a separate window you can tuck around your workspace anywhere you wish (especially useful if you have multiple monitors!)


    View Navigator -- Deceptively "hidden" feature in the screenshots, this navigator literally allows you to navigate better. And as an added bonus, it also provides workarounds for all SORTS of strange navigation-related editor quirks (i.e. parts of objects being weirdly culled). Fly through tight corridors like a boss, or just cruise across your huge multi-part world with nice speed controls, easily tweaked by a simple flick of your mousewheel. -- You can even reverse the camera with Alt at anytime (while flying).

    Need a better view? -- Middle-click and drag to fine-tune your view by panning in world-space (instead of screen-space) and use the Pan speed control slider to adjust the distance you pan at any moment. Finally, use the "Snap Navigator" to set any scene camera to the current viewport position (or set the viewport position to any camera!) to get the perfect shots everytime!

    OrbitCam.png

    Orbit objects by holding Space and moving your mouse, then "dolly" zoom in/out using the wheel. If you don't want to zoom in on an object but just want to "dolly" zoom in the direction of the camera, just hold Alt and roll the mousewheel.

    OrbitZoom.png

    2D and Orthographic views are now supported as well! Feel free to zoom and snap away to your heart's content! -- The configurable zoom-speed sliders don't hurt either! :D

    2DZoomSpeed.png





    There is SO much more to come with NAVIGATION STUDIO, so stay tuned!


    In the meantime, here is what's in the pipeline:

    - Adventure Navigator
    - WStream Navigator



    And much more!
     

    Attached Files:

    Last edited: Jun 28, 2018
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  5. syscrusher

    syscrusher

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    So, for those who do not have Photoshop, how would you describe the way it works? I get the part about saving camera positions as favorites then returning, but I'm unclear on that little window and slider. Sorry for being dense, but I've never used Photoshop.
     
  6. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Thanks for your question. I can see how this could be confusing, so thanks for bringing it up! -- I'll try my best to explain!

    To begin with, that little window and slider IS where you load/save/replace your camera positions. All you do is middle-click on the thumbnail to save the current viewport location/orientation to the slider. Drag the slider back and forth to change the viewport position to the ones you saved. You can hold CTRL to simply *select* another position while dragging the slider and right-click to do something with it from the context-menu.

    The purpose of the Navigator window in Photoshop is to give you an overview of your entire drawing/photo/etc. (via the scaled down thumbnail of the whole image) so that you may then "Navigate" to various areas to quickly work on details while zoomed-in.

    Snapcam is the same concept, but done with the assumption that some parts of the scene are more "important" than others. So, although the interfaces look nearly identical, they function radically different because only Snapcam accounts for 3D positions. Snapcam, for example, does not use the red rectangle or zoom level to determine Navigation -- it uses the "Snap" points you define with your middle mouse button, and stores these in the slider below with a helpful thumbnail to help you remember where you were when you saved that location, in case you simply want to select and remove it or something, rather than actually go there.

    Does this help any?

    Let me know if you have any more questions or if I've only confused you more lol!
     
    Last edited: Oct 6, 2017
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  7. RuinsOfFeyrin

    RuinsOfFeyrin

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    @syscrusher

    The little window and slider is used to preview your snap points. As you start to add more snap points you may not remember what ever one of them is. So the slider allows you to slide through all your snap points, and the little window provides a preview of what it looks like from that snap point allowing you to quickly preview all of your snap points to see the one you want.

    @awesomedata

    Here is an idea that may be handy. Either a button, menu option, or some sort of key stroke that brings up a window that shows you a preview from ALL of your snap locations at one time. Kinda like a security guard watching a bunch of tv screens.
     
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  8. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    I really like that idea. I'll implement it in the next version! Thanks! :)

    Seems like it would be really great for someone with a large screen (unlike me!) I'll see if there's a way to handle this on multi-screen setups. I might have to create a settings window too, in order to handle size maximums or something. Great idea though!
     
  9. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    @RuinsOfFeyrin & @syscrusher

    Been thinking about it and I plan to add 2 other major features, but I'm wondering if they're too far out of the scope of Snapcam in your opinion. I don't want to create a bloated package with lots of stuff people will just use other (possibly free) assets on. Here's what I was thinking:

    1) Palette for gameobject placement you can temporarily store gameobjects to for fast placement in your scene.

    Also:

    2) Tools for moving the camera around manually but with speed control features and easier vertical movement. Possibly a better fly through mode. Definitely a better orbit, with mouse wheel zooming when selecting gameobjects. Control suggestions are very welcome!!

    Thoughts?
     
    Last edited: Oct 7, 2017
  10. syscrusher

    syscrusher

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    Yeah, that helps a lot. Thanks! That's totally unlike how I was [mis-]understanding it from the other postings. :) Much clearer now.
     
  11. syscrusher

    syscrusher

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    On reading the clarification @awesomedata kindly posted for my question, your suggestion also occurred to me as a useful addition. It's basically a 2D equivalent of the slider's 1D behavior. BTW, your analogy to the security guard camera is a great way of explaining the idea, so @awesomedata if you decide to implement, please consider using that in the docs. :)
     
    awesomedata likes this.
  12. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Two new features ready:
    • Grid Navigator -- (nearing release on the Asset Store as part of Snapcam!) -- will be the new solution for fast camera travel for both dual-monitor setups, as well as tiny screens like mine, simultaneously!
    • Clear All Snaps -- intended for the initial release, but forgotten due to Asset Store new asset upload process being a nightmare!

    Take a look at Grid Navigator (and Snapcam!) in action:

     
    Last edited: Apr 13, 2018
  13. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Fixed the volume issue (hopefully!) in the video showing Snapcam's use!

    Remember, you can hold CTRL at any point while moving around with the "Snap Navigator" window to simply select a snap point without actually going there. You can even hold CTRL before "Load Snaps" to keep from changing position when using menu items like that as well!

    The shortcuts above are G and S for the two windows respectively, but these can easily be changed in the script (I'll upload an image to show where) -- and G toggles the grid view on/off, so even if you use persistent windows, you can make it go away sometimes if you need to.
     
  14. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Celebrating the pending release of the new Snapcam 2.0 update and the slew of new awesomeness it comes with, Snapcam is on SALE for a limited time only.

    The new 2.0 update will include the new "Grid Navigator" window (see the video in the first post showing its functionality) and realtime scene-camera navigation controls.


    TL;DR:

    • Snapcam is on SALE !! -- Get it at $22 while you can!

    Some of the highlights of the new 2.0 release include:

    • NEW comfortable flythrough scene-camera controls (no need to find/hold WASD!)
    • Move up/down via middle-mouse (with scene-view speed control setting!)
    • Stop in-place to look-around (while moving) -- just hold RMB
    • Focal point orbit (w/ mouse movement + modifier key) around any selected gameobjects
    • Zoom/movment speed settings
    • Control movement speeds directly in the scene view w/sliders!
    • NEW "Grid Navigator" security-camera-styled window that lets you navigate via grid of thumbnails (instead of by slider alone)
    • The new Grid Navigatior window can be set as persistent or super-temporary -- so you can either put it permanently on your second monitor, or if you only need it momentarily, you can toggle it via a quick keypress and then click anywhere to send it away!
     
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2018
  15. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    **Jammed some extra features I've been working on into the new release to make camera movement control more comfortable!
    (See previous post for details!)

    Keep in mind the SALE is still active! -- Get Snapcam at this price while you can!
     
  16. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Because "Grid Navigator" is essentially functional -- I have submitted an early (beta) version of it to the Asset Store so that users who buy it during the sale can have access to its functionality now!

    Enjoy!

    ^____^
     
    Last edited: Oct 27, 2017
  17. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Still awaiting the update to be approved for the Asset Store...

    Perhaps the AS approval team doesn't work weekends...?

    D:
     
  18. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Snapcam Navigator v1.19 has been released!

    Snapcam's "Grid Navigator" (beta!) functionality is now available on the Asset Store during the sale!

    More navigation features to follow in the official 2.0 release! Enjoy! :D
     
  19. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Last day of the sale!

    If you want Snapcam, get it at $22 now! D:
     
  20. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Okay, so I've been doing some soul-searching with Snapcam lately in an attempt to understand just where it can help most in your scene-editing experience.

    I've come to the conclusion that one of the biggest factors of tedium in level editing comes from attempting to place the camera relative to where it is -- especially when you're doing this all the time, such as when editing tiles or gameobjects in 2D Sidescrollers or in 3D Topdown games.


    Say you're working on a topdown 3D game and your screen is 15 x 7 tiles across/tall.

    Most people would prefer to edit the tiles one screen at a time, sometimes 2-4 screens simultaneously can help too -- but in a 3D editor such as Unity, this sort of control is very difficult to command from within the Scene view.

    So I have considered a couple of new features to combat this:

    1. Ortho(graphic) mode toggle key shortcut
    2. A popup window with a grid of buttons (similar to Grid Navigator) that lets you pick from a (user-adjustable) range of nearby screens based on the current grid and location settings (adjustable from the popup itself), preferably with thumbnail previews of each nearby screen
    3. Option to snap view center to the nearest grid square in the center of the screen (select whether to use a particular corner or center of the grid-square) with a particular scale factor (i.e. how many screens to show at once -- e.g. 2 scale factor would show 4 screens or 2x2 screens)
    4. Shift the camera x or y by a whole screen (select whether to move on the X/Z or the X/Y axis), taking into account the scale value (i.e. if scale factor is 2, camera will move 2 screens horizontally if camera moves once on X axis)
    5. Copy another snap point's (or camera's) orientation on any given axis, and apply only that to a particular camera (including the scene camera itself) via a shortcut key combo akin to Blender's shortcut keys to select an axis for an operation after the operation is selected (but in our case, we'd select the axis BEFORE the operation via hotkeys)
    6. Upon shifting the scene camera to a new location relative to the current context (i.e. one screen over), keep the current x,y or z orientation/rotation/etc. of the current context (in this case, the scene camera might keep its x rotation to keep it pointed down a bit at the ground for a topdown 3D view)


    7. (Better flythrough controls are still coming btw! -- Still testing various control schemes!)

    Let me know if any of this is genuinely useful to you in editing your levels!
     
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2017
  21. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Woohoo! -- We got a MEGA SALE going on! -- Snapcam is 25% off now!

    Get Snapcam Navigator before it increases price to $39.99 !!

    This is your last chance to get Snapcam Navigator on sale, so act fast!
     
    Lars-Steenhoff likes this.
  22. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    So, while the MEGA SALE is still going, and while I'm developing a roadmap of features to include, I wanted to ask anyone who has purchased the package to provide some feedback -- either here, or as a review -- to help me get a better understanding of what you both currently enjoy and would eventually like to see in Snapcam!

    Can you see yourself using any specific features I've mentioned adding? Do you have something different in mind that I didn't mention that would make Snapcam more useful to you?
     
    Last edited: Dec 5, 2017
  23. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    <___<


    >___>


    .

    .

    .



    ^____^ ;;;


    So... yeah... it sure is quiet in here...




    <___< ;;;;

    I guess I'll just get back to it then...
     
  24. drigger

    drigger

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    I had a problem installing Snapcam Navigator along with ICE Creature Control, because both products have a script called EditorTools.cs. The solution was to wrap EditorTools.cs, SnapCam.cs, FileIO.cs, and GridNavigator.cs in a "namespace snapcam" block. It would be nice if Snapcam Navigator came that way. Thanks.
     
  25. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Thanks for the heads-up, @drigger. I can understand the frustration of not wanting to have to do this everytime you update! -- No idea why it didn't occur to me I had such a generic name in Snapcam's scripts, but that's an easy fix. Thanks for the feedback! :)
     
  26. RuinsOfFeyrin

    RuinsOfFeyrin

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    Hey @awesomedata,

    Was just thinking it might be nice to be able to right click on a camera in the Hierarchy window and have an option to "Match to Scene". Sometimes I just want to grab a nice screenshot from something and its easy to get the scene view camera there, but a pain to match the game view. I dont want to add it as a snap point as its a one time shot, i just want the camera to update to match the scene camera.
     
  27. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Thanks for the feature request man. Helps me figure out what people really want to use Snapcam for!


    So, to some extent, this feature is actually already implemented:



    Simply right-click in the Snapcam Navigator window (the little window to the top-right) and set any camera in your current scene to match the current scene viewport position/orientation (via "Camera to Scene").

    The "Main Camera" is the only one in this scene, so it might be hard to tell at first glance, but it indeed does exactly what you want.

    Do note that this matches the selected user camera to the actual current viewport position and not the current "Snap" position (indicated in the Navigator window) -- but the whole purpose of Snapcam is to make it easy to synchronize both, so you can have either behavior if you want with virtually no effort.


    That being said, I'm all about providing multiple workflows to achieve the same result -- all the best tools work that way imo -- so I'll see if I can implement the ability to do this from the Hierarchy, as this new method would work even if the Snapcam window was closed.


    ----

    @everyone:

    Yes, you read that right -- you /can/ close the Snapcam Navigator window [once it is initialized and your scene's "Snaps" are loaded of course] -- this enables you to use the Grid Navigator feature all by itself without cluttering your screen with the Snap Navigator window.

    Also, there are two default shortcuts (that can be easily changed in their respective scripts):


    "G" for toggling the Grid Navigator window and "S" for opening the Snapcam Navigator window


    NOTE:
    The "Snapcam Navigator" window must currently be opened /first/ at the moment (/before/ using the Grid Navigator shortcut!) -- It also currently doesn't toggle yet (but I will definitely add that for consistency and ease of use.)
     
    Last edited: Dec 19, 2017
  28. nszwryuichi

    nszwryuichi

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    I am using Unity version 2017.3.
    I can not take snaps with Snapcam Navigator.

    Please let me ask a question to find out the cause.
    Q1: When there are multiple cameras, which camera is adopted by Snapcam Navigator?
    Q2: Does Snapcam Navigator support Unity version 2017.3?
    Q3: Please show the operation procedure to take Snap again. Even if I operate according to "How to use" described in readme.txt, I can not take snaps.

    Thank you for your answer.
     
  29. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Hi there @nszwryuichi! -- I have actually been meaning to test Snapcam on 2017.3, but I have been hung up on the new "View Navigator" feature in 2.0 with earlier versions.

    To answer your questions directly though:

    1. The first "Scene" window opened /should/ be the camera it uses if I remember correctly (I haven't tested it with multi-cam support yet due to the featureset not being solidified yet, but it's hard-coded to use the first index of the scene view array)
    2. I see no reason why it shouldn't support 2017.3, but I haven't yet tested to be certain due to the reasons outlined above.
    3. You may just need to have only a single "Scene" window open (and have saved your current scene someplace!) -- To take a snap, use the middle-mouse button inside the Snapcam Navigator window and you should hear a "Snap!" soundfx in the background to indicate you've taken a snapshot (and a thumbnail of your current view position will appear in the Snapcam window as well) -- Do remember to eventually "Save Snaps" with the Right-Click in the Snapcam Navigator window -- otherwise the snaps you've created won't persist!

    Hopefully that answers your questions! -- Please let me know if I still need to clarify something!


    Thanks for purchasing Snapcam too btw! :)


    @everyone else:

    Regarding Multicam support:

    This will eventually come (possibly as one of the next features if the demand is high), but even if it does, it is still possible I may have to omit some features' compatibility with it (such as the new "View Navigator" that supports better manual camera navigation!) if I somehow cant distinguish between the different scene windows (which has been a problem in the past), but I will do my best to work around Unity's editor limitations in this regard when the time comes. It may require me to make my own Scene viewport entirely -- which I'm trying to avoid. I'd like to keep everything as native to Unity as possible. I have considered the use of Snapcam as a modeling/animation tool addon, so the ability to do this is definitely coming, but I might have to edit the file format of the Scene Snaps in order to get this working -- it will be a pretty major undertaking to ensure everything still works, so it's planned for after I get Snapcam to the point where I've envisioned its major features are going (Snap Navigator, Grid Navigator, View Navigator and some very much needed customization options!) but I will get that to you all as fast as I can get it ready.


    Regarding the new "View Navigator" feature:

    After a lot of exhaustive research on camera movement issues and not much help from Unity, I have made manual scene camera motion silky smooth. There are multiple "methods" of camera movement available -- each has its own pros/cons, especially on older hardware/drivers -- but I have decided which of these to use to give the best (currently-possible) native viewport camera-control experience.

    The "View Navigator" will be arriving soon, along with some other very useful updates that should totally justify the big 2.0 release. :)
     
    Last edited: Feb 6, 2018
  30. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Snapcam 2.0 is just around the corner!

    I just wanted to let you know I've made some major progress. With progress comes change however, and now there are some major changes to the feature-set outlined in previous posts. These changes are meant to make Snapcam the goto asset for Scene-camera viewport control starting at version 2.0, so get ready!

    Some major changes in 2.0 include:
    • A new name: Ladies and gentlelmen, meet "NAVIGATION STUDIO - Snapcam 2.0"


    • "Snap Navigator" window can be toggled open/closed with "s" key (turn "Caps Lock" on and use "Shift+S" on if you need to type the letter "s" someplace (without opening the "Snap Navigator"
    • Alternatively, it is easy to change the shortcut key to toggle the window to some other key (or combination) manually (instructions are provided in the respective scripts (such as "SnapNavigator.cs" and "GridNavigator.cs" The same can be done with "g" for Grid Navigator feature as well. -- I will soon add a togglebox to disable these two shortcuts temporarily for just such a moment when you /need/ your "s" and "g" keys.)

    • The new "View Navigator" will be enabled as soon as it is imported into your project.

    • The ability to Zoom in the scene view is now replaced by the ability to freely control the speed of the camera using the mousewheel.
    • "Shift" will move the viewport camera forward (hold Alt+Shift to reverse forward motion),
    • "Middle-click+drag" to pan relative to the viewport's position and orientation (Alt + mousewheel changes panning speed)
    • Alt is considered the "Alternate Action" key, but this key is also easily-customizable!
    • The default amounts to move and increment are easy to change in the "ViewNavigator" script, but there are also sliders in the scene-view to adjust movement speed temporarily
    • You may also stop temporarily while moving (to either adjust your heading / orientation or just look around) just by holding the Right-mouse button. Release when you want to continue forward. (This helps immensely with camera control in tight spots and turns!)

    • An "Orbit Mode" that let you orbit with the mouse around a selected transform if holding "Space" (key is customizable)


    • 3 new namespaces -- "Snapcam", "SnapcamIO", "SnapcamAudio" -- to prevent conflicts with current (or future) assets/scripts!


    • Orthographic/Isometric/2D modes are NOW currently supported (as BETA) in the new "View Navigator"
    • Zooming is now possible in Orthographic/Isometric mode -- (this is not possible in the standard Unity Editor -- and 2d mode zooming could be coming soon!)



    Current Roadmap -- v2.1
    • Togglebox in the viewport area to disable shortcut keys for "s" and "g" temporarily (for using those keys with other assets (or just typing stuff in the Unity Editor)
    • Orbit mode "snap" rotation modifier key that snaps the camera to the nearest topdown, forward, left, bottom or right viewing direction facing the selected object (that "snap" should also work in orthographic/isometric mode too!)
    • Orbit mode Zoom in/out with the mousewheel (with controllable speed)
    • More features can be found in the ViewNavigator.cs script upon release!
     
    Last edited: Feb 17, 2018
  31. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Snapcam 2.0 -- henceforth to be known as:

    Snapcam NAVIGATION STUDIO logo.png

    ...has been released!! -- and it's on SALE !!!

    Get it at this price while you can! :D





    Snapcam is on sale because I need your support!!!

    During my time developing Snapcam 2.0, it seems I was not alone in my efforts to offer a solution to the tedium of navigation in the Unity viewport! -- it now looks like I have a few more competitors!

    That being said -- Snapcam NAVIGATION STUDIO was the first (and is still the best!) solution out there for viewport navigation -- and it is now evolving into a full-featured application package meant to cover every need you could ever have with navigation in Unity's scene viewport -- in a lightweight (full-featured!) easy-to-use package that will ensure you'll want to use it in every project you'll ever work on in Unity going forward!



    Don't believe Snapcam NAVIGATION STUDIO is the best? -- See for yourself:





    View Navigator (NEW!)

    To get the new viewport navigation controls (something no other package out there has copied from me [yet!]), simply import NAVIGATION STUDIO into your project. Nothing more is required. From here, you instantly have the new viewport navigation controls (otherwise known as the "View Navigator" system.) If you decide you don't want/need these controls, simply delete the "View Navigator" script and you're good to go!

    By default, the View Navigator uses 3 keys -- Space (hold and move the mouse to orbit a selected gameobject), Alt (for reversing forward motion of the viewport when combined with "Shift" or changing the pan speed when holding it alongside rolling the mousewheel), and Shift (for moving the scene camera forward. Also, at any point you may Right-click while moving forward and your camera will stop temporarily (until you release Right-click) -- during this time, you can drag around the mouse and alter your course (or just look around), and when you release, you'll continue forward normally. You may also move the mouse around


    Snap and Grid Navigator panels

    To bring up the "Snap Navigator" window, simply press "s" -- Once you've added some snaps to your scene (middle-click in the Snap Navigator window to quickly add a "Snap" to your scene), you can open up the "Grid Navigator" with the "g" key. (There will be a toggle in the next version to assist with temporarily disabling Snapcam / NAVIGATION STUDIO shortcuts, including view navigation, to assist you in returning to "normal" scene view operation if you wish.)




    Last but definitely not least!

    For more info on NAVIGATION STUDIO, see the above video -- or feel free to just ask questions! -- I'm always here to help! :) There is so much more coming for Snapcam, so stay tuned! -- I hope you enjoy NAVIGATOR STUDIO -- I made something for you that I love and use myself. I hope it shows in my work! :)




    Thanks again to those of you who have supported me so far! -- It's your kindness that keeps me going!!
     
    Last edited: Feb 19, 2018
    jdraper3 likes this.
  32. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Please note -- if you are having trouble making new snaps in your brand-new scene, please add the following code to line 896 in SnapNavigator.cs:

    Code (CSharp):
    1.                 else showPreview = false;

    This should handle the issue where no preview image has been loaded. This will be fixed in the next update (along with adding in orbit camera zoom controls!)
     
    syscrusher likes this.
  33. Don-Gray

    Don-Gray

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    Looks cool, just found this, will check it out in the Asset Store.
     
    awesomedata likes this.
  34. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Just a heads-up that NAVIGATION STUDIO will be getting some additional navigation options in 2.1 to better assist those who like more traditional style movement options.

    It will also feature an overhaul to the shortcut system as well as a reimplementation of Unity's shortcut system that is NOT buggy.

    I have also included an easily-accessible way to disable all (or just some) of NS's keyboard controls & shortcuts directly in the scene view. -- Just another way Snapcam does what you need and then gets the heck outta your way! :)
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2018
  35. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    NAVIGATOR STUDIO 2.1:

    • ADDED 2d / Orthographic mode "official" support to scene camera's "Snap" system
    • ADDED new optimizations to Snap filesizes (Snaps are now WAY smaller!)
    • ADDED support for Playmode Snap Editing & preliminary Runtime Snap support
    • ADDED ability for Snaps to persist between Playmode and Editor
    • ADDED loading algorithm optimizations (loading Snaps is now MUCH faster!)
    • ADDED orbit mode "Zoom" in/out with mousewheel
    • ADDED in-place "Zoom" (just hold ALT key + roll mousewheel) for moving quickly forward/back w/mousewheel
    • CHNGD pan speed is now controlled by holding CTRL + mousewheel (instead of ALT + mousewheel)
    • ADDED toggle to disable sceneview navigation keys temporarily (for, say, other tools)
    • ADDED toggle to disable Snapcam's shortcut keys for "s" and "g" temporarily (for use with other assets)
    • ADDED global "Toggle All" button to disable/enable both toggles at once directly in the SceneView
    • ADDED "_Settings_" script to allow a central location to setup global shortcuts/preferences for Navigators in future
    • FIXED preview image display issues when toggling the SnapNavigator window
    • ADDED native/modifiable re-implementation of Unity Editor's shortcut system used to centralize shortcuts more easily
    • ADDED better error handling across the entire plugin and interface
    • ADDED notification icon for saving unsaved snaps
    • ADDED new temporary serialized save file to persist settings such as slider position between play/edit modes

    Yes, this is a BIG update that adds lots of under-the-hood and various usability fixes.
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2018
  36. Pacver

    Pacver

    Joined:
    Oct 11, 2014
    Posts:
    3
    Hey, and thanks for making this useful addon.

    Can I suggest just one thing that I think would make a good addition? Saving snaps into files. I just bought Navigator Studio, but I can already see the issue of all the snaps resetting, if I modify the scripts... I guess this happens when updating too.
     
  37. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Hi there @Pacver!! -- Thank you for supporting Snapcam's development! -- I'm really glad you think SNS is useful! I hope others will see its usefulness too!

    I use Snapcam myself in every project I open, so it's something I personally find useful, so it's incredibly awesome to hear that others appreciate my efforts! I take a lot of pride in making Snapcam easy (and crazy-fast!) to use, and this is true for every feature I include in Snapcam. Additionally, I like to go one step further and ensure it gets the heck out of your way when you don't need it around! -- Other tools are just more important sometimes! :)


    If I'm understanding you correctly, you're saying that you think Snapcam stores everything in working memory and if you edit the scripts, your "snaps" suddenly disappear when the script is reloaded? If so, then it should be somewhat clear that Snapcam already stores files to the hard drive if you "Save Snaps", but if you are still having problems in this area, there are two things you might want to know that could potentially be your issue:

    First, Snapcam already can save your snaps to a file on the hard-disk drive (open the Right-click menu by Right-clicking on the SnapNavigator window, then select "Save Snaps" after making some -- The filenames are then set automatically to the name of the active scene and are stored in the "SceneSnaps" folder atm). You can simply "Load Snaps" from that same Right-click menu when you want to load the snaps designated for that scene. Additionally, if you wish to duplicate the snaps from one scene and use those exact same ones (and possibly include others) in a different scene, you can simply copy/paste a duplicate of the file in the "SceneSnaps" directory and rename it to the name of the scene where you want to use those snaps.

    Secondly, if you are still having problems but you've previously purchased another "camera movement" package for a lower price from a particular publisher who "borrowed" Snapcam's previously-unique "Snap" functionality, I hate to say it, but you've gotten what you paid for. The asset in question breaks the "Snap" save-file functionality in Snapcam (as well as other things in Snapcam) if they're both included in the same project. This is unavoidable on my part. Snapcam already exists in its own namespace and does everything it can to not conflict or interfere with other assets, so it's very possible the asset in question is actually stealing (and modifying) some of Snapcam's code (such as its "Save Snaps" functionality, which was reported by another user). If the other author has done this and was too lazy to change the functionalities that conflict (such as the filename and extension of the save file), this asset has the added disadvantage of destroying your save file upon trying to rewrite it wherever the save data format is different. The result is that you get very mangled (or completely broken and absent) Snap data upon trying to save / load your snaps.

    I may simply be misunderstanding your issue though, so if this is the case, please clarify what you mean about "save snaps into files" because, as far as I'm aware, Snapcam already does this. D:
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2018
  38. Pacver

    Pacver

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    Oct 11, 2014
    Posts:
    3
    Seems like I only missed it. Don't have any other scene camera addon. But I did notice a conflict with a certain free camera-related asset. I got errors for the lines mentioning "CameraType.SceneView" telling me it does not exist for CameraType. I think the addon that I now have removed, since it was unused anyway, used CameraType's SceneView too. Maybe it is related to the asset you mentioned not working with yours, or maybe not, but at least this is something to look into? Can two addons that use CameraType.SceneView coexist?

    I may be misunderstanding this next thing too, but I don't see how 'S' and 'G' are valid default hotkeys for the windows. Whenever I typed anything in editor and pressed "S" or "G" it would just toggle the windows and prevent me from typing the letters. Also if I control my player with WASD it becomes a problem. I changed the hotkeys to Home and PageUp for now.

    Regarding your next version, I don't think it's good to have the settings be drawn to the scene view. You can use the buttons to disable stuff, but can you disable the buttons themselves? :) At least give the option to toggle it invisible. Why not make a separate settings window and access it via a cog icon placed in Snap and Grid windows...

    Thanks, again.
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2018
  39. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Oct 8, 2014
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    Sorry for the delay in my response -- it's not the CameraType.SceneView that's at fault -- that other "free" camera asset was causing problems because it copied some of my code. Snapcam exists in its own namespace, so its code shouldn't conflict with any other code for any asset -- even a free one -- unless that asset used my actual code. So the answer is yes, I'm pretty sure it was related. No worries though -- I'm still looking into it just in case.


    That's why the new "Typing Mode" is included in the next version (I'm uploading it tomorrow or the next day) -- this allows one to still use the S/G keys if they're doing lots of scene navigation, and disable (or change them) otherwise. Sorry about this -- I'm in the middle of revamping some of those systems, so this is a stopgap at the moment to allow you to toggle those keys usage.

    I'll have a fix for all your problems hopefully by the end of the day tomorrow!



    Thanks for the input! -- Indeed man, I've found them getting in my way too. I designed Snapcam to do what you need and then "get outta your way" and this goes against my design principles. That said, I had considered dimming them, but I think you're onto something with a little gear icon -- I'll make it toggle them. Adding yet another window for just a toggle button or two is definitely something I'm trying to avoid, so I'll go with this for now! -- I'll definitely fix this before the release! :D
     
  40. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    UPDATE 2.1:

    Thanks to your feedback, Snapcam has had another design overhaul under the hood to make the issues in the spoiler non-existant.

    Let's face it -- a separate "TYPING MODE" was stupid -- and it broke my heart to have to release Snapcam with a "feature" that was really more of a "Unity-bugfix" instead. -- However, thanks to your feedback fortifying my resolve to FIX this issue for good, I have found a new technique that takes advantage of unity's own underlying internal processing. Since this new technique is still native to Unity (no dlls), Snapcam is smart enough to know when you're typing in an input / text box and when you're not -- on its own -- without any input necessary from you! -- S and G keys are now operational!


    Although simply changing the shortcuts was my first "solution" to this issue, I hadn't realized at the time that these shortcuts would carry over to Playmode. Now that I have full control over the behavior and context of my shortcuts, in the next version, all shortcuts will be disabled when the Game view is focused. I might add an option for this though.


    That leads me to my next update -- in version 2.1, I am currently putting the finishing touches on properly using Snaps at runtime again. You'll see more work in this area, so stay tuned.


    I've been reconsidering this option. Still looking into a few designs right now that might make it into possibly the next version.
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2018
  41. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Oct 8, 2014
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    NAVIGATOR STUDIO 2.1 -- has been submitted to the Asset Store for review!! -- Some changes include:

    • ADDED 2d / Orthographic mode "official" support to scene camera's "Snap" system
    • ADDED AUTOMATIC loading of snaps when switching between scenes!
    • ADDED new optimizations to Snap filesizes (Snaps are now WAY smaller!)
    • ADDED support for Playmode Snap Editing & preliminary Runtime Snap support
    • ADDED ability for Snaps to persist between Playmode and Editor
    • ADDED loading algorithm optimizations (loading Snaps is now MUCH faster!)
    • ADDED orbit mode "Zoom" in/out with mousewheel
    • ADDED in-place "Zoom" (just hold ALT key + roll mousewheel) for moving quickly forward/back w/mousewheel

    • CHNGD pan speed is now controlled by holding CTRL + mousewheel (instead of ALT + mousewheel)

    • ADDED toggle to disable sceneview navigation keys temporarily (for, say, other tools)
    • ADDED toggle to disable Snapcam's shortcut keys for "s" and "g" temporarily (for use with other assets)
    • ADDED global "Toggle All" button to disable/enable both toggles at once directly in the SceneView

    • ADDED ability to hide the toggles with a click on a gear icon in the scene view
    • ADDED "_Settings_" script to allow a central location to setup global shortcuts/preferences for Navigators in future
    • FIXED preview image display issues when toggling the SnapNavigator window
    • ADDED native/modifiable re-implementation of Unity Editor's shortcut system used to centralize shortcuts more easily
    • ADDED better error handling across the entire plugin and interface
    • ADDED notification icon for saving unsaved snaps
    • ADDED new temporary serialized save file to persist settings such as slider position between play/edit modes
    • ADDED lots of stability fixes and optimizations in many places

    Yes, this is a BIG update that adds lots of under-the-hood and various usability fixes such as additional control options. It has taken me a while to update, but I will highlight some of the major changes in my next post.

    I hope everyone enjoys the new update! :D
     
    Last edited: Apr 12, 2018
  42. sato_se

    sato_se

    Joined:
    Dec 13, 2015
    Posts:
    2
    I used v2.1 immediately, but after saving it after saving "SnapNavigatorWindow", I attempted to edit "SnapNavigatorWindow" with another scene, but the window got broken and the function can not be used is. I think it is probably a bug.
     
  43. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Lol, no worries -- Thanks for pointing this out! -- It was my (preliminary) version of the new automatic Snap loading feature I was working on that is getting in your way -- I just forgot to disable it before uploading to the store! D:

    I'm really sorry about that! -- I'll have a fix for you in just a bit!
     
  44. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    The new version is now available on the store!

    This new version also includes a new feature along with the bugfix: -- Automatic Snaps loading when opening a scene!

    Also I want to apologize for the growing pains, but Snapcam just had a huge internal code revamp to make adding features a lot easier and faster (and also more stable!) -- From here on out, Snapcam is only going to get better! :)
     
    Last edited: Apr 12, 2018
  45. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Last day of the AWESOME SALE !! -- and all of my sales for quite some time! -- If you don't want Snapcam at this price, you're missing out! -- The next version (and new price) will be uploaded tomorrow!


    Also -- A new secret "Navigator" is currently in the works!

    Let the speculation begin!! :)
     
  46. awesomedata

    awesomedata

    Joined:
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    The new version is now live on the asset store!

    This officially ends the "AWESOME SALE" for Snapcam and all of my sales for quite some time.

    Yeah, I know it's sad, but I think I've given plenty of opportunities to get it at the cheapest price possible. Now that Snapcam is finally stable in its development, I can start adding more features (such as speed sliders in 2d and orthographic mode, or other various usability improvements) that help you to enjoy the overall experience even more. :)


    The new version now includes the following:
    • ADDED flawless 2d zooming into the mix
    • FIXED glitches between 2d/orthographic/3d modes
    • ADDED better camera navigation functionality using Alt and Shift keys
    • ADDED much better support for "Shift" key to ignore ViewNavigator control when typing in text fields
    • ADDED and FIXED a few other small things in this version -- more to come on the 2D side as well

    I hope everyone enjoys the new improvements! :)
     
    Last edited: Apr 20, 2018
  47. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    Oct 8, 2014
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    I wanted to announce two new Navigators I will be adding in the coming months:


    The

    Adventure Navigator

    and the

    WStream Navigator



    The "Adventure" and the "WStream" Navigators are the first two Navigators in the series of game-design Navigators!

    See the original posts at the top of this thread for more information about them!
     
    Last edited: Jun 27, 2018
  48. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    2DZoomSpeed.png

    ViewNavigatorDesignUpdate-Link.png

    Yep -- that's in the next version. :)


    Also... in anticipation of the new "Adventure" Navigator, I'm offering NAVIGATION STUDIO at the lowest price I'm able to: $13! -- This price will go back up to $30 very soon, so get it while you can! :)
     
    Last edited: Jun 28, 2018
  49. Lars-Steenhoff

    Lars-Steenhoff

    Joined:
    Aug 7, 2007
    Posts:
    3,521
    Hi Im having one issue when I try to dock the gridview window.

    using unity 2018.2b11

    this is the error I get:

    MissingReferenceException: The object of type 'DockArea' has been destroyed but you are still trying to access it.
    Your script should either check if it is null or you should not destroy the object.
    UnityEditor.HostView.OnLostFocus () (at /Users/builduser/buildslave/unity/build/Editor/Mono/HostView.cs:133)
     
  50. awesomedata

    awesomedata

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    I'll take a look at it as soon as I get a chance (probably Monday) and I'll get back to you.

    Although I don't really support the betas right now, I'll see if I can reproduce it and submit a fix if there is one. It's just a standard editor window, so there shouldn't be anything weird with it. If possible, please let me know what other plugins/extensions you might be using and that could help me diagnose the issue better!

    Thanks for the heads-up though! :)