Lerping Fundamentals - Learn How to Use It & When to Use Its Variants | Unity Tutorial | Summary and Q&A

TL;DR
Lerping, short for linear interpolation, is a commonly used function in video game development that allows smooth transitions between two points or rotations, and this video covers the fundamentals of lerping and its variations.
Key Insights
- 🎮 Lerping is commonly used in video game development for smoothly changing positions, rotations, and colors over time.
- 🌐 Lerp stands for linear interpolation, while slurp stands for spherical linear interpolation and is used for rotations.
- 📈 Mathf.lerp function takes two values, a time parameter between 0 and 1, and returns the value between them based on the time parameter.
- 💡 Different kinds of lerping include fixed time vector3 lerp, fixed speed vector3 lerp, quaternion lerp, quaternion slurp, and lerping colors.
- 🕰 Fixed time lerps take the same amount of time regardless of the distance between two points.
- ♂️ Fixed speed lerps move at a fixed number of units per second, which can be useful for bullet trails.
- 🔄 The use of slurp for rotations provides a smoother, more consistent turning effect compared to lerp.
- 🌈 Color lerping can be done in the same way as other lerps by using the Color.Lerp function to transition between two colors based on a time parameter.
Transcript
Read and summarize the transcript of this video on Glasp Reader (beta).
Questions & Answers
Q: What is lerping and how is it commonly used in video game development?
Lerping, short for linear interpolation, is a function that allows for smooth transitions between two points or rotations in video game development. It is commonly used to animate object movements, rotations, and color changes over time.
Q: What are the different variations of lerping explained in the video?
The video covers fixed time vector3 lerp, fixed speed vector3 lerp, quaternion lerp, quaternion slurp, and lerping colors.
Q: How does lerping with fixed time and fixed speed differ in vector3 interpolation?
Lerping with fixed time ensures that an object takes a specific amount of time to move from one point to another, while lerping with fixed speed moves the object at a specified speed regardless of the distance between points.
Q: When should quaternion slurp be used instead of quaternion lerp?
Quaternion slurp is recommended for smooth and consistent rotations, while quaternion lerp may result in speed fluctuations as the rotation reaches certain angles.
Q: Can lerping be used for color changes? If so, how is it implemented?
Yes, lerping can be used for color changes. It can be implemented by using the Color.Lerp function, which takes the start and target colors and interpolates between them based on a specified time parameter.
Q: Are there more advanced variations of lerping beyond the basics covered in the video?
Yes, there are more advanced variations of lerping, such as incorporating easing in and out curves. However, these advanced techniques are not covered in this video and may be explored in a future video.
Q: How can viewers access the github repository to download the project used in the video?
The github repository link is available in the video's description, allowing viewers to download the entire project, run it on their local machine, and make modifications to further understand how lerping works in practice.
Summary & Key Takeaways
-
Lerping, or linear interpolation, is a function used in video game development to smoothly transition between two points or rotations.
-
There are different variations of lerping, including fixed time vector3 lerp, fixed speed vector3 lerp, quaternion lerp, quaternion slurp, and lerping colors.
-
Lerping can be implemented using Mathf.Lerp and Quaternion.Lerp functions, as well as the Quaternion.RotateTowards function for fixed rotation speed.