Working with Unity Editor

Use these procedures after configuring the tool. Save the authored scene and store intended origins before experimenting. Camera Tool is an Editor utility with known lifecycle limitations; it does not guarantee automatic restoration whenever its host stops running.

Enter and leave Play Mode

1. Before entering Play Mode, save the scene and store any return poses you need. Keep Scene View available and Game window focus off initially.
2. Enter Play Mode. Activate from Scene View with the configured key when you want to inspect through the scene camera.
3. If another camera controller also writes that transform, coordinate it with Camera Tool. The guarded integration example can suspend an existing controller while the global flag is active.
4. Before returning to gameplay, stop deliberately. Use each slot’s Align to origin if restoration is required; clearing Enabled alone does not invoke Self align.
5. Focus Game View for gameplay after stopping.
6. On leaving Play Mode, inspect the camera pose and origin values before saving or continuing.

Expected result: Camera Tool has stopped following, and your gameplay controller can move the camera again.

Play Mode exit can return the camera to its pre-Play pose rather than its stored origin. Use Align to origin when you need that return pose, and save deliberate camera and origin changes in Edit Mode.

Change scenes or remove the tool

1. While the tool is still present, stop following deliberately.
2. Restore each camera explicitly if needed and verify the result.
3. Save the scene state you intend to keep.
4. Only then disable, remove, or unload the tool’s host.
5. In the next scene, check for an existing tool and confirm its references and Enabled state before activating.

The global active flag can remain stale after disabling, destruction, or scene unload. Disabled components and inactive hosts can still respond to Scene hotkeys. Clear Enabled while the tool is present and restore any camera poses you need before removing it.

Select and inspect the tool

Use Forge3D > CameraTool > Select active camera [Shift + C], or Shift+C from Scene View, to select a found tool GameObject. Despite the menu wording, this does not switch camera slots. The camera references in the component determine which cameras are driven.

Use one tool instance and preferably one unlocked Inspector. With multiple tools in locked Inspectors, the Inspector for one object can show and modify another tool. Verify object and camera identity before changing settings.

Save scenes and prefab instances

Camera references, settings, and origins are stored on the component. Save your scene after making changes.

When working with prefab instances, check the camera references and poses after saving and reopening the scene. Keep a scene copy before changing overrides. Undo is unreliable, so use saved copies or known values when you need to recover an earlier setup.

See Compatibility and limitations for project requirements and Troubleshooting for stale state or wrong-target symptoms.