UeCamera

The UeCamera is an abstract base class for all cameras in Unique Engine.
It contains common functionality shared by all camera types and should not be instantiated directly.
Instead, use one of its subclasses like UePerspectiveCamera or UeOrthographicCamera.

Inheritance

UeObject3D
    └─ UeCamera (abstract)
        ├─ UePerspectiveCamera
        └─ UeOrthographicCamera

Constructor

new UeCamera(data = {})

caution

UeCamera is an abstract base class and should not be instantiated directly.
Use UePerspectiveCamera or UeOrthographicCamera instead.

Data parameters

Key	Type	Default	Description
view	number	0	Viewport to assign this camera to
x, y, z	number	0, -100, 0	Initial camera position
xt, yt, zt	number	0, 1, 0	Look-at target coordinates
upX, upY, upZ	number	0, 0, -1	Camera up vector

Properties

Property	Type	Default	Description
isCamera	boolean	true	Indicates that this is a camera
type	string	"Camera"	Object type
camera	Camera	camera_create()	The underlying GameMaker camera object
view	number	0	The viewport index this camera is assigned to
target	UeVector3	(0,1,0)	The current look-at target position
upX, upY, upZ	number	0,0,-1	Camera up vector components
matrixWorld	UeMatrix4	new UeMatrix4()	World transformation matrix of the camera
matrixWorldInverse	UeMatrix4	new UeMatrix4()	Inverse of matrixWorld, used in camera_set_view_mat()
projectionMatrix	UeMatrix4	new UeMatrix4()	Projection matrix, used in camera_set_proj_mat()
projectionMatrixInverse	UeMatrix4	new UeMatrix4()	Inverse of the projection matrix

Methods

updateMatrixWorld()

updateMatrixWorld()

Updates the camera's world matrix and view matrix using a lookat transformation.
This method calculates the view matrix based on the camera's position, target, and up vector.

updateProjectionMatrix()

updateProjectionMatrix()

Updates the camera's projection matrix.
This is an abstract method that must be implemented by subclasses.

dispose()

dispose()

Destroys the GameMaker camera instance and cleans up resources.

Returns: self (for method chaining)

use()

use()

Activates this camera for the assigned viewport by calling view_set_camera() and making the view visible.

This is a convenience method that simplifies camera activation.

Returns: self (for method chaining)

Example:

const camera = new UePerspectiveCamera({ view: 0 });
camera.use(); // Activates the camera on view 0

Notes

• The camera uses matrix_build_lookat() to orient toward the target
• The default up vector is (0, 0, -1), which rotates the camera 90° downwards
• The view matrix is automatically set on the associated viewport

Shadow Camera Requirements

• Shadow controllers rely on updateProjectionMatrix() and updateMatrixWorld() to compute light-space matrices used for shadow mapping. When extending or subclassing cameras, ensure these methods correctly update projectionMatrix, matrixWorld, and matrixWorldInverse.
• For directional shadow cameras (orthographic), shadow stability benefits from texel snapping: aligning the orthographic projection to shadow map texel size reduces shimmering during camera movement. Call shadow.updateMatrices() after changing the light or scene bounds.