Setting up the Input System

Scripting Player Movement

Customizing New Input Actions

Taking Advantage of the Input System Scripting API

Debugging and Testing the Input System

Challenge 1: Setting up the Input System

Challenge 2: Configure the Wheel Drive Component’s Handbrake Input

Challenge 3: Configure the Wheel Drive Component’s Acceleration and Steering Angle Inputs

Challenge 4: Setting up for a Gamepad

Recorded Live Session - Using the Input System in Unity

Submissions - Using the Input System in Unity

Live Session - InputSystemAssets.zip

In this project, you'll learn how to take advantage of Unity's new Input System. 

Using the Input System in Unity

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Overview

Adding Keyboard Bindings to the Custom Input Action 

Next Steps

When starting out with the Input System Package, you are able to easily use a default game-ready Input Action asset. In this tutorial, however, you will learn how to create and customize a new Input Action asset. This tutorial will instruct you how to set up and link specific buttons, joysticks, or keyboard bindings on your game controller device to be recognized by the Input System.

Games

1. Inside your Inputs folder in the Project window, create a new Input Actions asset by selecting the + button at the top left of the Project window, scroll down to the bottom of the drop-down menu, and then select Input Actions. Alternatively, right-click inside the Project window, and select: Create > Input Actions. Rename the newly created Input Actions asset to “PlayerControls”.

2. Select the newly created Input Actions asset in the Project window, and then select the Edit asset button in the Inspector, to open up the Input Actions window.

3. On the top left side of the Input Actions window, select the + button next to Action Maps, to create a new Action Map. Action Maps are used to categorize and group together actions. Rename the new action map “Player”.

You will need to bind various game controller buttons to your Input Actions. A button input might trigger any number of game events such as jumping, shooting, or selecting, to name a few. Over time, you may build up a system of buttons to perform different events.

4. In the middle column of the Input Actions window, rename the New Action by right-clicking on the New Action, and selecting Rename from the drop-down menu. Rename the New Action to the generic name: “Buttons”.

5. Select the triangle to the left of the Buttons action to expand its contents, and then select the line below, labeled <No Binding>. Select the empty field next to the Binding Path in the right column of the Input Actions window, and then select the type of device you are using. Choose Gamepad to bind a game controller button.

6. Within the Gamepad section of the Binding Path drop-down menu, a list of corresponding game controller inputs are shown. Select the Button East option.

7. To detect the specific game controller button automatically, select the Listen button, and then physically press the B button on your game controller. The corresponding button will display in the menu. Select the corresponding option labeled Button East [Gamepad] in the Listen window.

8. To bind another button from your device, select the + button in the center column next to the Buttons Action, and select Add Binding from the drop-down menu.

9. Repeat steps 5 through 7 to bind the X button to the corresponding Button West [Gamepad] option.

Your Button Actions are now bound to the X and B buttons on the game controller. Next, you will need to bind the thumb-stick movements to your Input Actions. Thumb-stick inputs typically control game movements along multiple axes.

10. In the middle column of the Input Actions window, select the upper + button to add another Action. Rename the New Action to “Move.”

11. You will now configure the game controller to enable thumb-stick movements to correspond with movement along multiple axes. Ensure that the newly created Move Action is selected. On the right column of the Input Actions window, change the Action and Control Types. First select the Action Type field labeled Button, and then select Value from the drop-down menu. Set the Control Type in the field below to Vector 2.

12. Select the line below the Move Action labeled <No Binding>. Select the empty field next to the Binding Path in the right column of the Input Actions window, and select the type of device you are using. Choose Gamepad to bind your game controller thumb-stick.

13. Within the Gamepad section of the Binding Path drop-down menu, a list of corresponding game controller inputs are shown. Select the Left Stick option.

14. Again, to detect the specific game controller thumb-stick automatically, select the Listen button, and physically move the left thumb-stick on your game controller. The thumb-stick you move on the game controller will display in the menu. Select the corresponding option labeled Left Stick [Gamepad] in the Listen window.

Your Move Action is now bound to the Left Stick of the game controller.

You are now ready to save your Input Action asset. 

15. Save your changes by selecting the Save Asset button in the Input Actions window. Optionally, select the checkbox next to Auto-Save to save your Input Actions automatically.

In order to control the player’s movements with your new custom Input Actions, you must first connect the Player Input to the new Input Action. You will do this by changing the Action field in the Player Input component.

17. Select your player in the Hierarchy window. Within the Player Input component in the Inspector, select the object loader circle button to the right of the Actions field. Select PlayerControls from the Select InputActionAsset popup window to switch to the custom Input Action asset. Alternatively, select the asset itself in the project window, and drag it into the Actions field.

18. Test your player’s movement by entering Play Mode and moving the game controller’s left thumb-stick. You should be able to see the player’s movement correspond to the new Input Action asset.

The PlayerControls Input Actions asset is highlighted in the Project window. Additionally, the Edit asset button is highlighted in the Inspector. The Input Actions window is also highlighted.

An empty Input Actions window

The + button is highlighted next to the Action Maps column header in the Input Actions window, with the newly created Action Map renamed to Player listed in the Action Maps column.

Creating a new Action Map

The Binding Path drop-down menu displays a list of gamepad inputs. The Gamepad’s Left Stick Up input is highlighted.

Binding a Gamepad’s thumb-stick controller

The Binding Path drop-down menu’s Listen button is highlighted.

Listening for an input

The Move Action’s binding is highlighted, showing the Gamepad’s Left Stick [Gamepad] device listed.

Establishing the binding for the Gamepad’s Left Stick inputs

The Save Asset button is highlighted at the top of the Input Actions window. The Auto-save checkbox is also highlighted.

Saving the Input Actions Asset

The object loader circle button is highlighted next to the Actions field in the Player Input component. Additionally, the Input Action asset named PlayerControls is highlighted in the Select InputActionAsset popup window.

Connecting the new Input Action asset to the Player Input

The empty field next to the Binding Path option is highlighted to the right of the Input Actions window, with the drop-down menu highlighting the Gamepad option.

Binding a Gamepad input

The Binding Path drop-down menu displays a list of gamepad inputs. The Gamepad’s Button East option is highlighted.

Binding a Gamepad’s button

The + button is highlighted next to the Buttons Action in the middle of the Input Actions window, with the drop-down menu highlighting the Add Binding option.

Adding a Binding

The Button Actions bindings are highlighted, showing the Button West [Gamepad] option.

Binding the Gamepad’s X button

The + button is highlighted in the middle Actions column, showing the newly added Move action.

Adding a new Action

The Action Properties are highlighted in the Input Actions window. The Action Type is set to Value, and the Control Type is set to Vector 2.

Setting the Action Type and Control Type

You will need to bind keyboard inputs to your Input Actions. The keyboard inputs are set up much in the same way as binding button and thumb-stick inputs. English region-based keyboard inputs typically include the WASD or arrow keys to control game movements, as well as any other key on the keyboard to trigger game events. For this example, we will add keyboard inputs to the existing Move Action, to enable the WASD keys to also control movement.

1. To bind keys from your keyboard, select the + button in the center column next to the Move Action, and select Add 2D Vector Composite from the drop-down menu.

A new 2D Vector Composite has been added to the Move Action, with the Up, Down, Left, and Right directions awaiting binding.

2. Rename the 2D Vector to “WASD” or your regional equivalent. Next, add bindings to the 4 directions. For each direction, select the empty field next to the Binding Path in the right column of the Input Actions window, select the Listen button, type a key on your keyboard, and then select the detected key from the selection.

To organize and keep track of different device inputs, Control Schemes are used. Set up a Control Scheme for both keyboard and gamepad inputs.

3. In order to set up a Control Scheme, select the field labeled No Control Schemes in the top left of the Input Actions window, and then select Add Control Scheme from the drop-down menu.

4. Type in “Keyboard” in the Scheme Name field, select the + button, and then select Keyboard from the Add Control Scheme window.

5. Save the Control Scheme by selecting the Save button.

6. Select each W, A, S, and D key bindings in the 2D Vector Composite, and add a check to the Keyboard checkbox for use in the Control Scheme.

7. Add a new Control Scheme for the game controller device in the Input Actions window by repeating the process shown in steps 3 through 6. Add a new Control Scheme named “Gamepad”, and select the Left Stick binding, Button East, and Button West to the Gamepad Control Scheme. Ensure that the All Control Schemes menu is selected from the top left drop-down menu.

The + button is highlighted next to the Move Action in the middle column of the Input Actions window, with the drop-down menu highlighting the Add 2D Vector Composite option

Adding a 2D Vector Composite

The 2D Vector Composite is highlighted in the Input Actions window

The 2D Vector

The empty field next to the Binding Path option is highlighted to the right of the Input Actions window, with the drop-down menu highlighting the Listen button. The D [Keyboard] selection is shown.

Binding keyboard keys

The drop-down menu labeled No Control Scheme is highlighted in the Input Actions window, showing the Add Control Scheme option

Adding a Control Scheme

Within the Add Control Scheme window, the label “Keyboard” is typed in the Scheme Name field. The + button is also highlighted, as well as the Keyboard option in the popup window

Adding a Keyboard Control Scheme

The Save button is highlighted in the Add Control Scheme window

Saving the Control Scheme

The WASD keyboard bindings are highlighted in the middle column of the Input Actions window. The Use in control scheme checkbox is selected for Keyboard in the right column.

Setting each WASD key bindings to use in the Keyboard Control Scheme

The East and West gamepad buttons, as well as the gamepad’s Left Stick bindings are highlighted in the middle column of the Input Actions window. The Use in control scheme checkbox is selected for Gamepad in the right column.

Setting the Gamepad bindings to use in the Gamepad Control Scheme

You are now able to create new custom inputs to your projects. You are able to configure them to work with any number of device inputs. Additionally, you can download some of the example input assets from the package manager window, to explore and delve more deeply into configuring custom inputs for different applications. 

Customizing New Input Actions

1. Overview

2. Customizing New Input Actions

3. Adding Keyboard Bindings to the Custom Input Action

4. Next Steps

Complete this tutorial