All content in this course uses:

Tank control

Configure your tank’s movement with user input, collision detection, engine audio, and dirt trails behind its tracks.

In this tutorial, you’ll set up a functional Tank that can move, turn, and interact with its environment. By the end of this tutorial, your tank will have movement controls, sound effects for idling and driving, and visual dust trails behind its tracks.

Overview

By default, the Editor window around the 

 view becomes slightly darker when you enter Play mode. However, this change is subtle and can be hard to notice. If you're unaware that you're in Play mode, you might accidentally make changes that won't be saved.

To prevent this and avoid losing work, we'll adjust the Play mode tint to make it more obvious when Play mode is active.

color to have a subtle color instead of gray.

The color should be very noticeable, but still allow you to read the text in the 

 You can also paste a Hex color code instead. In our case, we used the color 

If the color needs further adjustments, return to the 

 Remember to exit Play mode before continuing to make more changes; if you don’t, your changes will be lost.

Edit Playmode tint

To make the tank interact with Unity’s physics system, you need to add a 

GameObject. This component allows the tank to respond to forces and collisions. Without a 

 component, the tank wouldn’t be able to move realistically in the game world.

Additionally, to ensure the tank remains stable and moves only in the intended directions, you can freeze its movement along the 

 and restrict unwanted rotations. Unity uses a 

 represents vertical movement. By freezing 

, you can prevent the tank from floating or sinking. You’ll freeze 

 to stop the tank from tilting sideways, ensuring it only rotates around the 

1.  Add a Rigidbody component to the Tank

Search for “Rigidbody” (not Rigidbody 2D) and select it.

Observe that the tank falls through the ground due to gravity.

window, use the foldout (triangle) to expand the 

 to prevent the tank from moving vertically.

 button and ensure that the tank no longer falls through the ground and remains upright.

 component is now applied to the tank, allowing it to interact with Unity’s physics system while ensuring that it remains stable and moves only in the intended directions.

Add a Rigidbody component

To make the tank move and turn with input controls, you need to add the 

 script. Unlike Unity’s built-in components, we’ve provided this custom script for you, which is specifically designed for this Tanks project. This script will allow the tank to receive player input and respond accordingly.

1.  Add the TankMovement script to the Tank

: The camera will not follow the tank yet. This will be addressed in a later tutorial.

If the tank moves too fast or too slow, adjust the 

If turning feels too sharp or sluggish, adjust the 

: The tank moves in the direction it is facing, similar to joystick-based movement.

Determine which control style you prefer.


 property is useful for mobile devices where joystick-based movement is more intuitive. It allows the player to move the tank by pointing in a direction rather than using separate forward and turn inputs.

 Changes made in Play mode are temporary and will reset once you exit Play mode. If you find settings you like, you'll need to take note of them before exiting Play mode.

The tank is now player-controlled, allowing for movement and turning, though additional improvements will be made in the next steps.

Add and test the TankMovement script

If your tank doesn’t move and you encounter errors such as the following after adding the script, ensure that the 

 define how user inputs (such as keyboard or controller inputs) are mapped to in-game actions. These settings are stored in a file and can be shared across projects.

window, use the foldouts (triangles) to open the 

 should be properly configured, and your tank should function as expected.

Troubleshoot Tank movement issues

Right now, the tank moves through buildings and other objects because it lacks a 

 defines a GameObject’s physical boundaries, allowing it to interact properly with the environment. In this step, you'll add a 

 component to the tank and adjust its shape for accurate collisions.

Search for “Box Collider” and select it.

 component for better performance, even though it’s not as accurate a shape. 

Use the scroll wheel to zoom in and out as needed.

A faint green box will appear around the tank, representing the 

Drag the collider handles to resize and reshape the box. 

 component slightly overlaps with the ground; otherwise, any force applied to the tank after a collision will persist indefinitely, as if in zero gravity.

4.  Improve accuracy with different view angles

The collider may not actually be perfectly aligned, even if it looks aligned from one angle.

gizmo and select a side, top, or front view.

This makes it easier to see if the collider fits the tank’s shape correctly.

 component to fit the tank's main body as closely as possible.

mode to return to a more natural viewing angle.

The goal is not to make a perfect outline of the tank, but to approximate its shape.


5.  Return to Play mode and test the Box Collider component

Move the tank towards a building or object. It should now collide instead of passing through.


Exit Play mode before making further modifications.

 Any changes made in Play mode will be lost when you exit Play mode.

The tank now has a collision boundary, preventing it from moving through other objects in the scene. 

Add a Collider component

To make your tank produce an engine idling sound, you need to add an 

 component. This acts like a speaker that plays sound effects.

Search for “Audio Source” and select it.

 checkbox so the engine sound plays continuously.

At this point, your tank will produce an idling sound, but the console error will persist, and the script won’t yet be able to switch to a driving sound when you move it using player inputs. You’ll fix this in the next step.

Add an Audio Source component

 script is designed to switch between an idling sound and a driving sound based on the tank's movement. However, for this to work, the script needs to know which 

 by increasing the value to add randomness to the sound for a more natural effect.

The engine should now switch from idle to driving sounds as the tank moves and the error in the console should now disappear.


If the sounds do not play correctly, double-check the following:

Your tank now plays an engine sound while idling and smoothly transitions to a driving sound when moving.

Assign Public Variables in the Inspector window

To enhance the visual realism of the tank's movement, you’ll add 

 prefabs behind the tank’s wheels. These are particle effects that create a dust trail dynamically as the tank moves, making its motion feel more realistic.

This makes the dust trail a child GameObject of the 

Use the position arrows to place the effect behind the tank’s right track.

 while the dust trail is selected to frame it in the 

3.  Duplicate the dust trail for the left side

Rename the new copy “DustTrail_Left”.

 models, they don’t have distinct right and left sides. Instead, you can place a single 

The dust trails should now appear only when the tank is moving.

Your tank now generates dust trails as it moves, adding a realistic touch to its motion.

Add Dust Trail prefabs

 GameObject into a prefab allows you to reuse it easily. Any changes made to the prefab will update all instances in your game.

2.  Convert the Tank GameObject into a prefab

 window now has a blue cube icon, indicating it is a prefab instance.

 GameObject is now a prefab, allowing you to create multiple copies while keeping them linked.

Create a Tank prefab

Try these optional activities to challenge yourself, build your skills, and improve your project!

 difficulty so that you know what to expect. You can do one of them, all of them, or none of them — it’s totally up to you!

Fine-tuning movement values is an essential part of game design. Experimenting with different settings helps ensure that the tank moves as expected and feels right for gameplay.

Enter Play mode and test different values for 

. Adjust these settings to achieve the movement style you prefer.

: Changes made in Play mode aren’t saved once you exit Play mode, so take notes on the values that feel best so you can apply them once you exit Play mode.

 properties with your chosen values in the 

Medium: Explore dust trail Particle System settings

 component in Unity allows you to create dynamic visual effects, such as the dust trail behind your tank. You can modify various properties to change its appearance and behavior.

 window to see a tooltip, which provides a brief explanation of what that property does.

 – Determines how long particles remain visible before fading.

 – Defines the range for the sizes of the newly created dust particles. Each particle is assigned a random size within this range when it spawns.

– Limits how many particles are emitted per second. Emission will be temporality halted when reaching this number.

Enter Play mode to test your changes in real time. Adjust values until the dust trail looks natural and responsive to the tank’s movement.

If you’re not interested in doing these challenges, mark this step as complete.

Optional: More things to try

This step is entirely optional, but if you’re curious to understand how the 

 folder and open it in an integrated development environment (IDE) or text editor. The code is thoroughly commented, which helps as you read through it.

Below are a few aspects of the script that you might find particularly interesting.

Defines key tank movement settings and references, making them accessible in the Unity 

Determines and plays the appropriate engine sound based on movement state.

 near zero), it switches to the idling sound.

If the tank is moving, it switches to the driving sound.

Optional: Review the TankMovement script

With these steps completed, your tank is fully configured and controllable.

In the next tutorial, you’ll set up the camera to follow and zoom on the tanks as they move around the scene.

Unity Version 6.0