How to Freeze Your Camera in Unity

To freeze your camera in Unity, you typically stop the script that controls its movement and rotation.

Camera movement and rotation logic are almost always handled by a script attached to the camera GameObject. To "freeze" the camera means preventing this script from updating its position or rotation.

How to Stop the Camera Script

The most common way to achieve this, as suggested by standard practices, is to modify the script controlling the camera.

1. Locate the Camera Script: Find the C# script attached to your main camera that is responsible for its movement (e.g., a follow script, a free look script, a cinematic movement script).
2. Open the Script: Double-click the script in your Unity project window to open it in your code editor (like Visual Studio).
3. Find the Update() Function: The Update() function in Unity scripts runs every frame. This is where most movement and rotation logic resides.
4. Add a Condition: At the beginning of the Update() function, add a conditional check to see if the camera should be frozen. This often involves checking a global game state variable, such as whether a pause menu is active.

Based on common Unity patterns and the reference provided, you can add a check like this:

using UnityEngine;

public class YourCameraMovementScript : MonoBehaviour
{
    // Other variables and functions...

    void Update()
    {
        // Check if the game is paused or camera should be frozen
        // Reference suggests using a static variable from a Pause Menu script
        if (PauseMenu.IsPaused)
        {
            return; // Exit the Update function immediately
        }

        // Your existing camera movement and rotation code goes here
        // Examples:
        // transform.position += movementSpeed * Time.deltaTime;
        // transform.LookAt(target);
        // Handle mouse look input...
    }

    // Other functions...
}

Explanation:

• The if (PauseMenu.IsPaused) line checks a static boolean variable IsPaused within a hypothetical PauseMenu class. You would need to set up a system (like a dedicated GameManager or PauseMenu script) that manages this IsPaused state.
• The return; statement is crucial. If the condition PauseMenu.IsPaused is true, return; causes the Update() function to stop executing for that frame at that point.
• Any code placed after the if (PauseMenu.IsPaused) return; line will only run when the game is not paused (i.e., PauseMenu.IsPaused is false). This effectively stops the camera's movement and rotation updates whenever the game is paused.

This method is widely used because it's simple, efficient, and directly addresses the mechanism (the Update() loop) that drives camera movement.