Making Objects Float Up & Down in Unity

Ever wanted to make an object float up and down while spinning in Unity? Well, I’ve written a script for that.

Usage

1. Select an object in your Unity project.
2. Add Component > New Script
   1. Name: Floater
   2. Language: C-Sharp
3. Edit the script
4. Copy & Paste the code below into your script editor.
5. Save the script.
6. Tweak settings to your heart’s content

   

[code lang=”csharp”]
// Floater v0.0.2
// by Donovan Keith
//
// [MIT License](https://opensource.org/licenses/MIT)

using UnityEngine;
using System.Collections;

// Makes objects float up & down while gently spinning.
public class Floater : MonoBehaviour {
// User Inputs
public float degreesPerSecond = 15.0f;
public float amplitude = 0.5f;
public float frequency = 1f;

// Position Storage Variables
Vector3 posOffset = new Vector3 ();
Vector3 tempPos = new Vector3 ();

// Use this for initialization
void Start () {
// Store the starting position & rotation of the object
posOffset = transform.position;
}

// Update is called once per frame
void Update () {
// Spin object around Y-Axis
transform.Rotate(new Vector3(0f, Time.deltaTime * degreesPerSecond, 0f), Space.World);

// Float up/down with a Sin()
tempPos = posOffset;
tempPos.y += Mathf.Sin (Time.fixedTime * Mathf.PI * frequency) * amplitude;

transform.position = tempPos;
}
}

[/code]