Action Maps for Multiple Input Types

Objective: An overview on action maps and how to create them.

Table of Contents

· What are Action Maps?
· How do I create Action Maps?

To use action maps, you must have installed the Unity Input System Package. The quick installation guide is available here.

What are Action Maps?

An Action Map represents an object in your project that a set actions are associated with. You can think of them as a listed collection of binding and actions. In this example, the Action Map is a Dog, meaning all actions correspond to the dog object, including bark, walk, run, and bite.

You can have multiple action maps in a single project, for example: If you’re making a game where you pilot mechas, explore on foot, or commander vehicles and mounts, all of these different input modes can coexist in your Action Maps.

How do I create Action Maps?

Creating Action Maps is simple, once you have your Input Asset ready, you can click on the + button and add an Action Map. You can name it however you like, I named mine Mech.

If you want to create action maps for another object, you can click again and it will automatically sort the list for you.

In the next article we’ll be exploring how to create actions for your Action Maps!

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