Summary
In this chapter, we set up two scenes and studied how to build path-following agents with obstacle avoidance behavior. We learned about the Unity3D layer feature and how to use Raycasts and SphereCasts against a particular layer selectively. Although these examples were simple, we can apply these simple techniques to various scenarios. For instance, we can set up a path along a road. We can easily set up a decent traffic simulation using some vehicle models combined with obstacle avoidance behavior. Alternatively, you could just replace them with biped characters and build a crowd simulation. You can also combine them with some finite state machines to add more behaviors and make them more intelligent.
The simple obstacle avoidance behavior that we implemented in this chapter doesn't consider the optimal path to reach the target position. Instead, it just goes straight to that target, and only if an obstacle is seen within a certain distance does it try to avoid it...