version: "1.0.1" name: roblox-camera description: "Use when scripting or fixing Roblox camera behavior: CFrame placement, screen raycasts, first/third-person, shoulder views, cutscenes." when_to_use: "Also when the camera clips through walls, jitters, aims wrong on touch or gamepad, or needs a death cam or spectate view." last_reviewed: 2026-10-14 sources:

• https://create.roblox.com/docs/reference/engine/classes/Camera
• https://create.roblox.com/docs/reference/engine/enums/CameraType
• https://create.roblox.com/docs/reference/engine/datatypes/CFrame
• original
• https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Roblox/creator-docs/main/content/en-us/reference/engine/classes/WorldRoot.yaml

Roblox Camera

When to Load

Load when scripting custom camera behavior (cutscenes, third-person follow, custom rotation), manipulating CFrame for placement/rotation, raycasting from the screen, or building a non-default player view. Client-only.

Quick Reference

The Camera: workspace.CurrentCamera: one per client. Set CameraType = Scriptable to disable defaults and take full control. Without it, defaults overwrite your CFrame every frame.

CameraType: Fixed, Attach/Watch/Track/Follow (subject-following), Custom (default), Scriptable (no default), Orbital (fixed Y, rotates around player). CameraSubject cannot be nil: setting it reverts.

Key properties: CFrame, CameraSubject, FieldOfView (deg), FieldOfViewMode (Vertical/Diagonal), NearPlaneZ, ViewportSize, HeadLocked, HeadScale, Focus.

CFrame essentials:

Custom camera loop: always PreRender, never Heartbeat:

camera.CameraType = Enum.CameraType.Scriptable
RunService.PreRender:Connect(function(dt)
    local desired = CFrame.lookAt(head.Position - offset, head.Position)
    camera.CFrame = camera.CFrame:Lerp(desired, math.min(dt * 10, 1))
end)

Raycasting from camera: camera:ScreenPointToRay(mx, my) (accounts for GUI inset) vs camera:ViewportPointToRay(mx, my) (raw, NO inset). ScreenPointToRay returns a unit Ray (1 stud); multiply Direction by length for the actual raycast.

Pitfalls:

• Client-only. Server sets silently dropped.
• Without Scriptable, defaults overwrite your CFrame every frame.
• PreRender for camera (visual sync). Heartbeat adds 1-frame lag. RenderStepped still works but is superseded by PreRender.
• Camera.CFrame lacks VR head rotation; use GetRenderCFrame() for the true view.
• SetRoll is outdated; apply roll via CFrame.Angles(0, 0, roll) on CFrame.
• CFrame.new(pos, lookAt) is legacy (back-compat only); use CFrame.lookAt(at, lookAt) for new code.

See references/full.md for first/third-person recipes, cutscenes, screen shake, mouse-look, full API.