Drag Objects in Your Scene

Let users drag and move 3D objects with mouse, touch, or VR controllers using the DragControls component. Works in Unity and Blender.

Make objects draggable in 2D screen space or 3D world space with mouse, touch, and VR support.

:::tip Works with Unity and Blender The DragControls component is available for both Unity and Blender integrations. :::

What You Can Do

• Drag with Mouse/Touch - Click and drag objects on desktop and mobile

• VR/AR Support - Grab and move objects with controllers or hands

• Multiple Drag Modes - Floor plane, screen space, surface snapping, and more

• Grid Snapping - Snap objects to a grid while dragging

• Multiplayer - Works with networking for collaborative experiences

• Physics Integration - Automatically handles rigidbodies during drag

Perfect for:

• Interactive product configurators

• Furniture placement tools

• Collaborative design spaces

• VR/AR object manipulation

• Puzzle and building games

Quick Start

Basic Setup

In Unity or Blender:

1. Add the DragControls component to any object with a mesh

2. Export and open in browser

3. Click and drag the object - it moves!

That's it! The object is now draggable.

With Networking

Share dragged objects with other users:

1. Add SyncedRoom component to your scene

2. Add SyncedTransform to draggable objects

3. Users automatically see each other moving objects

Settings

Setting	What it does
Drag Mode	How the object moves: Floor plane, attached to cursor, or surface snapping
Snap Grid Resolution	Grid size for snapping (0 = no snapping)
Keep Rotation	Maintain object's original rotation while dragging
XR Drag Mode	Separate drag mode for VR/AR controllers
XR Keep Rotation	Maintain rotation while dragging in VR/AR
XR Distance Drag Factor	How quickly objects move closer/farther in VR
Show Gizmo	Display visual line from object to surface below

Drag Modes

XZ Plane (Floor)

Objects stay on the same horizontal plane as they started. Perfect for objects on floors or tables.

Attached

Objects follow the pointer/controller directly. In 2D, they move along the screen plane. In VR, they follow your hand.

Hit Normal

Objects drag along the surface normal where you grabbed them. Good for objects on walls or slopes.

Dynamic View Angle

Automatically switches between floor plane (looking down) and screen plane (looking straight) based on camera angle.

Snap To Surfaces

Objects stick to surfaces as you drag them. Great for placing objects on walls, ceilings, or furniture.

None

Disables dragging completely.

Examples

Furniture Placement

Let users arrange furniture in a room:

1. Add DragControls to furniture objects

2. Set Drag Mode to XZ Plane (keeps furniture on floor)

3. Set Snap Grid Resolution to 0.1 for clean placement

4. Users can drag furniture around the room

Collaborative Workspace

Multiple users placing and moving objects together:

1. Add SyncedRoom component

2. Add DragControls and SyncedTransform to all draggable objects

3. Set Drag Mode to Dynamic View Angle for natural movement

4. Users see each other moving objects in real-time

VR Object Manipulation

Natural VR grabbing and placement:

1. Add DragControls to objects

2. Set XR Drag Mode to Attached for natural hand movement

3. Disable XR Keep Rotation to allow rotating objects while dragging

4. Use Snap To Surfaces for placing objects on walls/tables

Product Configurator

Let users position and rotate products:

1. Add DragControls to the product

2. Set Drag Mode to Attached for screen-following movement

3. Enable Keep Rotation to prevent accidental rotation

4. Add UI controls to call rotation methods from code

Scripting

Check if Objects Are Being Dragged

Detect when any object is being dragged:

import { Behaviour, DragControls } from "@needle-tools/engine";

export class DragDetector extends Behaviour {

    update() {
        if (DragControls.HasAnySelected) {
            console.log("Something is being dragged!");
        }
    }
}

Get Currently Dragged Objects

Access all objects currently being dragged:

import { Behaviour, DragControls } from "@needle-tools/engine";

export class DragMonitor extends Behaviour {

    update() {
        const dragging = DragControls.CurrentlySelected;

        for (const dragControl of dragging) {
            const obj = dragControl.draggedObject;
            console.log("Dragging:", obj?.name);
        }
    }
}

Keep Objects Within Bounds

Constrain dragged objects to stay within a defined area:

import { Behaviour, DragControls, Gizmos } from "@needle-tools/engine";

export class DragMonitor extends Behaviour {

    onBeforeRender() {
        const dragging = DragControls.CurrentlySelected;

        const boundsCenter = this.gameObject.worldPosition;
        const boundsSize = this.gameObject.worldScale;

        Gizmos.DrawWireBox(boundsCenter, boundsSize, 0xff3377);

        const halfSize = boundsSize.multiplyScalar(0.5);

        for (const dragControl of dragging) {
            const obj = dragControl.draggedObject;
            if (obj) {
                // Clamp position within bounds
                const pos = obj.worldPosition;
                const minX = boundsCenter.x - halfSize.x;
                const maxX = boundsCenter.x + halfSize.x;
                const minY = boundsCenter.y - halfSize.y;
                const maxY = boundsCenter.y + halfSize.y;
                const minZ = boundsCenter.z - halfSize.z;
                const maxZ = boundsCenter.z + halfSize.z;
                pos.x = Math.max(minX, Math.min(maxX, pos.x));
                pos.y = Math.max(minY, Math.min(maxY, pos.y));
                pos.z = Math.max(minZ, Math.min(maxZ, pos.z));
                obj.worldPosition = pos;
            }
        }
    }
}

How to use:

1. Create an empty GameObject to define the bounds area

2. Add this component to it

3. Scale the GameObject to set the bounds size

4. The component will keep all dragged objects within this box

5. A pink wireframe box visualizes the bounds

Change Drag Target Dynamically

Useful for duplicating or switching objects mid-drag:

import { Behaviour, DragControls } from "@needle-tools/engine";

export class DragSwitcher extends Behaviour {

    switchTarget(newObject: Object3D) {
        const dragControl = this.gameObject.getComponent(DragControls);

        if (dragControl) {
            // Change what object is being dragged
            dragControl.setTargetObject(newObject);
        }
    }
}

Respond to Drag Events

Detect when an object with DragControls starts or stops being dragged:

import { Behaviour, DragControls, serializable } from "@needle-tools/engine";

export class DragListener extends Behaviour {

    @serializable(DragControls)
    dragControls?: DragControls;

    private wasDragging = false;

    update() {
        if (!this.dragControls) return;

        const isDragging = this.dragControls.draggedObject !== null;

        // Just started dragging
        if (isDragging && !this.wasDragging) {
            console.log("Started dragging!");
            this.onDragStart();
        }

        // Just stopped dragging
        if (!isDragging && this.wasDragging) {
            console.log("Stopped dragging!");
            this.onDragEnd();
        }

        this.wasDragging = isDragging;
    }

    onDragStart() {
        // Play sound, change material, etc.
    }

    onDragEnd() {
        // Snap to final position, save state, etc.
    }
}

Advanced Features

Grid Snapping

Snap dragged objects to a 3D grid:

• Set Snap Grid Resolution to desired grid size (e.g., 0.25 for quarter-meter grid)

• Objects snap to grid points while dragging

• Perfect for building tools and placement systems

Multiplayer Ownership

DragControls automatically integrates with SyncedTransform:

• Requests ownership when dragging starts

• Enables "fast mode" for responsive dragging

• Releases ownership when dragging ends

• Other users see smooth synchronized movement

Physics Integration

When dragging objects with Rigidbody components:

• Automatically becomes kinematic during drag (no physics simulation)

• Wakes up rigidbodies and resets velocities

• Returns to physics simulation when released

• Applies velocity on release for throwing mechanics

VR Distance Control

In VR/AR, pulling controllers toward/away from your body changes object distance:

• XR Distance Drag Factor controls sensitivity

• Higher values = more responsive distance changes

• Set to 0 to disable distance adjustment

• Works naturally with hand/controller movement

Common Questions

How do I make only specific objects draggable? Add DragControls only to objects you want to be draggable. Objects without the component can't be dragged.

Can I drag objects in VR without seeing controllers? Yes! DragControls works with XR hand tracking and controller-free input. Just enable XR support.

Why does my object jump when I start dragging? This can happen if the drag plane is incorrectly positioned. Try changing the Drag Mode or ensure the object has proper colliders.

How do I prevent objects from dragging through walls? Use Snap To Surfaces drag mode and ensure your walls have colliders. The object will stick to surfaces.

Can I drag multiple objects at once? Each DragControls handles one object, but you can have multiple dragging simultaneously (useful for multi-touch or VR with both hands).

How do I disable dragging temporarily? Set Drag Mode to None or disable the DragControls component.

Does it work with networking in production? Yes! DragControls is designed for multiplayer. Combine with SyncedRoom and SyncedTransform for collaborative experiences.

Debugging

Enable debug mode by adding ?debugdrag to your URL:

http://localhost:3000?debugdrag

This shows:

• Visual helpers for drag planes and normals

• Attachment points and hit positions

• Movement distances and device info

• Bounding box snap points

More Information

Live Example:

• Collaborative Sandbox - Multi-user dragging and placement

API Documentation:

• DragControls API - Complete technical reference

Related Components:

• SyncedTransform - Network synchronization for dragged objects

• Duplicatable - Duplicate objects while dragging

• Deletable - Delete dragged objects