SpringArm in Godot 4: it is SpringArm3D now
By Eduardo Orellana · Updated
SpringArm is called SpringArm3D in Godot 4, and it replaces ClippedCamera for keeping a camera out of walls. In a Godot 4 project, SpringArm.new() fails to parse with Identifier "SpringArm" not declared in the current scope. Did you mean to use "SpringArm3D"?.
AppImage, x86_64. Ubuntu 22.04, Debian 12, Fedora 39 or newer.
Intel or AMD Chromebook, with Linux turned on.
What Godot is checking
GDScript resolves every name when the script loads. SpringArm is not a class in Godot 4, so the analyzer stops before anything runs, and because the name is in Godot's own table of Godot 3 renames, the message names the replacement.
The converter carries SpringArm to SpringArm3D. It casts its shape, or a ray, along its local +Z axis for spring_length and moves its children to where it hit; margin keeps them that far from the surface.
Reproduce it
A Godot 3 script that creates a SpringArm in code, in a Godot 4 project.
extends Node
func _ready():
var arm = SpringArm.new()
print(arm)
What Godot 4.7.2 prints
Godot Engine v4.7.2.stable.mono.official.ed1daf0bf - https://godotengine.org
SCRIPT ERROR: Parse Error: Identifier "SpringArm" not declared in the current scope. Did you mean to use "SpringArm3D"?
at: GDScript::reload (res://answers/springarm-in-godot-4/repro.gd:4)
ERROR: Failed to load script "res://answers/springarm-in-godot-4/repro.gd" with error "Parse error".
at: load (modules/gdscript/gdscript_resource_format.cpp:46)Fix it
A third-person rig: a SpringArm3D four metres long with a Camera3D child.
extends Node3D
func _ready() -> void:
var arm := SpringArm3D.new()
arm.spring_length = 4.0
arm.margin = 0.2
add_child(arm)
var camera := Camera3D.new()
arm.add_child(camera)
print(arm.get_class(), " length ", arm.spring_length, ", children: ", arm.get_child_count())
What the fixed script prints
Godot Engine v4.7.2.stable.mono.official.ed1daf0bf - https://godotengine.org
SpringArm3D length 4.0, children: 1Verified on Godot 4.7.2
Both scripts on this page were run headless on Godot 4.7.2 (4.7.2.stable.mono.official.ed1daf0bf) on 18 October 2026, and the output above is what Godot printed, unedited.
Where the check lives in Godot's source: [gdscript_analyzer.cpp line 4687, the message with its hint](https://github.com/godotengine/godot/blob/4.7.2-stable/modules/gdscript/gdscript_analyzer.cpp#L4687), [renames_map_3_to_4.cpp line 1600, SpringArm to SpringArm3D](https://github.com/godotengine/godot/blob/4.7.2-stable/editor/project_upgrade/renames_map_3_to_4.cpp#L1600), [SpringArm3D class reference](https://github.com/godotengine/godot/blob/4.7.2-stable/doc/classes/SpringArm3D.xml).
Questions
- How do I stop the arm hitting the player?
- Add the player's body to the arm with add_excluded_object(player.get_rid()), or leave its layer out of collision_mask.
- Should I use a shape or a ray?
- A SphereShape3D in shape keeps the whole camera clear of walls; with no shape it casts a ray.