Introduction to Unity 2018

Sep 7, 2018

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Learn how to install Unity, create a new project or open an existing project, use the Unity editor, navigate inside the Unity Scene view.

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This chapter is from the book 

Unity 2018 Game Development in 24 Hours, Sams Teach Yourself, 3rd Edition

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This hour focuses on getting you ready to rock and roll in the Unity environment. It starts by looking at the different Unity licenses and then installing the one you choose. This hour you’ll also learn how to create new projects as well as open existing ones. You’ll open the powerful Unity editor and examine its various components. Finally, you’ll learn to navigate a scene by using mouse controls and keyboard commands. This lesson is meant to be hands-on, so download Unity while reading and follow along.

Installing Unity

Before you can begin using Unity, you first need to download and install it. Software installation is a pretty simple and straightforward process these days, and Unity is no exception. Before you can install anything, though, you need to look at the three available Unity license options: Unity Personal, Unity Plus, and Unity Pro. Unity Personal is free and has everything you need to complete all the examples and projects in this book. In fact, Unity Personal contains everything you need to make games commercially, up to an annual revenue of $100,000! If you’re lucky enough to start earning more than this, or you want to access the advanced features of Unity Plus or Unity Pro (mainly aimed at teams), then you can always upgrade in the future.

NOTE: UNITY HUB

At the time this book was published, a new method of accessing Unity installs and creating projects was under way. Unity Hub acts as a centralized launcher for your various projects. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite ready to be included in this book, but that doesn’t mean this lesson is useless. You can still install Unity and create projects in the same manner as outlined in this hour if you’d like to. Even if you decide to use Unity Hub, the concepts behind the installations and projects are exactly the same. As the saying goes, “new packaging, same great taste!”

Downloading and Installing Unity

This lesson assumes that you are sticking with the Unity Personal license. If you instead choose the Plus or Pro version, the process is very similar, only deviating when it comes to choosing the license. When you are ready to begin downloading and installing Unity, follow these steps:

Download the Unity installer from the Unity download page at http://unity3d.com/get-unity/download and proceed to follow the instructions to download the installer.
Run the installer and follow the prompts as you would with any other piece of software.
When prompted, be sure to leave the Unity 2018 and Standard Assets check boxes checked (see Figure 1.1). It is okay to install the example project and any other platforms you may want to build to if you have space; doing so won’t affect your experience of the book.

FIGURE 1.1 Choosing the components to install.
Choose an installation location for Unity. It is recommended to accept the default unless you know what you are doing. Unity takes some time to download, during which time you see a download screen (see Figure 1.2).

FIGURE 1.2 Be patient while Unity downloads.
If you already have a Unity account, you may be asked to log in with it. If you don’t yet have a Unity account, follow the instructions to create one. Make sure you have access to your email to verify your address. That’s it! Unity installation is now complete.

NOTE: SUPPORTED OPERATING SYSTEMS AND HARDWARE

To use Unity, you must be using a Windows PC or a Macintosh computer. Although there is a version of the editor that runs on Linux machines, Linux is not a directly supported OS. Your computer must also meet the minimum requirements outlined here (taken from the Unity website at the time this book was published):

Windows 7 SP1+, Windows 8, or Windows 10, 64-bit versions only; Mac OS X 10.9+. Note that Unity was not tested on server versions of Windows and OS X.
Graphics card with DX9 (shader model 3.0) or DX11 with feature level 9.3 capabilities.
A CPU that supports the SSE2 instruction set (most modern CPUs).

Note that these are minimum requirements.

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