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Getting Started with Unity 5
Getting Started with Unity 5
Getting Started with Unity 5
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Getting Started with Unity 5

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About This Book
  • Learn to create interactive games with the Unity 5 game engine
  • Explore advanced features of Unity 5 to help make your games more appealing and successful
  • A step-by-step guide giving you the perfect start to developing games with Unity 5
Who This Book Is For

If you are a game developer interested in learning Unity 3D from scratch and becoming familiar with its core features, then this book is for you. No prior knowledge of Unity 3D is required.

LanguageEnglish
Release dateMay 29, 2015
ISBN9781784395636
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    Book preview

    Getting Started with Unity 5 - Dr. Edward Lavieri

    Table of Contents

    Getting Started with Unity 5

    Credits

    About the Author

    About the Reviewers

    www.PacktPub.com

    Support files, eBooks, discount offers, and more

    Why subscribe?

    Free access for Packt account holders

    Preface

    What this book covers

    What you need for this book

    Who this book is for

    Conventions

    Reader feedback

    Customer support

    Downloading the example code

    Downloading the color images of this book

    Errata

    Piracy

    Questions

    1. Getting Jiggy with the Unity Interface

    Why Unity?

    Getting your hands on Unity

    Projects

    Layouts

    Views

    The Scene view

    The Game view

    The Hierarchy view

    The Project view

    The Inspector view

    Transform tools

    Cameras

    Summary

    2. Creating the Game Environment

    Game design

    Game look

    Player objectives

    Gameplay

    User actions

    Artificial Intelligence

    End state

    Terrain

    Creating the terrain

    Adding mountains

    Adding a river

    Textures

    Additional environmental features

    Natural bridge

    Planting trees

    Water

    Creating the sky

    Summary

    3. Working with Assets

    Assets

    Asset packages

    Unity Asset Store

    Adding assets to your game

    Using the Unity Asset Store

    Importing a custom asset package

    Importing the game characters

    Importing the buildings

    Using Blender to create assets for your game

    Summary

    4. Animating the Game Characters

    Animation basics

    Character controllers

    First person controller

    Creating a third person controller

    Animating player characters

    Little farmer Colt

    Old farmer character

    Farm animals

    Previewing animations

    Creating animation clips

    Summary

    5. Scripting the Game

    C# programming primer

    Syntax

    Naming conventions

    Class, function, and method names

    Camel case

    Abbreviations

    Special characters

    Data types

    Using MonoDevelop

    Scripting with C# in Unity

    Start and update functions

    Scripting example

    Unity scripting assets

    Scripting our game

    Script planning

    Gathering corn

    Gathering water

    Feeding piglets

    Feeding baby chicks

    Feeding pigs

    Feeding adult chickens

    Data requirements

    All about the pigs

    Chicks and chickens

    Corn and water

    Initializing our data

    Selective scripts

    Selective script – global variables

    Selective script – evoking the take animation

    Selective script – feeding the farm animals

    Organizing scripts

    Summary

    6. Adding a Graphical User Interface

    An overview of GUI

    Functions of a GUI

    Feedback

    Control

    Feedback and Control

    Game Layers

    Unity 5's UI system

    Canvas

    Render mode

    Creating a GUI

    HUD

    Creating an HUD

    Mini-maps

    Creating a mini-map

    Game navigation

    Summary

    7. Polishing and Optimizing the Game

    Sight and sound

    Unity's sound capabilities

    Audio listener

    Audio clips

    Audio source

    Implementing sound effects

    Visual effects

    Spotlight orb with halo effect

    Casting shadows

    Trail rendering

    Rendering options

    The Profiler window

    Rendering optimization

    Imposing limits

    Baking images

    Optimizing scripts

    Summary

    8. What's Next?

    Improving our game

    Audio

    Visual effects

    Functionality

    Levels

    Project management

    Unity workflow

    Art and animation

    Scripts

    Other assets

    Scaling projects

    Development concepts

    Cross-platform considerations

    Plugins

    Attribution

    Advanced topics

    Particle systems

    Inventory control systems

    Dialog systems

    Summary

    Index

    Getting Started with Unity 5


    Getting Started with Unity 5

    Copyright © 2015 Packt Publishing

    All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embedded in critical articles or reviews.

    Every effort has been made in the preparation of this book to ensure the accuracy of the information presented. However, the information contained in this book is sold without warranty, either express or implied. Neither the author, nor Packt Publishing, and its dealers and distributors will be held liable for any damages caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly by this book.

    Packt Publishing has endeavored to provide trademark information about all of the companies and products mentioned in this book by the appropriate use of capitals. However, Packt Publishing cannot guarantee the accuracy of this information.

    First published: May 2015

    Production reference: 1260515

    Published by Packt Publishing Ltd.

    Livery Place

    35 Livery Street

    Birmingham B3 2PB, UK.

    ISBN 978-1-78439-831-6

    www.packtpub.com

    Credits

    Author

    Dr. Edward Lavieri

    Reviewers

    Maxim Jankov

    Adam Larson

    Michael E. Miles

    Commissioning Editor

    Ashwin Nair

    Acquisition Editor

    Nikhil Karkal

    Content Development Editor

    Shweta Pant

    Technical Editors

    Rosmy George

    Ankita Thakur

    Copy Editors

    Sonia Michelle Cheema

    Ameesha Green

    Project Coordinator

    Shipra Chawhan

    Proofreaders

    Stephen Copestake

    Safis Editing

    Indexer

    Monica Ajmera Mehta

    Graphics

    Sheetal Aute

    Production Coordinator

    Arvindkumar Gupta

    Cover Work

    Arvindkumar Gupta

    About the Author

    Dr. Edward Lavieri is a veteran game designer and developer with a strong academic background. He earned a doctorate of computer science from Colorado Technical University, and three masters of science degrees in management information systems from Bowie State University. His formal education includes instructional design (from Capella University) and operations management (from the University of Arkansas), demonstrating his passion for academic pursuits. He has developed and taught computer-related courses since 2002 and currently teaches at Southern New Hampshire University. Edward retired from the US Navy after 25 years as an intelligence specialist and command master chief.

    As the founder and creative director of three19, a software design and development studio, Edward is constantly developing software. He uses Unity as one of his primary game development tools. He focuses on developing adaptive learning systems, educational games, and mobile apps.

    Edward authored Adaptive Learning for Educational Game Design, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, LiveCode Mobile Development HOTSHOT, Packt Publishing, LiveCode Mobile Development Cookbook, Packt Publishing, Software Consulting: A Revolutionary Approach, CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform, and was the technical editor of Excel Formulas and Functions for Dummies, Ken Bluttman, Wiley Publishing. He has also developed numerous college courses, involving computer science and information systems.

    I would like to thank Colt for always bringing a smile to my face and heart. To Noel and Josh, thank you for being in my life and creating Colt. I love all three of you. My deepest appreciation and love goes to Brenda. You are my world and let me tell you, I do love living in it. I would like to express my gratitude to Fuel So Good Coffee Roasters for fueling my writing and game development. I would also like to thank the expert team at Packt Publishing, including Harshit, Owen, Govindan, Shweta, Nikhil, the reviewers, technical editors, proofreaders, indexers, and the marketing team. It is a pleasure to have worked with such an amazing team.

    About the Reviewers

    Adam Larson has been programming since 2001. His first venture into the game industry started as a programmer, working on digital downloadable titles for Xbox Live Arcade. Since then, he has worked on titles on every modern platform. Adam discovered Unity about 5 years ago, and has been a huge advocate of it as it has grown into the powerhouse it is today.

    He currently manages Zymo Entertainment, a small start-up located near Green Bay, Wisconsin. The company focuses on business applications using Unity 3D as well as video games.

    I really want to thank my coworkers at Zymo Entertainment, as they've let me bounce a few ideas off of them.

    Michael E. Miles purchased his first computer in 1979 and since then, he has been hooked on to programming, specifically at the machine language level. The Z80 (TRS80) and 6502 (Apple II) microprocessors were top-of-the-line processors at that time, and he began programming by creating custom commands for each of the BASIC languages of these machines. As the graphic capabilities of PCs increased, his interest in graphics and animation took over with the introduction of AutoCAD. Combining his love for computer graphics and aircrafts, he became an aerospace manufacturing engineer, creating visual/animated fabrication and installation instructions for the manufacture of aircraft structures. To formulate these instructions, he frequently uses CATIA, Blender, After Effects, and has recently been incorporating game engines into his workflows, specifically, Unity and Unreal Engine 4. Michael currently works for various aerospace companies in the aerospace and defense industry as a contract manufacturing engineer, and is originally from Seattle, Washington.

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    Preface

    With the pervasiveness of games and the use of gamification in nearly every industry, the desire to discover how to use state of the art development software has never been so great. There is an increasing number of software tools available to help developers create amazing games for consoles, the Web, desktop computers, and mobile devices. Game engines are among the most powerful of these tools available. The Unity 3D game engine is one of the elite game engines. It has been used to create popular 2D and 3D games by large game studios and indie developers. With a free version available, and the release of Unity 5, the time has never been better to start using Unity.

    Getting Started with Unity 5 covers one of the most popular game engines available. This book will guide you through the entire process of creating a 3D game, from downloading the Unity game engine to publishing your game. You will enjoy having complete coverage of exciting topics including player-controlled characters and animation. Whether you are just getting started as a game developer or have experience with Unity or other game engines, this book will provide you with a guided tour of developing games with Unity 5. With clear explanations, tips, and ample screenshots, you will be provided with detailed steps to develop your

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