Unity3D has been making great strides of late, it’s has been one of the big go-to middleware engines for budding iOS and Android game developers and even expanded its reach to Web, Windows desktop and other platforms.
It’s recent Microsoft partnerships have also been making big waves and have spurred on its adoption, introducing both the Windows Phone 8 and Windows 8 platforms and more recently with the announcement of Xbox One support, best of all it’s completely free for all Microsoft platforms.
Unity3D comes in three flavours:
Unity3D Trial
When you first download Unity3D and setup a new account you get access to all of Unities tools and accessories that are included in the Pro version for 30 days, after that it will revert to the Free version or you can pay for Pro.
Unity3D Free
As it says on the box, this is the default Free tier for Unity, you get access to the editor and all the basic features, however some advanced performance, profiling and graphics features are disabled. You can still make one heck of a game if you do it right and it’s perfect while you are learning Unity. But once your game gets beyond a certain size you may find the lack of the pro features limiting.
Unity3D Pro
Basically every tool and feature of Unity at your disposal including LOD support, texture batching, asset streaming, custom splash screens,
3D textures and HDR, the list goes on – see Unity Pro
detail page for more details and a comparison of the Pro vs Free features.
So how to get started?
As with my Monster links post, I’ve compiled an extensive list of resources at your disposable on your Unity3D journey, split up in to sections to allow you to target what you need.
Beginner tutorials
Intermediate tutorials
Project based training – learn by doing
Video based tutorials
Unity3D component tutorials
Unity3D master sites – Unity training is just their thing
Unity3D paid for training
Scripting links and help
Shader help and tutorials
Performance and architecture
Platform specific
Animation and Mecanim
Generic Tips and Tricks
Multiplayer tutorials
Music and Audio
Unity addons and engines
Help and forums
Resources
Other things to check
On with the show
If you know of any other stellar resources out there that will help out a new comer to Unity3D or a set of advanced tutorials and resources then be sure to comment below and I’ll add them in.
Like the other “Monster Set of Resources” post, I try to keep these up to date with new additions as I find them.
Party on.
Long-time game developer / IT maniac.
By day I architect, design, build and deliver enriching Mixed Reality solutions to clients, bringing the work of AR/VR to light in new and interesting ways, by night I Masquerade as the Master Chief of ZenithMoon Studios, my own game development studio.
At heart, I am a community developer breaking down lots of fun and curious technologies and bringing them to the masses.
I'm also a contributor to several open-source projects, most notably, the Reality Toolkit and all the services provided by the Reality Collective, The Unity-UI-Extensions project, as well as in the past the AdRotator advertising rotator project for Windows and Windows Phone.
Currently, I spend my time fulfilling contracts in the Mixed Reality space (primarily for an XR experience firm called Ethar), writing books, technically reviewing tons of material and continuing my long tradition of contributing to open-source development, as well as delivering talks, but that goes without saying
Mixed Reality MVP, Xbox Ambassador, MS GameDevelopment Ambassador & Best selling author:
[Accelerating Unity Through Automation](https://www.amazon.co.uk/Accelerating-Unity-Through-Automation-Offloading/dp/1484295072/ref=rvi_sccl_3/262-0817396-1418043)
[Mastering Unity 2D Game Development] (https://www.packtpub.com/game-development/mastering-unity-2d-game-development)
[Unity 3D UI Essentials] (https://www.packtpub.com/game-development/unity-3d-gui-essentials)