User Interface - Layouts and Shortcuts

This will be our very first contact with Unity3D and probably any game engine, so before getting into the depths of video game production, we will build up our familiarity with it.

We will go through the main windows of Unity, learn what they will help us do, and finally, with this knowledge, we will make the initial configurations in order to start crafting our video game.

The following topics will be covered in this chapter:

• Installing Unity HUB and Unity3D
• Unity user interface layout
• Tips and shortcuts for Unity Editor
• Initial configuration of the project

Technical requirements

Before starting with Unity, we have to make sure that our computer is suited to it. Please check the following requirements for developing or running a Unity game.

Don't worry, Unity runs on macOS and Windows, so we will have no trouble if you want to use your preferred operating system:

• Unity for development:
  • Operating system:
    • Windows (64-bit versions only): 7 SP1+, 8, 10
    • macOS: 10.11+
  • GPU:
    • Graphics card with Direct X10 (shader model 4.0) capabilities
• For running Unity games:
  • In general terms, content in Unity can be developed to run on almost any device, but don't forget that this depends on the complexity of our project.
  • As we are using the game kits, the following are needed:
    • OSes are Windows 7 SP1+, macOS 10.11+, Ubuntu 12.04+, and SteamOS+
    • Graphics card with DX10 (shader model 4.0) capabilities
    • CPU is SSE2 instruction set supported...

Installing Unity HUB and Unity3D

Before getting our hands on Unity3D, we may have been asking ourself what exactly Unity3D is, and what makes it so special. For sure, we know that it is a game engine, but do we know what a game engine is?

A game engine is considered to be a development environment in which people can build video games. In this environment, we are allowed to combine many functionalities, usually provided by the game engine itself or by external libraries. Such functionalities include the following:

• 2D graphic rendering

• 3D graphic rendering

• Scripting

• Collision system

• Physics library

• Sound reproduction

• Sprite animation

• 3D object animation

• Cinematics

• Networking system

Usually, developers produce games for different platforms, such as mobile devices, computers, consoles, and so on.

OK, now that we know what a game engine is, we want to know what...

Unity user interface layout

It is easy to understand Unity's interface as it only has five main windows, which are the following:

• The Scene view
• The Game view
• The Hierarchy
• The Project
• The Inspector

These windows can be closed, and/or new ones can be opened, so we can work with our preferred window layout. In this case, we will use the one that comes by default, which gives us easy access to the most important elements of our project. We can also find the toolbar at the top of the interface.

As we go through this chapter, we will familiarize ourself with Unity, so when the time comes for us to use the 2D or 3D Game Kits, we will be able to do so easily.

Unity tabs

It is important that we have the ability to distinguish...

Tips and shortcuts for Unity Editor

Now that we understand Unity's interface layout, here are some tips and tricks so we can work with the editor as smoothly as possible. But you may be saying to yourself, but I don't like this layout, is there something I can do about it? Of course, there are many things we can do to strengthen our relationship with Unity.

Once we have established our best layout possible, it will be time to learn some shortcuts to different functionalities, in order to save some time while making our game.

Do not feel rushed to learn all of this by heart just by reading and reminding yourself of it. This is something we will get used to as we keep working with Unity.

We will find some of these tips more interesting, and others less interesting, because everyone has different points of view. Keep in mind that we are trying to get comfortable with using...

Initial configuration of the project

It is time to start with what we were waiting for, so we need to be prepared, have everything at hand, feel comfortable with our environment, and start our project once and for all.

So, in order to appreciate this moment as much as possible, I will ask you to play around with the layouts, until you find your favorite.

Once we are all set with that, open the 3D kit, make the initial configurations, and begin our journey.

Layouts

As we read earlier in this chapter, on the toolbar we have the layouts tool, which we can use to do the following:

• Select pre-made layouts
• Save a custom layout
• Delete a custom layout
• Revert to factory settings

It is easy to create a custom layout. We can click...

Summary

I hope you found this chapter as interesting as I wanted it to be. This was our first contact with Unity, so the chapter focused on an introducing all the tools that the environment has.

There are many features in Unity, but as this is our handshake with this editor, we worked on the main aspects of it.

We learned that Unity works with GameObjects, which are placed in our digital world. These objects have different components and values, which give them certain behaviors.

We can use the windows in our layout to see everything that is happening in our project. The Scene view is where we can edit our GameObjects, which are also shown in the hierarchy. The Game view is the way the player will see the game, the Inspector is used to check the components and values of our objects, and the Project window is where we can add and delete assets.

Finally, we worked on the Splash...

Further reading

• If you want to know more about hotkeys, feel free to visit Unity's manual hotkey section at the following link: https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/UnityHotkeys.html.
• If you want to know more about Player settings, feel free to visit Unity's manual player settings section at the following link: https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/class-PlayerSettings.html.
• If you want to know more about the Splash screen, feel free to visit Unity's splash screen section at the following link: https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/class-PlayerSettingsSplashScreen.html.