Unity real-time development platform is a leading platform for Unity game developers globally that enables them to create 2D, 3D, and VR/AR video games and applications using C# language and object-oriented architecture. Unity 3D extends numerous choices to its users in terms of professional tools, features, functionalities, and products while working with Unity projects. It is incredibly popular and is accepted as the best cross-platform game development engine all over the map. Nonetheless, here’s giving you a few substantial points to choose Unity 3D for developing your first game.

Unity’s Asset store

It has a library of assets with numerous images, music, scripts, materials, and other resources. They are made available to  the game developers to make full use of the information to the best of their ability. The Unity Asset store is a growing library of free assets and supports varied file types designed for 2D games. 

Allows to create different interfaces

Despite being a cross-platform game development engine, Unity 3D gives the developers the flexibility to create distinct user interfaces for different Unity projects. This can be done using the Unity 3D Windows that consists of other small windows that can be arranged, rearranged, removed from one position, and added to some other spot.

Unity’s Box2D engine 

It enables the development of 2D and 3D games with 2D physics. It is a free open-source physics engine with rigid bodies, colliders, and joints. It is a C++ engine that was developed by Erin Catto and has the Zlib license. It enables physics gameplay that is controlled by the editor by performing restrained simulation on joined rigid bodies in the shape of circles, polygons, and edge shapes. The Box2D engine’s algorithm allows simulations using gravity, friction, and restitution without causing instabilities.

Virtual Reality development in Unity projects

Unity dominates in mobile games — now the largest (and fastest-growing) segment of the gaming industry — where it has over 50% market share and where Unreal is not a common alternative. Unity has kept the largest market share in AR and VR content, at over 60%.

Source: Techcrunch

Virtual reality is the technology of the future as it is growing at a fast pace. Unity’s high definition rendering pipeline, XR interactive tools, editor’s rapid iteration capabilities, spatial audio, and more make the virtual reality experience like never before for the people consuming such content all over the world.

Machine Learning in Unity game projects

Unity 3D already enables you to create creative and real-time 3D content but machine learning in gaming will allow you to create intelligent gaming with Unity ML-Agents. The Unity Machine Learning Agents Toolkit is an open-source project where agents are trained using games and simulations as environments. Techniques like imitation learning, reinforcement learning, neuro-evaluation, and more are used together with a TensorFlow-based algorithm and a python API to train such agents.

Agile game creation 

Agile has enabled quick prototype testing and continued release and updates. It gives its users flexibility and accessibility. The Agile game creation model and the associated tools allow the developers to bring agility to the game development process and boosts productivity. 

Besides all of that, it provides multilingual support with C#, BOO, and Javascript and multi-platform support that lets you export games to 17 distinct platforms that include Windows, Android, iOS, Web, Playstation, Xbox, Linux, and Wii. Its OpenGL graphics API offers fantastic graphics and also supports all platforms. 

Unity 3D Version. 2021.1

Its latest big release on 30 July 2021 has come with new production-ready features and functionalities to streamline a whole lot of processes for game developers. It is built on the Unity 2020 LTS (Long-term support) and its editor ensures robustness and stability driving away bugs, crashes, and setbacks.  

Unity engine integrated visual scripting 

The bolt visual scripting system allows artists to create gameplay mechanics, technical effects, and customized tools that can be used as an advantage during the game development process. This development process is carried out using node-based graphs and not the usual coding from scratch and as it involves less coding, this feature is great for Unity game developers and non-developers alike. This system also supports certain tools like Cinemachine and VFX Graph and includes an API for custom nodes, advanced tasks, and more. Visual scripting can help your development workflows with their various applications. It lets you implement, test and change animations, art, and more. Also, learning C# script and concepts become a lot easier with visual scripting. The creators can develop extensions, game templates, and tools for other Unity users. Unity visual scripting has been in the industry for a long time and has been tested and improved over time for the users to provide a better gaming experience to the gamers. Flow graphs, state graphs, live editing, debugging and analysis, ease to use, and codebase compatibility are the prime advantages that a user can avail with Unity 3D Version. 2021.1.

Point light shadows in the Universal Render Pipeline (URP)

This feature of Unity lets URP that is usually used in mobile and web games to create realistic shadows from local light sources. The number of shadow maps per light varies depending upon the kind of light. Directional light renders one shadow map per cascade, Spot light renders one shadow map, and Point light renders six shadow maps. With the help of point lights, URP offers support to shadows. A point light that is sited at a point and distributes light in all directions uniformly and helps stimulate local sources of light in a scene.

Unity ArtEngine

With ArtEngine, game developers can use AI-assisted artistry to create ultra-realistic materials. The ArtEngine’s features like Texture Mutation, Seam Removal, Deblurring, Pattern Unwarping, Material Generation, Color Matching, JPEG Artifact Removal, Texture in-painting, and more speed up photoconversion to physically-based rendered materials. These Unity tools and functionalities allow artists to add value to their work through 3D material creation and example-based workflow. Not just this, it also improves the appearances of the assets by giving attention to detail with Upres and JPEG Compression removal. 

It uses NVIDIA GPUs for automation of time-consuming and repetitive work and helps game creators save time and effort that could be used doing something that requires their skills. This AI-assisted solution was built by Artomatix which now is a part of Unity. Also, NVIDIA’s new material catalog called vMaterials is helping users create materials in design and graphics. It offers more than 2000 real-world materials.

Prefabs in Unity projects

You create, configure, and store as many GameObjects (characters, objects, and environments) you like in Prefab, just in case you need to use them again in a different way for another Unity game project. There is so much to create and experiment with Prefab, no matter how complex or challenging it is. It even allows the user to create copies and work independently on the original and the copies. Environmental assets like trees, buildings, and more, NPCs, main characters of the game are a few examples of Prefabs. 

Unity 3D lets developers create amazing graphics with influential shaders, post-processing, physics-based materials, and high-resolution lighting systems. It has its editor tools and also a customizable editor with API support that lets users develop their editor tools and scripts. It even offers a free version for talented Unity game developers to avail themselves of unlimited features so they face fewer challenges than they usually do during the process.