book

Unity 2021 Cookbook - Fourth Edition

Name: Unity 2021 Cookbook - Fourth Edition
ISBN: 9781839217616

by Matt Smith, Shaun Ferns

September 2021

Intermediate to advanced

816 pages

16h 30m

English

Packt Publishing

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Title Page
Copyright and Credits
Unity 2021 Cookbook Fourth Edition
Dedication
Foreword
Contributors
About the authorsAbout the reviewers
Preface
Who this book is forWhat this book coversTo get the most out of this bookDownload the example code filesDownload the color imagesConventions usedGet in touchReviews
Displaying Data with Core UI Elements
Technical requirementsDisplaying a "Hello World" UI text messageGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Styling substrings with rich textDisplaying a digital clockGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Displaying a digital countdown timerGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Creating a message that fades awayGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Displaying a perspective 3D Text MeshGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Making the text crawl as it does in the movieWhere to learn moreCreating sophisticated text with TextMeshProGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Rich text substrings for colors, effects, and spritesDisplaying an imageGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Working with 2D sprites and UI Image componentsSee alsoCreating UIs with the Fungus open source dialog systemHow to do it...How it works...Creating a Fungus character dialog with imagesHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Further reading
Responding to User Events for Interactive UIs
Technical requirementsCreating UI Buttons to move between scenesHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Animating button properties on mouseoverHow to do it...How it works...Organizing image panels and changing panel depths via buttonsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Moving up or down by just one position, using scripted methodsDisplaying the value of an interactive UI SliderHow to do it...How it works...Displaying a countdown timer graphically with a UI SliderGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Setting custom mouse cursors for 2D and 3D GameObjectsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Setting custom mouse cursors for UI controlsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Interactive text entry with Input FieldHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Toggles and radio buttons via toggle groupsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Creating text and image icon UI Drop-down menusGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Adding images to a Dropdown controlDisplaying a radar to indicate the relative locations of objectsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...The Start() methodThe Update() methodThe FindAndDisplayBlipsForTag(...) methodThe CalculateBlipPositionAndDrawBlip (...) methodThe NormalizedPosition(...) methodThe CalculateBlipPosition(...) methodThe DrawBlip() methodThere's more...
Inventory and Advanced UIs
Technical requirementsCreating a simple 2D mini-game – SpaceGirlGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Displaying single object pickups with carrying and not-carrying textGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...The PlayerInventory script classThe PlayerInventoryDisplay script classThere's more...Collecting multiple items and display the total number carriedAlternative – combining all the responsibilities into a single scriptDisplaying single-object pickups with carrying and not-carrying iconsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Displaying multiple pickups of the same object with multiple status iconsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Revealing icons for multiple object pickups by changing the size of a tiled imageUsing panels to visually outline the inventory UI area and individual itemsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Creating a C# inventory slot UI to display scripted componentsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Modifying the game for a second inventory panel for keysUsing UI Grid Layout Groups to automatically populate a panelGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Automatically inferring the number of inventory slots based on the number of GameObjects tagged StarAdding a horizontal scroll bar to the inventory slot displayAutomatically changing the grid cell size based on the number of slots in the inventoryDisplaying multiple pickups of different objects as a list of text via a dynamic list of scripted PickUp objectsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Ordering items in the inventory list alphabeticallyUsing a Dictionary and Enums to display text totals for different objectsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Creating a runtime UI Toolkit interfaceGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Further reading
Playing and Manipulating Sounds
Technical requirementsPlaying different one-off sound effects with a single AudioSource componentGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Playing a sound at a static point in 3D world spacePlaying and controlling different sounds each with its own AudioSource componentGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Creating just-in-time AudioSource components at runtime through C# scriptingGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Adding the CreateAudioSource(...) method as an extension to the MonoBehavior classDelaying before playing a soundGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Preventing an audio clip from restarting if it is already playingGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Waiting for the audio to finish playing before auto-destructing an objectGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...See alsoScheduling a sound to play at a certain timeGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Audio visualization from sample spectral dataGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Adding visualizations to a second AudioSource componentTrying out different Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) window typesSynchronizing simultaneous and sequential music to create a simple 140 bpm music-loop managerGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Adding visualizations to the four playing loopsFurther reading

Creating 3D Objects, Terrains, Textures, and Materials
Technical requirementsCreating 3D primitives and adding materials and texturesGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Enhancing the scene – adding a spotlight and wood materialCreating a new Material asset file in the Project window and then setting its Albedo to a textureConverting and importing 3D models into a projectGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Highlighting GameObject materials on mouseoverGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Collider needed for custom meshesChanging the material's color in response to mouse eventsFading the transparency of a materialHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Destroying objects when fading is completeUsing the GameObject's alpha as our starting alpha valueUsing a coroutine for our fading loopCreating geometry with ProBuilderHow to do it...How it works...Creating a house with ProBuilderHow to do it...How it works...Creating and texture-painting terrainsHow to do it...How it works...Height painting terrainsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Adding Terrain holesGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Further reading
2D Animation and Physics
Technical requirementsFlipping a sprite horizontally – the DIY approachGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Flipping a sprite horizontally – using Animator State Chart and transitionsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Instantaneous swappingAnimating body parts for character movement eventsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Creating a three-frame animation clip to make a platform continually animateGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Copying the animation relative to a new parent GameObjectMaking a platform start falling once stepped on using a Trigger to move the animation from one state to anotherGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Creating animation clips from sprite sheet sequencesGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Creating a platform game with tiles and tilemapsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Tile palettes for objects and wallsUsing sprite placeholders to create a simple physics sceneGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Editing polygon Colliders for more realistic 2D physicsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Creating an explosionForce method for 2D physics objectsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Clipping via Sprite MaskingGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Further reading
Characters, Game Kits, and Starter Assets
Technical requirementsCreating a game with the 3D Game KitHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Creating a game with the 2D Game KitGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Importing third-party 3D models and animations from MixamoGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Looping the animationScripting events to control when animation clips are playedSwapping the Standard Assets Ethan for a different character Getting readyHow to do it...How it works...Importing a 3D model and adding an Animation ControllerHow to do it...How it works...Using scripts to control 3D animationsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Importing and using a UMA free characterHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Getting started with the 2021 Starter Assets packageHow to do it...How it works...Further reading
Web Server Communication and Online Version Control
Technical requirementsSetting up a leaderboard using PHP and a databaseGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...SQLite, PHP, and database serversphpLiteAdminSee alsoUnity game communication with a web server leaderboardGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Extracting the full leaderboard data for display within UnityUsing secret game codes to secure your leaderboard scriptsSee alsoCreating and cloning a GitHub repositoryGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Learn more about DVCSLearn more about Git at the command lineUsing Bitbucket and Sourcetree visual applicationsLearning about Mercurial rather than GitAdding a Unity project to a local Git repository, and pushing files up to GitHubGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Unity project version control using GitHub for UnityGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Further reading on GitHub for UnityPulling down updates from other developersUnity Collaborate from Unity TechnologiesFurther reading
Controlling and Choosing Positions
Technical requirementsUsing a rectangle to constrain 2D Player object movementGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Drawing a gizmo yellow rectangle to visually show a bounding rectanglePlayer control of a 3D GameObject (and limiting movement within a rectangle)How to do it...How it works...There's more...Drawing a gizmo yellow rectangle to visually show a bounding rectangleDrawing thick gizmo linesChoosing destinations – finding a random spawn pointGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...See alsoChoosing destinations – finding the nearest spawn pointGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Avoiding errors due to an empty arraySee alsoChoosing destinations – respawning to the most recently passed checkpointGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Moving objects by clicking on themGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Firing projectiles in the direction of movementGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...
Navigation Meshes and Agents
Technical requirementsNPC to travel to destination while avoiding obstaclesGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...NPC to seek or flee from a moving objectGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Using a Debug Ray to show a source-to-destination lineConstantly updating the NavMeshAgent's destination to flee from the player's current locationMaintaining a constant distance from the target ("lurking" mode!)Point-and-click move to objectGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Creating a mouseover yellow highlightPoint-and-click move to tileGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Using a yellow debug ray to show the destination of the AI agentPoint-and-click raycast with user-defined, higher-cost navigation areasGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...More intelligent pathfinding by setting different costs for custom-defined navigation areas such as mud and waterImproving the UX by updating a "gaze" cursor each frameNPC NavMeshAgent to follow waypoints in a sequenceGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Working with arrays of waypointsIncreased flexibility with the WayPoint classControlling object group movement through flockingGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Creating a movable NavMesh ObstacleGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Further reading
Cameras and Rendering Pipelines
Technical requirementsCreating the basic scene for this chapterGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Working with a fixed Main CameraGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Changing how much of the screen a camera renders toGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Using Render Textures to send camera output to places other than the screenGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Inverting our mirror camera horizontallyA simple snapshot of a scene at runtimeWorking with Unity's multipurpose camera rigHow to do it...How it works...Using Cinemachine ClearShot to switch cameras to keep the player in shotGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Unity Cinemachine tutorialsWill Goldstone's ClearShot tutorialAdam Myhill's Cinemachine blog postsReading the installed Cinemachine documentationCinemachine and TimelineLetting the player switch to a Cinemachine FreeLook cameraGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Creating a project with the URPGetting readyHow to do it... How it works...Adding a vignette effectGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Creating an HDRP project with an HDRI skyboxGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Further reading
Shader Graphs and Video Players
Technical requirementsPlaying videos by manually adding a VideoPlayer component to a GameObjectGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Using scripting to control video playback on scene texturesGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Downloading an online video (rather than a clip)Ensuring a movie is prepared before playingGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Ensuring that the movie has been prepared before playing it with coroutinesOutputting video playback to a RenderTexture assetGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Using scripting to play a sequence of videos back to backGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Creating and using a simple Shader GraphHow to do it...How it works...Creating a glow effect with Shader GraphGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Toggling a Shader Graph color glow effect through C# codeGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Further readingShader Graph online resourcesVideo player online resources
Advanced Topics - Gizmos, Automated Testing, and More
Technical requirementsUsing Gizmo to show the currently selected object in the Scene windowHow to do it...How it works...See alsoCreating an editor snap-to-grid drawn by a GizmoHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Saving and loading player data – using static propertiesGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Hiding the score before the first attempt is completedSee alsoSaving and loading player data – using PlayerPrefsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...See alsoLoading game data from a text file mapGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Saving data to a file while the game is runningHow to do it...How it works...See alsoGenerating and running a default test script classHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Creating a default test script from the Project window's Create menuEdit mode minimum skeleton unit test scriptA simple unit testHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Shorter tests with values in the assertionExpected value followed by the actual valueParameterizing tests with a data providerHow to do it...How it works...Unit testing a simple health script classHow to do it...How it works...Health.csTestHealth.csCreating and executing a unit test in PlayModeHow to do it...How it works...PlayMode testing a door animationGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...PlayMode and unit testing a player health bar with events, logging, and exceptionsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...PlayMode testingUnit testsSee alsoReporting Code Coverage testingGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Running simple Python scripts inside UnityHow to do it...How it works...Further reading
Particle Systems and Other Visual Effects
Technical requirementsExploring Unity's Particle Pack and reusing samples for your own gamesHow to do it...How it works...Creating a simple particle system from scratchHow to do it...How it works...Using Texture Sheets to simulate fire with a particle systemGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Making particles collide with scene objectsHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Simulating an explosionGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Using Invoke to delay the execution of an explosionGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Further reading
Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR/AR)
Technical requirementsSetting up Unity for VRHow to do it...How it works...Setting up an Oculus Quest/2 in Developer ModeGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Creating a VR project for the Oculus Quest/2Getting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Build failure due to Android versionBuild failure due to "namespace cannot be found" errorSideloading APK files to an Android device (such as the Quest headset)Creating a VR project using the Mock HMD deviceGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Working with the Mozilla demo WebXR projectGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Using GitHub Pages to publish your WebXR project for freeLearning more about the WebXR example projectFixing pink (shader/material) problemsThe community maintaining more up-to-date XR resourcesFixing obsolete code errorsAdding 360-degree videos to a VR projectGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Playing 360-degree videos on the surface of a 3D objectExploring the Unity AR samplesGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Targeting iOS device buildsAllowing Android APK file downloads on your phoneSetting up Unity for ARHow to do it...How it works...There's more...Build failure due to Android versionBuild failure due to Vulkan API graphics settingsCreating a simple AR Foundation projectGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Detecting and highlighting planes with AR FoundationGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Creating an AR furniture previewer by detecting horizontal planesGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Creating a floating 3D model over an image targetGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Further reading

Overview

"Unity 2021 Cookbook" offers over 140 practical recipes for leveraging the Unity Game Engine to develop high-quality games. You will learn to utilize Unity's latest 2021 features for enhancing gameplay, UI design, AR/VR applications, and more. With step-by-step guidance, this book equips you with problem-solving capabilities for a wide range of Unity development challenges.

What this Book will help me do

Utilize Unity's newest capabilities such as Shader Graph to create custom shaders for realistic visual effects.
Design interactive UI elements like health bars and dynamic menus for effective gameplay enhancement.
Implement physics and animation techniques to bring 2D and 3D characters to life.
Employ Unity's Cinemachine for intelligent control over camera dynamics within immersive scenes.
Develop AR/VR applications using Unity's advanced tools and features, expanding your gamedev proficiency.

Author(s)

The authors, Matt Smith and Shaun Ferns, are seasoned Unity developers with a passion for game development and teaching. Both bring years of experience in creating interactive software and utilizing Unity's extensive environment. Their writing approach is focused on practical learning, ensuring that readers can apply their skills effectively to create innovative games.

Who is it for?

This book is written for Unity developers who are looking to master the latest Unity tools and tackle complex game development problems. If you have experience in programming with C and want to expand your game development capabilities with real-world solutions, this book suits your needs. It's equally helpful for professionals aiming to explore AR/VR or enhance UI designs. Unity enthusiasts dedicated to building better games will find it an indispensable resource.

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