book

Unity Cookbook - Fifth Edition

Name: Unity Cookbook - Fifth Edition
ISBN: 9781805123026

by Matt Smith, Shaun Ferns, Sinéad Murphy

November 2023

Intermediate to advanced

780 pages

19h 5m

English

Packt Publishing

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Preface
Who this book is forWhat this book coversTechnical requirements to get the most out of this bookGet in touch
Displaying Data with Core UI Elements
Creating a Font Asset file for use with TextMeshProGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Displaying a “Hello World” UI text messageGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Styling substrings with rich textExploring the TextMeshPro Examples and ExtrasDisplaying a digital clockGetting readyHow to do it…How it works...Displaying a digital countdown timerGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Automatically add components with [RequireComponent(...)]Creating a message that fades awayGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Displaying an imageGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Working with 2D sprites and UI Image componentsSee alsoFurther readingLearn more on Discord
Responding to User Events for Interactive UIs
Creating a UI Button to reveal an imageGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Creating a UI Button to move between scenesHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Animating UI 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 FieldGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Detecting interactions with a single Toggle UI componentGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Creating related radio buttons using UI TogglesGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Creating text UI Dropdown menusHow to do it...How it works...Creating image icon UI Dropdown menusGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Displaying 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...Further reading
Inventory and Advanced UIs
Creating 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 displaying 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 imageHow it works...Using 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 keysDisplaying 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 alphabeticallyDisplaying multiple pickups of different objects as text totals via a dynamic Dictionary<> of PickUp objects and enum pickup typesGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Separating responsibilities with MVCFurther readingLearn more on Discord
Playing and Manipulating Sounds
Setting up the Third Person Character Controller projectHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Fixing pink texturesPlaying sound when a scene beginsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Create a GameObject with AudioSource linked to an AudioClip in a single stepMake the sound clip keep loopingCustomizing other AudioSource settingsRemoving redundant AudioListener componentsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Enabling and customizing 3D sound effectsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Changing the way the volume changes with distanceAdding keys to customize the volume falloff curveAdding effects with Audio Reverb ZonesGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Customize Reverb settings with the User presetPlaying 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 classA button to play a sound with no scriptingGetting 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 alsoCreating 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 loopsRecording sound clips with the free Audacity applicationGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Further reading
Textures, Materials, and 3D Objects
Creating a scene with 3D primitives and a textureGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Enhancing the scene – adding a spotlightCreating material asset files and setting Albedo texturesGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Exporting Blender files as FBX for use in UnityGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Importing FBX models into a Unity projectGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Using Blender files directly in a Unity projectHighlighting GameObject materials on mouseoverGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...A collider needed for custom meshesChanging the material’s color in response to mouse eventsFading the transparency of a materialGetting readyHow 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 loopFurther readingLearn more on Discord
Creating 3D Environments with Terrains
Creating and texture-painting terrainsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Unity terrain tools and samples for powerful height-paintingGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more…Adding terrain holesGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Adding trees and vegetationGetting readyHow to do it…How it works...Realistic water features for HDRP projectsHow to do it...How it works...Further reading
Creating 3D Geometry with ProBuilder
Getting started with ProBuilderGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Transforming an object through scaling and coloringGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Creating a house with ProBuilderGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Exploring ProBuilder Boolean operations to add a window to our houseGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Organizing level geometry as empty GameObject childrenGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Further readingLearn more on Discord
2D Animation and Physics
Flipping 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...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
Animated Characters
Unity’s Third Person Character Controller assetsHow to do it...How it works...Adding a Third Person Character Controller to a sceneGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Adding a clothing accessory pickup for a characterGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Swapping the Third Person Armature for a different characterGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Extracting textures when colors are not showingCreating a 3D character with Autodesk Character GeneratorGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Replace the robot character with your created characterRemove the Light child GameObject from the character HierarchySelecting and downloading a character from MixamoGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Using Mixamo to convert and fix character modelsSelecting and downloading an animation clip from MixamoGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Creating an animated NPC in Unity using a character and animation clipGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Using scripts to control 3D animations (old input system)Getting readyHow to do it...How it works...Using scripts to control 3D animations (new input system)Getting readyHow to do it...How it works...Further readingLearn more on Discord

Saving and Loading Data
Saving data between scenes using static propertiesGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Hiding the score before the first attempt is completedSee alsoSaving data between scenes and games using PlayerPrefsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...See alsoReading data from a text fileGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Loading game data from a text file mapHow to do it...How it works...Writing data to a fileHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Writing lists of objects to a JSON text fileLogging player actions and game events to a fileHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Automatically log the username of the system userSee alsoReading data from the webGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Setting 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 scriptsFurther reading
Controlling and Choosing Positions
Using 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 rectangleAn alternative approach to defining movement boundsPlayer control of a 3D GameObject (and limiting movement within a rectangle)Getting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Drawing a thick gizmo yellow rectangle to visually show a bounding rectangleChoosing 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...Further readingLearn more on Discord
Navigation Meshes and Agents
NPC 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 in each frameNPC NavMeshAgent to follow waypoints in sequenceGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Working with arrays of waypointsIncreased flexibility with the WayPoint classCreating a movable NavMesh ObstacleGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Joining several NavMeshes with a single NavMeshSurfaceGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Non-horizontal NavMeshes with multiple NavMeshSurfaces and NavMeshLinksGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Further reading
Cameras, Lighting, and Visual Effects
Creating the basic scene for this chapterGetting readyHow to do it…How it works...There’s more...Fixing pink texturesWorking with a fixed Main CameraGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Changing how much of the screen a Camera rendersGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Adding a top-down orthographic minimap CameraGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Adding a floating arrow to indicate the direction the player is facing in the minimapUsing a culling mask to avoid the sphere being rendered unintentionallyCreating an in-game mirror using a RenderTexture to send Camera output to a PlaneGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Inverting our mirror Camera horizontallySaving screenshots and RenderTextures to filesGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Automate screenshot capture with OnTriggerEnter()Capture screenshots as a Texture or RenderTextureUsing Cinemachine ClearShot to switch cameras to keep the player in shotGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...A Camera to always look at and follow the Third Person ControllerGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Adding the option to switch between a following camera and multiple ClearShot camerasAdding film grain and vignette effects with URP postprocessingGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Adding a vignette effectCreating an HDRP project with an HDRI skyboxGetting readyHow to do it…How it works...There’s more...Using a skybox for default ground imageCreating and applying a cookie texture to a spotlightGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Adding more content and creating ground shadowsUsing Cookies with Directional LightsBaking light from an emissive material onto other scene GameObjectsGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Emissive materials that do not contribute to lighting other objects in the sceneFurther readingLearn more on Discord
Shader Graphs and Video Players
Playing videos with the Video Player APIPlaying 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...Outputting 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 shaderHow 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
Particle Systems and Other Visual Effects
Exploring Unity’s Particle Pack and reusing samples for your own gamesHow to do it...How it works...Creating a simple Particle Systems 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...Destroying or damaging objects in a bomb blast radiusAdding camera shake when the bomb explodesUsing a Line Renderer to create a spinning laser trapHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Triggering an explosion when the player’s character collides with the beamFurther readingLearn more on Discord
Mobile Games and Applications
Setting up your system for Android mobile app developmentHow to do it...How it works...Setting up your system for Apple iOS mobile app developmentGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Deploying the Third Person Character Controller Starter project for an Android deviceGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Changing the name of the app as it appears on a deviceCopying APK files from a Windows PC to an Android deviceSideloading APK files from a Mac to an Android deviceDownloading Android APK files on your phoneDeploying the Third Person Character Controller Starter project for an Apple deviceGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...The device will not prepare for developmentCreating and deploying a mobile game with Unity’s Runner Game project templateHow to do it...How it works...Further reading
Augmented Reality (AR)
Exploring the Unity AR samplesHow to do it...How it works...Creating an AR project with the AR (Core) templateHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Deprecation warnings with the AR (Core) templateBuild failure due to Vulkan graphics API settingsBuild failure due to Android versionBuilding for Apple iOSAdding the AR Foundation package and GameObjects to a 3D sceneHow 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 readingLearn more on Discord
Virtual and Extended Reality (VR/XR)
Setting up the Oculus Quest 2 for Unity developmentGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Speed up Windows development with Oculus Link/Air LinkOculus Link is not possible on most MacsOculus Link LinuxOnline guides to help you set up your Quest for VR development with UnityCreating and running a Unity project on a VR headsetGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Cannot choose the Quest device due to Android tools unknown locationBuild failure due to Android versionBuild failure due to “namespace cannot be found” errorBeginning with the XR Interaction ToolkitGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Creating a 360-degree video VR projectGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Exploring and building the Desert WebXR demo projectHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Fixing pink (shader/material) problemsThe OpenUPM community maintains more up-to-date XR resourcesLatest releases from De-PantherMissing packages errorUsing GitHub Pages to publish your WebXR project for freeGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Creating a simple WebXR scene from scratchGetting readyHow to do it...How it works...Further reading
Advanced Topics – Gizmos, Automated Testing, and More
Using a gizmo to show the currently selected object in the Scene panelHow to do it...How it works...Creating an Editor snap-to-grid drawn by a gizmoHow to do it...How it works...There’s more...Generating 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 menuEditMode minimum skeleton unit test scriptMaking a 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 DataProviderHow 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 readingLearn more on Discord
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Index

Overview

Unity Cookbook by Matt Smith and his co-authors is a comprehensive guide designed for Unity developers seeking practical solutions to common challenges. With over 160 recipes, this book thoroughly explores Unity 2023's features, helping you excel in VR, AR, mobile game development, and much more.

What this Book will help me do

Create intuitive and attractive user interfaces using Unity's UI tools and solve practical UI challenges.
Implement sophisticated AI agents and game logic to enhance gameplay with realistic interaction.
Master the Unity engine's Cinemachine feature to produce intelligent camera systems for dynamic views.
Skillfully use Unity's Shader Graph to design materials and effects to enhance visual fidelity.
Understand how to develop mobile games, VR, and AR experiences to reach diverse gaming platforms.

Author(s)

Matt Smith, along with Shaun Ferns and Sinéad Murphy, bring a wealth of expertise to game development. With years of experience teaching and working hands-on with Unity, they specialize in crafting educational resources that are practical and attuned to the needs of developers. Their collective passion for creativity and technology is reflected in this book that combines deep technical knowledge with accessible guidance.

Who is it for?

This book is perfect for Unity developers seeking to deepen their expertise and solve practical development challenges. Readers should already have basic knowledge of Unity editor functionality and competence in C# programming. It is particularly suited for those targeting mobile, VR, and AR platforms or refining general game development skills. Ideal for programmers and designers alike aiming to enhance their Unity project portfolios.

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