Foundational Knowledge of Unity 2022

Getting started in Unity 2022 is easy with Unity Hub. Unity Hub serves a few very useful purposes, and we’ll be going through installing it and learning about its features. In this chapter, we’ll not only install Unity Hub and the Unity Editor, but we’ll also break down the different templates that are available to kickstart your game and AR/VR projects.

In addition to templates that provide a starting foundation for your new project, Unity also provides added functionality through the Package Manager. The Package Manager allows Unity to give a small project size footprint and not bloat the Editor with a default installation of unneeded or unwanted tooling (referring to relatively simple add-on programs that combine to accomplish a task). Being familiar with and understanding what packages are available will surely help save time and increase the quality of your project.

Finding your way around the Unity Editor is only half an introduction. The second half of this chapter teaches you how to create content and make things interactable. We’ll do this by first creating a simple 2D character right in the Editor using built-in tooling. This all starts with the GameObject – Unity’s building block.

The book takes a project-based approach to learning, so we’ll walk through designing a game, creating a game, and solving problems along the way.

In this chapter, we’re going to cover the following main topics.

• Unity Hub – choosing the 2D Universal Render Pipeline (URP) template
• Getting to know the Unity Editor and installing packages
• Introducing the GameObject! All about the Transform and components
• 2D Sprites with Sprite Creator – understanding the Sprite Renderer and draw ordering
• Game Design Document (GDD) – introducing the 2D collection game

By the end of this chapter, you’ll be able to create a new Unity project, be comfortable finding your way around the Unity Editor, understand the initial criteria for a game design document, and be prepared to create the 2D Sprite-based character that is the first element of our game.