Unity 4

The Statue of Unity is a colossal statue of Indian statesman and independence activist Vallabhbhai Patel (1875–1950), who was the first Deputy Prime Minister and Home Minister of independent India and an adherent of Mahatma Gandhi during the nonviolent Indian Independence movement.Patel was highly respected for his leadership in uniting 562 princely states of India with a major part of the.

1. Unity Personal is a great place for beginners and hobbyists to get started. It includes access to all core game engine features, continuous updates, beta releases, and all publishing platforms.
2. The Unity Editor features multiple tools that enable rapid editing and iteration in your development cycles, including Play mode for quick previews of.

C# and .NET, the technologies underlying Unity scripting, have continued to receive updates since Microsoft originally released them in 2002. But Unity developers may not be aware of the steady stream of new features added to the C# language and .NET Framework. That's because before Unity 2017.1, Unity has been using a .NET 3.5 equivalent scripting runtime, missing years of updates.

With the release of Unity 2017.1, Unity introduced an experimental version of its scripting runtime upgraded to a .NET 4.6, C# 6 compatible version. In Unity 2018.1, the .NET 4.x equivalent runtime is no longer considered experimental, while the older .NET 3.5 equivalent runtime is now considered to be the legacy version. And with the release of Unity 2018.3, Unity is projecting to make the upgraded scripting runtime the default selection, and to update even further to C# 7. For more information and the latest updates on this roadmap, read Unity's blog post or visit their Experimental Scripting Previews forum. In the meantime, check out the sections below to learn more about the new features available now with the .NET 4.x scripting runtime.

Prerequisites

• Unity 2017.1 or above (2018.2 recommended)

Enabling the .NET 4.x scripting runtime in Unity

To enable the .NET 4.x scripting runtime, take the following steps:

1. Open PlayerSettings in the Unity Inspector by selecting Edit > Project Settings > Player.

2. Under the Configuration heading, click the Scripting Runtime Version dropdown and select .NET 4.x Equivalent. You will be prompted to restart Unity.

Choosing between .NET 4.x and .NET Standard 2.0 profiles

Once you've switched to the .NET 4.x equivalent scripting runtime, you can specify the Api Compatibility Level using the dropdown menu in the PlayerSettings (Edit > Project Settings > Player). There are two options:

• .NET Standard 2.0. This profile matches the .NET Standard 2.0 profile published by the .NET Foundation. Unity recommends .NET Standard 2.0 for new projects. It's smaller than .NET 4.x, which is advantageous for size-constrained platforms. Additionally, Unity has committed to supporting this profile across all platforms that Unity supports.

• .NET 4.x. This profile provides access to the latest .NET 4 API. It includes all of the code available in the .NET Framework class libraries and supports .NET Standard 2.0 profiles as well. Use the .NET 4.x profile if your project requires part of the API not included in the .NET Standard 2.0 profile. However, some parts of this API may not be supported on all of Unity's platforms.

You can read more about these options in Unity's blog post.

Adding assembly references when using the .NET 4.x Api Compatibility Level

When using the .NET Standard 2.0 setting in the Api Compatibility Level dropdown, all assemblies in the API profile are referenced and usable. However, when using the larger .NET 4.x profile, some of the assemblies that Unity ships with aren't referenced by default. To use these APIs, you must manually add an assembly reference. You can view the assemblies Unity ships with in the MonoBleedingEdge/lib/mono directory of your Unity editor installation:

For example, if you're using the .NET 4.x profile and want to use HttpClient, you must add an assembly reference for System.Net.Http.dll. Without it, the compiler will complain that you're missing an assembly reference:

Visual Studio regenerates .csproj and .sln files for Unity projects each time they're opened. As a result, you cannot add assembly references directly in Visual Studio because they'll be lost upon reopening the project. Instead, a special text file named csc.rsp must be used:

1. Create a new text file named csc.rsp in your Unity project's root Assets directory.

2. On the first line in the empty text file, enter: -r:System.Net.Http.dll and then save the file. You can replace 'System.Net.Http.dll' with any included assembly that might be missing a reference.

3. Restart the Unity editor.

Taking advantage of .NET compatibility

In addition to new C# syntax and language features, the .NET 4.x scripting runtime gives Unity users access to a huge library of .NET packages that are incompatible with the legacy .NET 3.5 scripting runtime.

Add packages from NuGet to a Unity project

NuGet is the package manager for .NET. NuGet is integrated into Visual Studio. However, Unity projects require a special process to add NuGet packages. This is because when you open a project in Unity, its Visual Studio project files are regenerated, undoing necessary configurations. To add a package from NuGet to your Unity project do the following:

1. Browse NuGet to locate a compatible package you'd like to add (.NET Standard 2.0 or .NET 4.x). This example will demonstrate adding Json.NET, a popular package for working with JSON, to a .NET Standard 2.0 project.

2. Click the Download button:

3. Locate the downloaded file and change the extension from .nupkg to .zip.

4. Within the zip file, navigate to the lib/netstandard2.0 directory and copy the Newtonsoft.Json.dll file.

5. In your Unity project's root Assets folder, create a new folder named Plugins. Plugins is a special folder name in Unity. See the Unity documentation for more information.

6. Paste the Newtonsoft.Json.dll file into your Unity project's Plugins directory.

7. Create a file named link.xml in your Unity project's Assets directory and add the following XML. This will ensure Unity's bytecode stripping process does not remove necessary data when exporting to an IL2CPP platform. While this step is specific to this library, you may run into problems with other libraries that use Reflection in similar ways. For more information, please see Unity's docs on this topic.

With everything in place, you can now use the Json.NET package.

This is a simple example of using a library which has no dependencies. When NuGet packages rely on other NuGet packages, you would need to download these dependencies manually and add them to the project in the same way.

New syntax and language features

Using the updated scripting runtime gives Unity developers access to C# 6 and a host of new language features and syntax.

Auto-property initializers

In Unity's .NET 3.5 scripting runtime, the auto-property syntax makes it easy to quickly define uninitialized properties, but initialization has to happen elsewhere in your script. Now with the .NET 4.x runtime, it's possible to initialize auto-properties in the same line:

String interpolation

With the older .NET 3.5 runtime, string concatenation required awkward syntax. Now with the .NET 4.x runtime, the $ string interpolation feature allows expressions to be inserted into strings in a more direct and readable syntax:

Expression-bodied members

With the newer C# syntax available in the .NET 4.x runtime, lambda expressions can replace the body of functions to make them more succinct:

You can also use expression-bodied members in read-only properties:

Task-based Asynchronous Pattern (TAP)

Asynchronous programming allows time consuming operations to take place without causing your application to become unresponsive. This functionality also allows your code to wait for time consuming operations to finish before continuing with code that depends on the results of these operations. For example, you could wait for a file to load or a network operation to complete.

In Unity, asynchronous programming is typically accomplished with coroutines. However, since C# 5, the preferred method of asynchronous programming in .NET development has been the Task-based Asynchronous Pattern (TAP) using the async and await keywords with System.Threading.Task. In summary, in an async function you can await a task's completion without blocking the rest of your application from updating:

TAP is a complex subject, with Unity-specific nuances developers should consider. As a result, TAP isn't a universal replacement for coroutines in Unity; however, it is another tool to leverage. The scope of this feature is beyond this article, but some general best practices and tips are provided below.

Getting started reference for TAP with Unity

These tips can help you get started with TAP in Unity:

• Asynchronous functions intended to be awaited should have the return type Task or Task<TResult>.
• Asynchronous functions that return a task should have the suffix 'Async' appended to their names. The 'Async' suffix helps indicate that a function should always be awaited.
• Only use the async void return type for functions that fire off async functions from traditional synchronous code. Such functions cannot themselves be awaited and shouldn't have the 'Async' suffix in their names.
• Unity uses the UnitySynchronizationContext to ensure async functions run on the main thread by default. The Unity API isn't accessible outside of the main thread.
• It's possible to run tasks on background threads with methods like Task.Run and Task.ConfigureAwait(false). This technique is useful for offloading expensive operations from the main thread to enhance performance. However, using background threads can lead to problems that are difficult to debug, such as race conditions.
• The Unity API isn't accessible outside the main thread.
• Tasks that use threads aren't supported on Unity WebGL builds.

Differences between coroutines and TAP

There are some important differences between coroutines and TAP / async-await:

• Coroutines cannot return values, but Task<TResult> can.
• You cannot put a yield in a try-catch statement, making error handling difficult with coroutines. However, try-catch works with TAP.
• Unity's coroutine feature isn't available in classes that don't derive from MonoBehaviour. TAP is great for asynchronous programming in such classes.
• At this point, Unity doesn't suggest TAP as a wholesale replacement of coroutines. Profiling is the only way to know the specific results of one approach versus the other for any given project.

Note

As of Unity 2018.2, debugging async methods with break points isn't fully supported; however, this functionality is expected in Unity 2018.3.

nameof operator

The nameof operator gets the string name of a variable, type, or member. Some cases where nameof comes in handy are logging errors, and getting the string name of an enum:

Caller info attributes

Caller info attributes provide information about the caller of a method. You must provide a default value for each parameter you want to use with a Caller Info attribute:

Using static

Using static allows you to use static functions without typing its class name. With using static, you can save space and time if you need to use several static functions from the same class:

IL2CPP Considerations

When exporting your game to platforms like iOS, Unity will use its IL2CPP engine to 'transpile' IL to C++ code which is then compiled using the native compiler of the target platform. In this scenario, there are several .NET features which are not supported, such as parts of Reflection, and usage of the dynamic keyword. While you can control using these features in your own code, you may run into problems using 3rd party DLLs and SDKs which were not written with Unity and IL2CPP in mind. For more information on this topic, please see the Scripting Restrictions docs on Unity's site.

Additionally, as mentioned in the Json.NET example above, Unity will attempt to strip out unused code during the IL2CPP export process. While this typically isn't an issue, with libraries that use Reflection, it can accidentally strip out properties or methods that will be called at run time that can't be determined at export time. To fix these issues, add a link.xml file to your project which contains a list of assemblies and namespaces to not run the stripping process against. For full details, please see Unity's docs on bytecode stripping.

.NET 4.x Sample Unity Project

The sample contains examples of several .NET 4.x features. You can download the project or view the source code on GitHub.

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Additional resources

The last release of 2019 delivers a brand-new interface, a new Input System, and the production-ready High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP) and Visual Effect Graph. It includes the debut of ray tracing in Unity as well as a ton of 2D features now verified, the DOTS Sample project, DOTS packages, and more.

Unity 2019.3

Regardless if you work in games, film & entertainment, architecture, or any other industry utilizing 2D or 3D real-time technology, the 2019.3 release has something for you.

The last release of the 2019 TECH cycle delivers even more performance, visuals, more artistic power, and better workflows for any artist, designer or programmer.

Get all the details on what Unity 2019.3 offers you here, including videos, talks, documentation and more – and to help you get started.

Artist and designer tools

Learn what’s new for artists and designers in Unity 2019.3, including production-ready 2D features, Timeline support for Animation Rigging, terrain updates, Presets, and a new, simplified DOTS conversion workflow.

Programmer tools

Learn what’s new for developers in Unity 2019.3, including major updates to DOTS, improvements for version control, profiling tools, and Serialization, as well as Configurable Enter Play Mode, Physics updates and more.

Editor and team workflows

Unity 4j

The Unity Editor has a new look and feel, Quick Search helps you find anything, and UI Builder is now in Preview. And save time when importing assets and switching platforms with the Asset Import Pipeline, the default for new projects.

Platforms

Learn what’s new in Unity 2019.3 for platform support. It offers support for Google Stadia, updates to AR Foundation, additional tooling for VR and mobile developers, a new Input System and more.

Graphics

2019.3 has numerous updates for graphics and the High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP) and Visual Effect Graph are now production-ready. Real-time Ray Tracing is currently in Preview, and we have improved the Universal Render Pipeline, Shader Graph, terrain, and lighting.

Unity 4 Download

DOTS and the DOTS Sample project

The DOTS Sample project demonstrates how all the new DOTS packages work together in a multiplayer shooter game, including DOTS Game Code updates, DOTS Netcode, Conversion Workflow, Unity Live Link and more.

The Heretic – Full version

The Heretic is a short film by Unity’s award-winning Demo team, who also created Adam and Book of the Dead. The first part of the project premiered at GDC 2019 running at 30 fps at 1440p on a consumer-class desktop PC. We shared an early preview of the second part at Unite Copenhagen 2019.

The Heretic runs on Unity 2019.3, leveraging a broad range of graphics features, including every possible aspect of HDRP and the Visual Effect Graph. See the reveal of a new, entirely VFX-based character in the full film.

About to ship? Consider using Unity 2018.4 LTS.

The Long-Term Support (LTS) version of Unity is for projects about to ship. If you wish to lock in your production on a specific version of Unity for maximum stability, we recommend you use Unity 2018.4 LTS.

The LTS release doesn’t have any new features, API changes or enhancements. It’s simply a continuation of the 2018 TECH stream, with updates and fixes. That’s why we call it 2018.4, while this year’s TECH stream began with 2019.1, followed by 2019.2, and has now become 2019.3. With the release of 2020.1, which is targeted for spring 2020, 2019.4 LTS will be made available as well.

Two 2020 TECH stream releases

With the last release of the Unity 2019 TECH stream, we're excited to announce the plans for 2020. With more new features being continuously distributed as packages, we’re changing our core updates to two TECH stream releases in 2020, followed by the LTS release in early 2021. The full release of 2020.1 is scheduled for spring 2020 and 2020.2 is scheduled for fall 2020. We’ll continue to ship minor updates with bug fixes just as often as we do now.

Many existing and upcoming Unity features are available as packages, which you can download via the Package Manager in the Editor.

Preview packages give you early access to new features and improvements. However, they aren’t recommended for projects in production. They’re still evolving and likely to contain bugs.

Verified packages have undergone additional testing and have been verified to work safely with a specific version of Unity, and with all the other packages that are verified for that version.

TECH stream releases are for developers who want to access the latest features and capabilities. This year we’re shipping three major TECH stream releases (2019.1, 2019.2, and 2019.3). We add updates and bug fixes to the current TECH stream release on a weekly basis until the next TECH release is officially launched, then the cycle begins again.

Unity Software Stock

The last TECH stream release of the year becomes a Long-Term Support (LTS) release and receives continued support for another two years. In terms of versioning, we increment the final TECH stream release of the year by one and add “LTS” (for example, TECH stream release 2018.3 became 2018.4 LTS).

Unlike the TECH stream, the LTS stream does not have any new features, API changes or enhancements. Instead, any updates address crashes, regressions, and issues that affect the wider community, console SDK/XDKs, or any major issues that would prevent a large number of developers from shipping their games or apps.

LTS releases receive bi-weekly updates. The LTS stream is for developers who want to continue to develop and ship their games/apps on the most-stable version for an extended period.

If you are in production or close to release, we recommend the latest LTS release. If you want to use the latest Unity features in your project, or are just getting started with production, the TECH stream is recommended.

Alpha releases offer the earliest access to our latest features, which are added every week of the alpha cycle until the feature-cutoff date. As such, they come with a higher stability risk than beta releases. With both alphas and betas, you have an opportunity to influence our development process by using the new features and providing feedback via forums and bug reports.

Because there may be feature-stability issues with these early releases, we do not recommend them for projects in production, and we highly recommend that you make backups of any projects before you open them with an alpha or beta release.

Both our alpha and beta releases are open to everyone, so no signup is required. Get started by downloading them from the Unity Hub.