Working in Unity

This section provides a complete introduction to Unity:

Getting Started Downloading and installing Unity, getting set up to start your first project, and a quick tour of the Editor.

Asset Workflow How to get assets into Unity from a variety of different sources, including graphics, art and sound from external programs, Package files from other developers, and ready-made AssetsAny media or data that can be used in your game or Project. An asset may come from a file created outside of Unity, such as a 3D model, an audio file or an image. You can also create some asset types in Unity, such as an Animator Controller, an Audio Mixer or a Render Texture. More info
See in Glossary from our Asset StoreA growing library of free and commercial assets created by Unity and members of the community. Offers a wide variety of assets, from textures, models and animations to whole Project examples, tutorials and Editor extensions. More info
See in Glossary and the Standard AssetsA collection of useful assets supplied with Unity. Unity ships with multiple Standard Asset such as 2D, Cameras, Characters, CrossPlatformInput, Effects, Environment, ParticleSystems, Prototyping, Utility, and Vehicles. More info
See in Glossary bundled with Unity.

The Main Windows A more in-depth look at each of the main windows you’ll use every day in Unity, including useful shortcuts and hotkeys.

Creating Gameplay How to get started making ScenesA Scene contains the environments and menus of your game. Think of each unique Scene file as a unique level. In each Scene, you place your environments, obstacles, and decorations, essentially designing and building your game in pieces. More info
See in Glossary, GameObjectsThe fundamental object in Unity scenes, which can represent characters, props, scenery, cameras, waypoints, and more. A GameObject’s functionality is defined by the Components attached to it. More info
See in Glossary and Components; reading input; and adding gameplay or interactivity to your Project.

Editor Features Information about many of the Editor’s powerful features, to help you customize your workflow, integrate with external tools, and extend the Editor itself.

Advanced Development Information for experienced developers who want to take projects further using Plug-insA set of code created outside of Unity that creates functionality in Unity. There are two kinds of plug-ins you can use in Unity: Managed plug-ins (managed .NET assemblies created with tools like Visual Studio) and Native plug-ins (platform-specific native code libraries). More info
See in Glossary, AssetBundles, and other more advanced development techniques.

Advanced Editor Topics Take full control of the Editor, find out how it works under the hood, and learn how to script and customise the Asset pipeline and the Editor itself.

Licenses and Activation Understanding how to activate Unity and manage your licenses.

Upgrade Guides Important notes for upgrading projects that were authored with older versions of Unity.