{"id":161,"date":"2026-10-09T16:47:34","date_gmt":"2026-10-09T16:47:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/tjord021portfolio\/?page_id=161"},"modified":"2026-10-12T21:42:42","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T21:42:42","slug":"updates","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.wp.odu.edu\/tjord021portfolio\/updates\/","title":{"rendered":"Useful To Know"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Unity Tutorial<\/p>\nCompleted October 7, 11:23 PM<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

Unity Tutorial<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  Unity is a complex game engine made (mostly) simple by a large community of users collaborating to make each other\u2019s lives and projects easier.  In this tutorial, I\u2019ll try my best at doing the same both for beginners looking into it and as a note to myself should I forget and need a quick(ish) reminder.  Feel free to zoom in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Basics<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  That\u2019s a lot of buttons, I know.  It can be overwhelming to look at at first, so let\u2019s go over what some of the most useful ones do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  The vertical bar to the upper left contains the tools you\u2019ll need to interact with your scene.  The first is used to click and drag your view across this 3D space; right-click and drag to look around at any time without it.  The second (which I had selected above) is used to move assets in-scene along the X, Y, & Z axis whereas the third rotates them.  The fourth button can be used to scale objects in any dimension or proportionately in all by toggling the icon next to scale in the Transform component pictured above to the right.  Each of these tools can quickly be accessed by pressing Q, W, E, and R respectively.  Utilize the Transform component for the most precise editing if needed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  Last but not least, I\u2019ll brush over the orientation control tool in the upper right corner of the scene.  Click any of its directional cones to view your scene from that angle (left, right, front, back, top, bottom) or toggle the center to view everything from a more 2D perspective.  If you want to see both your scene and game windows simultaneously like I have them, click and drag their respective tabs around, fit & adjust them to your liking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Assets<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  Assets are easily obtainable for free from Unity\u2019s store, generously provided by Unity itself as well as the community of developers & designers like you or I.  Once you\u2019ve acquired some, click the Assets<\/em> button at the very top of the window (third option) and select Import Asset Package<\/em> or Import New Asset<\/em>.  From there, find your asset(s) to download and import into your project.  Drag and drop them from your Project menu\u2019s Asset folder below into your scene.  You can also find all sorts of materials and textures to apply onto your assets just as easily, though they may appear blue while things load.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  Alternatively, you can import assets of your own creation such as 3D models from Blender (pictured here) or from 2D design software (where I used Inkscape for UI).  While it takes time to learn, you don\u2019t have to be an expert to make assets yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  In fact, Unity makes it easy to create assets within the engine itself, accessible through the GameObjects<\/em> button at the top of the window (right after Assets).  You can also right-click any space within your game\u2019s Hierarchy tab, which holds all assets you\u2019ve added to your scene.  From here, select anything from empty objects to 3D shapes to begin working on and don\u2019t forget that frequent saving is your friend, as Unity is not immune to crashing.  Either do so via the File<\/em> button or by pressing Control S.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Components & Scripting<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  This is where you\u2019ll see a lot going on especially, where even I still get stumped from time to time.  Components are the bits and pieces that make your assets come to life in Unity\u2019s digital world, from sound and lighting to navigation and collision.  Scripting is yet another aspect of this, manageable in Visual Studio as you can see above.  The vast majority of my scripting knowledge (C# in Unity) came from- believe it or not- YouTube tutorials.  I thought it\u2019d be too daunting to tackle a whole new coding language in such a short matter of time, but I\u2019ve been pleasantly surprised (for the most part) by what I\u2019ve learned thus far.  Take the time to learn from others and don\u2019t be afraid to ask for help if you are able.  Just be wary that the videos you reference contain up-to-date versions of Unity and to remain aware of the dangers of downloading unknown code from anywhere off the internet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other Tips<\/p>\n\n\n\n

  Before we wrap up, I\u2019ll share some things I learned that I believe would\u2019ve helped me get through the project pictured above at least a bit sooner:<\/p>\n\n\n\n