Unity3D Student

UNITY 3.4 Released, go geddit!

Will Goldstone — Tue, 26 Jul 2011 14:25:37 +0000

In yet another massive upgrade, Unity Technologies present to the world Unity version 3.4. With masses of improvements listed on the download page, I won’t go into detail except to say you should go get it right now!

Some notable awesome stuff however -

Allegorithmic substance support
Collider visual editing in the Scene view (hold shift)
Total gizmo control, including your own custom gizmos!

http://unity3d.com/unity/whats-new/unity-3.4

Platformer Progress bar

Will Goldstone — Tue, 08 Feb 2011 21:05:38 +0000

This is something a few of you have asked me to cover recently so here it is – a Unity Tutorial on how to track player progress during the game.

In order to keep your player’s attention through a platformer you may want to show them some kind of HUD bar with an indication as to their progress, here is a simple example of how to achieve this using GUI commands and a texture. As usual due to site width restrictions the script is also provided here - http://www.pasteit4me.com/2269002

Step one

In this example, we simply use two objects as start and end transforms – these may be empty objects or colliders to stop the player progressing, its up to you. Bear in mind that this example is designed to track progress across a 2D level, so does not take height into account.

Step Two

Write out the script below and attach it to an empty object. Set up your desired bar width and height in the Inspector for the script component. Then drag on the player as the player position transform, and the start and end transform objects to those variables too.

Step Three

Design a texture for the icon of progress – I’ve simply used a 1 x 20 pixel line I made quickly in photoshop.

That’s it!

Video Explanation Coming shortly btw..

//Script by Will Goldstone at Unity3dstudent.com

// set GUI bar width and height in the Inspector
var barWidth : float = 500;
var barHeight : float = 25;
// drag a texture as the icon to move on the progress bar
var progIcon : Texture;
// where to set the GUI element to
private var barProgress : float;
// empty objects represent the start and end of a level
var startPoint : Transform;
var endPoint : Transform;
// current Player position
var playerPos : Transform;
function Update(){
// get level distance by subtracting start and end
var totalDist : float = endPoint.position.x – startPoint.position.x;
// get player distance from start in X axis only so slopes / height doesn't affect result
var playerDist : float = playerPos.position.x – startPoint.position.x;
//get player's progress as a percentage of the whole distance
var playerProgress : float = playerDist / totalDist * 100;
//turn the playerProgress percentage back into the scale of barWidth
barProgress = playerProgress / 100 * barWidth;
}
function OnGUI() {
// create a GUI group the width of the bar and twice its height
// in order to leave room for 'Start' and 'End' text under the bar
GUI.BeginGroup (new Rect (10, 10, barWidth, barHeight*2));
//draw a box as the backing for the progress bar, blank text inside
GUI.Box(Rect(0,0,barWidth,barHeight),"");
// create a label to draw the progress icon texture, use barProgress var
// to set its X position, 0 as the Y position and width and height of the texture used
GUI.Label (Rect (barProgress, 0, progIcon.width, progIcon.height),
progIcon);
// add start and end labels
GUI.Label(Rect(progIcon.width/2, 25, 50, barHeight),"Start");
GUI.Label(Rect(barWidth-30, 25, 100, barHeight),"End");
GUI.EndGroup();
}

Beginner B28 – SendMessage() to Call External Functions

Will Goldstone — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 23:27:47 +0000

How to use SendMessage() to call functions in scripts attached to other objects.

Code Used (Javascript) – Reactor.js

var downTexture : Texture2D;

function React () {
renderer.material.mainTexture = downTexture;
yield WaitForSeconds(1);
gameObject.AddComponent(Rigidbody);
}

Code Used (Javascript) – Switcher.js

function OnCollisionEnter(col : Collision) {

if(col.gameObject.name == "Switch"){
gameObject.Find("Block").SendMessage("React");
}
}

Worms Style Power Bar

Will Goldstone — Tue, 04 Jan 2011 18:54:24 +0000

Following on from the Football kick power bar example, I was asked by reader Adam to provide an example that shows off shooting by charging up power rather than timing, so I present this example script for your perusal! as usual throw me any questions you may have about it. To make things simpler, i’ve also uploaded the script here as some lines are too wide to fit this site’s column effectively- http://www.pasteit4me.com/2050001

Video Explanation

//Script by Will Goldstone at Unity3dstudent.com

//set the maximum width of the bar to be used for the maths function below
var fullWidth : float = 256;
//create a private variable (not shown in inspector) to store the current set power
private var thePower : float;
//create a boolean flag we can use to stop and start the addition to power
var increasing : boolean = false;
//create a boolean flag we can use to stop the player shooting during the shot
var shooting : boolean = false;
//speed to increment the bar
var barSpeed : float = 25;
//create a slot to assign my cannonball prefab to.
var ball : Rigidbody;
//create a blast particle slot to assign particle emitter to
var blastPart : ParticleEmitter;
//create a light slot to assign a light prefab for when the blast occurs
var cannonLight : Light;
//create a slot to assign an empty game object as the point to spawn from
var spawnPos : Transform;
// create a number to multiply the force by as the value of up to 256 may not be enough to
// effectively shoot a ball forward
var shotForce : float = 5;
//a prefab of some crates to shoot at
var crates : GameObject;
//audio for the blast
var cannonBlast : AudioClip;
//create a private variable to store currently created stack of crates
private var currentCrates : GameObject;
function Start(){
//set the power bar to zero at start
guiTexture.pixelInset.width = 0;
//create the target crate stack, and set currentCrates variable to represent this stack
var someCrates : GameObject = Instantiate(crates, Vector3(10, 15, -8), transform.rotation);
currentCrates = someCrates;
}
function Update () {
//if we are not currently shooting and Jump key is pressed down
if(!shooting && Input.GetButtonDown("Jump")){
//play the sound set on the audio source
audio.Play();
//set the increasing part of Update() below to start adding power
increasing=true;
}
// detect if Jump key is released and then call the Shoot function, passing current
// value of 'thePower' variable into its 'power' argument
if(!shooting && Input.GetButtonUp("Jump")){
//reset increasing to stop charge of the power bar
increasing = false;
//call the custom function below with current value of thePower fed to its argument
Shoot(thePower);
}
if(increasing){
//add to thePower variable using Time.deltaTime multiplied by barSpeed
thePower += Time.deltaTime * barSpeed;
//stop (or 'fight') thePower from exceeding fullWidth using Clamp
thePower = Mathf.Clamp(thePower, 0, fullWidth);
//set the width of the GUI Texture equal to that power value
guiTexture.pixelInset.width = thePower;
//set the pitch of the audio tone to the power var but step it down with division
audio.pitch = thePower/30;
}
}
// start the 'Shoot' custom function, and establish a
// float argument to recieve 'thePower' when function is called
function Shoot(power : float){
//stop shooting occuring whilst currently shooting with this boolean flag
shooting = true;
//create a particle burst
var pBlast : ParticleEmitter = Instantiate(blastPart, spawnPos.position, spawnPos.rotation);
//base blast amount on power argument, and divide it to diminish power
pBlast.maxEmission = power/4;
//create a light to act as a flash for the blast, base its range & intensity
//upon the power variable and destroy it after 0.1 seconds
var canLight : Light = Instantiate(cannonLight, spawnPos.position, spawnPos.rotation);
canLight.intensity = power/7;
canLight.range=power/7;
Destroy(canLight.gameObject, 0.1);
//stop the audio source on this object to cut off the tone build up to launch
audio.Stop();
//play the sound of the cannon blast in a new object to avoid interfering
//with the current sound assignment and loop setup
AudioSource.PlayClipAtPoint(cannonBlast, transform.position);
//create a ball, assign the newly created ball to a var called pFab
var pFab : Rigidbody = Instantiate(ball, spawnPos.position, spawnPos.rotation);
//find the forward direction of the object assigned to the spawnPos variable
var fwd : Vector3 = spawnPos.forward;
pFab.AddForce(fwd * power * shotForce);
Destroy(pFab.gameObject, 4);
//pause before resetting everything
yield WaitForSeconds(4);
//reset the bar GUI width and our main power variable
guiTexture.pixelInset.width = 0;
thePower = 0;
//destroy the existing crates and spawn a new stack
Destroy(currentCrates);
var someCrates : GameObject = Instantiate(crates, Vector3(8, 15, -11), transform.rotation);
currentCrates = someCrates;
//allow shooting to occur again
shooting = false;
}

Switching Cameras at runtime

Will Goldstone — Thu, 23 Dec 2010 10:23:33 +0000

Hi all I’ve had a few requests for this and i’m currently away from my video recording rig for the festive holidays so here’s a quick written example!

In order to switch cameras you’ll simply be disabling one and enabling another. In this example, I have created a simple scene with a cube, and 3 cameras. To identify these objects and run through them, instead of finding each name in turn, we can use tagging to select the camera objects all at once in a list, then use a for loop to iterate through the list of them, finding the camera component and disabling them all, then enable the required camera. Let’s break that down a bit more simply -

I. Create a keypress that calls a custom function with an argument of an integer number, so the corresponding key can be assigned to which numbered camera to select, for example -

function Update(){
if(Input.GetKey("1")){
Debug.Log("Using Camera One");
camSwap(1);
}
}
function camSwap(currentCam : int){
}

II. Then within the camSwap function, create a For loop to find all objects with a particular tag – in my example I made a tag called ‘cam’ and applied it to all 3 camera objects – and iterate through them, disabling the Camera components in each using GetComponent -

function camSwap(currentCam : int){
var cameras = GameObject.FindGameObjectsWithTag("cam");
for (var cams : GameObject in cameras){
cams.GetComponent(Camera).enabled = false;
}
}

III. Finally, after the for loop, select the camera you DO want and enable it by creating a string of text consisting of the word Camera and the number from the currentCam argument in it*, and then using Find and GetComponent to select the object, then enable its Camera component -

var oneToUse : String = "Camera"+currentCam;
gameObject.Find(oneToUse).GetComponent(Camera).enabled = true;

* remember that for this to work, you’ll need to name your cameras Camera1, Camera2, Camera3 and so on.

Here is a full look at the script, and also refer back to the image at the top to understand how i’ve setup my objects and tagged them.

Javascript

function Update () {
if(Input.GetKey("1")){
Debug.Log("Using Camera One");
camSwap(1);
}
if(Input.GetKey("2")){
Debug.Log("Using Camera Two");
camSwap(2);
}
if(Input.GetKey("3")){
Debug.Log("Using Camera Three");
camSwap(3);
}
}
function camSwap(currentCam : int){
var cameras = GameObject.FindGameObjectsWithTag("cam");
for (var cams : GameObject in cameras){
cams.GetComponent(Camera).enabled = false;
}
var oneToUse : String = "Camera"+currentCam;
gameObject.Find(oneToUse).GetComponent(Camera).enabled = true;
}

C# Equivalent

using UnityEngine;
using System.Collections;
public class camControl : MonoBehaviour {
void Update () {
if(Input.GetKey("1")){
Debug.Log("Using Camera One");
camSwap(1);
}
if(Input.GetKey("2")){
Debug.Log("Using Camera Two");
camSwap(2);
}
if(Input.GetKey("3")){
Debug.Log("Using Camera Three");
camSwap(3);
}
}
void camSwap(int currentCam){
GameObject[] cameras = GameObject.FindGameObjectsWithTag("cam");
foreach (GameObject cams in cameras){
Camera theCam = cams.GetComponent() as Camera;
theCam.enabled = false;
}
string oneToUse = "Camera"+currentCam;
Camera usedCam = GameObject.Find(oneToUse).GetComponent() as Camera;
usedCam.enabled = true;
}
}

Beginner B27 – Using Time.timeScale to Pause

Will Goldstone — Tue, 14 Dec 2010 21:09:36 +0000

How to Pause the game by implementing Time.timeScale.

Code Used (Javascript)

var paused : boolean = false;
function Update () {
if(Input.GetButtonUp("Jump")){
if(!paused){
Time.timeScale = 0;
paused=true;
}else{
Time.timeScale = 1;
paused=false;
}
}
}

Beginner B20 – If statements and booleans

Festive Greetings!

Will Goldstone — Fri, 10 Dec 2010 01:04:15 +0000

Hi everyone, just to let you all know that I’ve still got that promised content coming up but due to other demands I’ve been busy with other things, sorry! in the mean time I spent a spare hour without my Unity install being thoroughly self indulgent and came up with this weirdly festive wallpaper to promo the site, enjoy! And have an awesome Christmas if I don’t see you before

Click the pic to see the fullsize image (1920 x 1200)..

Beginner B26 – Using Mathf.Clamp to restrict values

Will Goldstone — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 11:00:26 +0000

Using Mathf.Clamp function to restrict values in your game mechanics to within a specified range.

Code Used (Javascript)

function Update () {

var xMove : float = Input.GetAxis("Horizontal") * Time.deltaTime * 20;
transform.Translate(Vector3(xMove,0,0));
transform.position.x = Mathf.Clamp(transform.position.x, -10, 10);
}

Beginner B25 – GUI Texture & Mouse Events

Will Goldstone — Thu, 28 Oct 2010 23:13:59 +0000

Using simple GUI Textures and Mouse Events to create interaction in Unity.

Code Used (Javascript)

var normalTex : Texture2D;

var hoverTex : Texture2D;
function OnMouseEnter () {
guiTexture.texture = hoverTex;
}
function OnMouseExit(){
guiTexture.texture = normalTex;
}
function OnMouseDown(){
Debug.Log("clicked");
}

Beginner B24 – For Loops

Will Goldstone — Wed, 27 Oct 2010 21:23:01 +0000

How to use a For Loop in Unity javascript to repeat a set of instructions until a condition is met.

Code Used (Javascript)

var myPrefab : Rigidbody;

var distanceMultiplier : float = 2;
function Start(){
var i : int = 0;
var pos : Vector3 = transform.position;
for(i=0; i<=3; i++){
Instantiate(myPrefab, Vector3(pos.x+i*distanceMultiplier, pos.y, pos.z), transform.rotation);
yield WaitForSeconds(0.5);
Debug.Log("made ball "+i);
}
}

Beginner B23 – Particle Systems

Will Goldstone — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 18:46:23 +0000

Creating a simple explosion using a particle system instantiated from a prefab.

Code Used (Javascript)

var stars : ParticleEmitter;

function OnCollisionEnter (col : Collision) {
Instantiate(stars, transform.position, transform.rotation);
Destroy(gameObject);
}

Football Kick Power Bar

Will Goldstone — Tue, 19 Oct 2010 13:42:41 +0000

I’ve had a few people ask me how they can create a gameplay element surrounding a power bar that varies until you press a key, then uses your selection to fire an object, for example.

To do this, you’ll need a GUI Texture object, of for example 256 x 20 pixels. Create this in photoshop and use a gradient to fill it in, then save into your assets. Select the texture in the Project window in Unity and go to GameObject > Create Other > GUI Texture.

Assign the script below to the newly created object, and use its transform component to set position by specifying X and Y values. For example bottom left could be something like – X: 0.25, Y: 0.15.

The script requires an object to fire assigning to its ‘ball’ variable – this should be a prefab, and an empty object to use as the spawn location. Everything else is (hopefully) explained in the comments within the script itself.

//Script by Will Goldstone at Unity3dstudent.com

//set the maximum width of the bar to be used for the maths function below
var fullWidth : float = 256;
//create a boolean flag we can use to stop and start the choosing of power
var choosing : boolean = false;
//create a private variable (not shown in inspector) to store the current set power
private var thePower : float;
//create a slot to assign my ball prefab to.
var ball : Rigidbody;
//create a slot to assign an empty game object as the point to spawn from
var spawnPos : Transform;
// create a number to multiply the force by as the value of up to 256 may not be enough to
// effectively shoot a ball forward
var shotForce : float = 5;
function Update () {
// detect if key is released and then call the Shoot function, passing the current
// value of 'thePower' variable into it's 'power' argument
if(Input.GetButtonUp("Jump")){
Shoot(thePower);
}
if(!choosing){
//create a power variable and set it to ping pong function
//from current time to 1, and multiply that by a number (or variable holding a number)
thePower = Mathf.PingPong(Time.time, 1) * fullWidth;
//set the width of the GUI Texture equal to that power value
guiTexture.pixelInset.width = thePower;
}
}
// start the 'Shoot' custom function, establish a
// float variable to be fed with a number when function is called
function Shoot(power : float){
//stop the power being changed whilst we shoot a ball by setting choosing boolean to true
choosing = true;
//create a ball, assign the newly created ball to a var called pFab
var pFab : Rigidbody = Instantiate(ball, spawnPos.position, spawnPos.rotation);
//find the forward direction of the object assigned to the spawnPos variable
var fwd : Vector3 = spawnPos.forward;
pFab.AddForce(fwd * power*shotForce);
//pause before resuming the power bar motion
yield WaitForSeconds(2);
//reset choosing to restart the power bar motion
choosing = false;
}

Creating Random Spawning

Will Goldstone — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 10:31:34 +0000

Here is an example of how to create a spawn of an object in 3 potential positions. In my scene I have set up 3 differing locations using empty objects which I then apply to the transform variables in the script. The only other thing you’ll need is a prefab!

var timer : float = 0.0;
var spawning : boolean = false;
var prefab : Rigidbody;
var spawn1 : Transform;
var spawn2 : Transform;
var spawn3 : Transform;
function Update () {
//check if spawning at the moment, if not add to timer
if(!spawning){
timer += Time.deltaTime;
}
//when timer reaches 2 seconds, call Spawn function
if(timer >= 2){
Spawn();
}
}
function Spawn(){
//set spawning to true, to stop timer counting in the Update function
spawning = true;
//reset the timer to 0 so process can start over
timer = 0;
//select a random number, inside a maths function absolute command to ensure it is a whole number
var randomPick : int = Mathf.Abs(Random.Range(1,4));
//create a location 'Transform' type variable to store one of 3 possible locations declared at top of script
var location : Transform;
//check what randomPick is, and select one of the 3 locations, based on that number
if(randomPick == 1){
location = spawn1;
Debug.Log("Chose pos 1");
}
else if(randomPick == 2){
location = spawn2;
Debug.Log("Chose pos 2");
}
else if(randomPick == 3){
location = spawn3;
Debug.Log("Chose pos 3");
}
//create the object at point of the location variable
var thingToMake : Rigidbody = Instantiate(prefab, location.position, location.rotation);
thingToMake.AddForce(Vector3(0,0,100));
//halt script for 1 second before returning to the start of the process
yield WaitForSeconds(1);
//set spawning back to false so timer may start again
spawning = false;
}

What’s Going On!

Will Goldstone — Sun, 17 Oct 2010 10:10:33 +0000

Hi everyone. I wanted to take some time out to reassure you all that the site is being developed and that more content is indeed on its way. I also wanted to thank everyone for making use of the comments and especially those of you helping others and saving me from answering questions on certain modules – you guys and girls rock!

As for making new content, I’m currently working on this in my spare time as I’m a full time tutor and the recording of new content must be done after hours when I have a silent space to work in, hence some of the difficulty with making time to get new content on – that said I’ve had plenty of requests for new modules and I have a list that I’ll be sticking to and hopefully get some of it up this week for you all..

I’ve also been working on a profile based system for the site to let you login and track what you are learning – a longstanding goal of the site when I finished the first design of it. In addition to that a few design tweaks are being done here and there in order to prepare what is next for the site – a more personalised system of usage – this is being developed bespoke so it takes time, I didn’t want to throw a plugin at the problem or some social media gimmick.

Another hitch I’ve faced is in sheer traffic – I get a lot of emails from the audience of the site and always make sure to answer each one personally which takes time, and also the amount of usage of the site has over maximised my server usage limits, so its starting to cost too, which is a little problematic.

Anyway, just a brief brief insight into whats going on with me and the site and a promise to do my best to keep it rolling for you all as best I can!

Cheers all

Will

Beginner B22 – Pausing Scripts with WaitForSeconds()

Will Goldstone — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 18:37:37 +0000

Creating a pause in scripts using yield WaitForSeconds()

Code Used (Javascript)

var box : GameObject;

var readynow : boolean = true;
function Update () {
if(readynow){
MakeBox();
}
}
function MakeBox(){
readynow=false;
Instantiate(box, transform.position, transform.rotation);
yield WaitForSeconds(2);
readynow=true;
}

Beginner B21 – Finding Distance with Vector3

Will Goldstone — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 18:27:39 +0000

Finding the distance between two points in 3D space using Vector3.Distance command

Code Used (Javascript)

var box : Transform;
function Update () {
var dist : float = Vector3.Distance(box.position, transform.position);
Debug.Log(dist);
if(dist <= 10){
light.enabled = true;
}else{
light.enabled = false;
}
}

Beginner B20 – IF Statements and Booleans

Will Goldstone — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 18:08:40 +0000

How to use IF / ELSE statements to check the status of variables and booleans to act as a switch.

Code Used (Javascript)

var myCheck : boolean = true;

function Update () {
if(myCheck){
guiText.text = "Its on!";
}else{
guiText.text = "Its Off!";
}
if(Input.GetButtonUp("Jump") && myCheck){
myCheck = false;
}else if(Input.GetButtonUp("Jump") && myCheck == false){
myCheck = true;
}
}

Going Public

Will Goldstone — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 13:50:12 +0000

Hi everyone, so its been a tricky time purging the malware we’ve suffered from but it lead me to think its likely a good idea to make all the video content of the site Public, rather than Unlisted on YouTube, so if you need to access the content if the site is compromised again, you can use youtube.com/willgoldstone – finding the video content that way.

Sorry again for the downtime guys and girls.. Also apologies for the lack of new content the past couple of weeks, i’ve been insanely busy with various projects. Thanks for your patience and all your supportive emails

Ways to Respond

Will Goldstone — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 10:01:15 +0000

Hi all, just wanted to share with you some ways I’d like you all to respond to the site if possible!

We’ve already had some great users out there who are already doing this kind of stuff but it’d be fantastic to see more of it if possible – whenever you want to show off what you’ve made in terms of response to the challenges on the site or even simply things you’ve created, it’d be great if you could record your screen and show us what you’re doing.

If you’re not familiar with this, there are a few ways to do it, of varying simplicity -

Mac Users

If you have Snow Leopard , and therefore Quicktime 10, you can record your screen from the file menu, simply click File and go to ‘New Screen Recording’ then export as a MOV file and upload to youtube.

If you don’t have Quicktime 10, you can download a simple screen recorder application called iShowU..

Alternatively if you want to go the more ‘produced’ route, you can purchase software such as the excellent ‘ScreenFlow’ – which we use to make the videos you see on this site.

PC Users

Pc users, you can grab something like the open source CamStudio or go the more produced route by purchasing Camtastia Studio

What’s next?

Having got some screen capture software it’d be great to see you all responding with stuff you’re working on, problems you have etc and just maybe stuff you want to show off that you’ve learned how to do! I’ll be expanding the site soon by adding sections for users to add their own teaching content.

Further Attacks

Will Goldstone — Mon, 20 Sep 2010 09:45:42 +0000

It absolutely pains me to report that yet again this site has been targetted by malware. It should be removed by the time you read this but I just thought it worth blogging that we definitely are not out to send you viruses or harm your computer in any way – we are simply being targetted through some kind of vulnerabilities, upon which I am constantly working to secure.

If anyone is big on this kind of stuff then I’d appreciate you getting in touch a lot, I could certainly use any advice that you may have to help keep this resource alive as long as possible!

End rant guys, thanks for listening!

Will

Intermediate I02 – Basic Animation and Events

Will Goldstone — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:38:10 +0000

How to use the Animation window in Unity and trigger script events.

Code Used (Javascript)

var blip : AudioClip;
function blipSounder () {
AudioSource.PlayClipAtPoint(blip, transform.position);
}

Beginner B19 – Following with LookAt()

Will Goldstone — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:36:33 +0000

How to make objects rotate to face other objects using the Transform class’s LookAt function.

Code Used (Javascript)

var myTransform : Transform;
function Update () {
transform.LookAt(myTransform);
}

Intermediate I01 – Raycasting

Will Goldstone — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 14:59:49 +0000

How to detecting collisions using Rays by raycasting from objects in 3D space.

Code Used (Javascript)

function Update () {

var up = transform.TransformDirection(Vector3.up);
var hit : RaycastHit;
Debug.DrawRay(transform.position, -up * 10, Color.green);
if(Physics.Raycast(transform.position, -up, hit, 10)){
Debug.Log("Hit");
if(hit.collider.gameObject.name == "floor"){
Destroy(GetComponent(Rigidbody));
}
}
}

Beginner B01 – Basic Collision Detection

Calling All Teachers!

Will Goldstone — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:15:44 +0000

Hi all, just a quick one to try and gather some info from tutors worldwide who use Unity to teach game development – want some free advertising for your course? or simply just to raise awareness?

I want to expand the site by listing all of the courses available so that the site not only supports individuals, but also formal educational oppurtunities too. Feel free to comment on this post or use the contact form to get in touch!

Phase Two begins!

Will Goldstone — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 21:56:22 +0000

Hi everyone, so i’m starting a new area of the site to mark the start of phase 2 of the site. On this blog i’ll be writing more informally about the development of the site, it’s ethos, aims and more.

Consider Phase One as a proof of concept – proving with many users that a modular approach to learning can work well for Unity students. Having spoken to many users of the site as well as educators around the globe I’m keen to move on and find out how the site can evolve to become the most efficient teaching tool / aid it can be to help the further democratising of the ‘game development for everyone’ ethic that Unity itself represents.

Challenge C03 (Beginner)

Will Goldstone — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:17:52 +0000

Create a game mechanic where the player can aim left and right, and shoot at 3 targets, when shot, they should fall down and the player should be awarded a point. When the player reaches 3 points, they should be taken to the game over scene.

Good Luck!

Beginner B18 – Local vs World Direction

Will Goldstone — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:55:53 +0000

How to distinguish between Local and World directions in scripting.

Code Used (Javascript)

function Update () {

//transform.Translate(Vector3(0,0,1) * Time.deltaTime);
var fwd = transform.forward * 100;
rigidbody.AddForce(fwd);
}

Beginner B17 – Tweaking Components via script

Will Goldstone — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 19:14:50 +0000

How to find and adjust components on other objects using GetComponent().

Code Used (Javascript)

function OnCollisionEnter (myCollision : Collision) {

if(myCollision.gameObject.name == "Floor"){
var myLight : Light = gameObject.Find("Light").GetComponent(Light);
myLight.enabled = true;
myLight.intensity = 5;
}
}

Beginner B01 – Basic Collision Detection

Beginner B16 – Switching Scenes

Will Goldstone — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:32:01 +0000

How to write script that switches between scenes in your Unity project.

Code Used (Javascript)

var myLevel : String;

function OnCollisionEnter (myCollision : Collision) {
if(myCollision.gameObject.name == "Floor"){
Application.LoadLevel(myLevel);
}
}

Beginner B01 – Basic Collision Detection

Beginner B15 – Adding Components via Script

Will Goldstone — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 18:01:32 +0000

How to add a component to an object using scripting, and ensure it isn’t added more than once.

Code Used (Javascript)

function OnCollisionEnter (myCollision : Collision) {

if(myCollision.gameObject.name == "Platform"){
if(!myCollision.gameObject.rigidbody){
myCollision.gameObject.AddComponent(Rigidbody);
}
}
}

Beginner B14 – GUI Text and Counters

Will Goldstone — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 17:23:23 +0000

How to display information onscreen with GUI Text components and display a counting variable.

Code Used (Javascript)

var Counter : int = 0;

function Update () {
Counter++;
guiText.text = "Counter is: "+Counter;
}

Beginner B13 – Trigger Collision Detection

Will Goldstone — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 15:13:34 +0000

How to detect collisions between objects invisible to the player by using intangible trigger colliders.

Code Used (Javascript)

function OnTriggerEnter (myTrigger : Collider) {

if(myTrigger.gameObject.name == "box"){
Debug.Log("Box went through!");
}
}

Beginner B01 – Basic Collision Detection

Challenge C02 (Beginner)

Will Goldstone — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 14:09:10 +0000

Using what you have learnt from the modules listed below, construct a game mechanic whereby if the player presses the Space bar, a box is dropped onto a seesaw, catapulting another box at a box, which it destroys, and plays a sound.

Good Luck!

Essentials E09 – Cameras

Will Goldstone — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 13:44:09 +0000

How the game view is defined by cameras, positioning them and controlling them.

Introductory 102 – The Hierarchy panel

Beginner B12 – Input with Axes

Will Goldstone — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 16:42:24 +0000

How to use control with Arrow keys for left and right input axes.

Code Used

//Basic axis input

function Update () {
var horiz : float = Input.GetAxis("Horizontal");
transform.Translate(Vector3(horiz,0,0));
}

Beginner B02 – Detecting Input
- Unity Script Reference on the Input Class
- Unity Component Reference on Input – key codes here!

Beginner B11 – Basic Joints

Will Goldstone — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:41:21 +0000

Using a Fixed joint and a Hinge joint to make a chain for a wrecking ball.

Beginner 200 – Adding Mass / Gravity with Rigidbodies

Essentials E08 – Lights

Will Goldstone — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 15:38:44 +0000

Light types, differences and ambient scene lighting.

Beginner B10 – Audio Basics

Will Goldstone — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 14:18:40 +0000

How to play sound with the Audio Source component, and call sound clips via scripting.

Code Used

Using PlayOneShot:

//Play an instance using attached AudioSource component

var myClip : AudioClip;
function Start () {
audio.PlayOneShot(myClip);
}

Using PlayClipAtPoint:

//Spawn a new object with AudioSource and Clip set, at a point in the 3D world

var myClip : AudioClip;
function Start () {
AudioSource.PlayClipAtPoint(myClip, transform.position);
}

Beginner B09 – Adding Materials

Will Goldstone — Thu, 22 Jul 2010 13:30:44 +0000

How to add a texture to an object using a material.

Challenge C01 (Beginner)

Will Goldstone — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:43:46 +0000

Using what you have learnt from the modules below, construct a game mechanic where the player presses the space bar and a box is fired at the wall to destroy it.

Good Luck! Post any questions you have about the challenge using the reply form below.

Beginner B08 – Basic Force Movement

Will Goldstone — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 11:56:40 +0000

How to move a Rigidbody object by applying a force.

Code Used

//Basic force to move a rigidbody object

var power : float = 500.0;
function Start () {
rigidbody.AddForce(Vector3(0,0,power));
}

Beginner B07 – Basic Translate Movement

Will Goldstone — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:46:40 +0000

Simple movement of objects using the transform.Translate command

Code Used

//Basic movement of an object with Translate

var speed : float = 5.0;
function Update () {
transform.Translate(Vector3(0,0,speed) * Time.deltaTime);
}

Beginner B06 – Simple Timer

Will Goldstone — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 10:15:30 +0000

How to make a simple scripted timer in Unity using Time.deltaTime and a float variable.

Code Used

//A simple countdown timer

var myTimer : float = 5.0;
function Update () {
if(myTimer > 0){
myTimer -= Time.deltaTime;
}
if(myTimer <= 0){
Debug.Log("GAME OVER");
}
}

Beginner B05 – Instantiate to Create Objects

Will Goldstone — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 09:35:22 +0000

How to create objects in your scene during runtime using Prefabs and the Instantiate() command.

Code Used

//Simple Instantiation of a Prefab at Start

var thePrefab : GameObject;
function Start () {
var instance : GameObject = Instantiate(thePrefab, transform.position, transform.rotation);
}

Beginner B03 – Prefabs

Beginner B04 – Destroying Objects

Will Goldstone — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 08:42:13 +0000

How to remove objects from scenes using the Destroy command.

Code Used

//Simple Destroy Command in Start Function

function Start () {
Destroy(gameObject.Find("Box"), 3);
}

Beginner B03 – Prefabs

Will Goldstone — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 19:24:08 +0000

Prefabs – How to make them, what they are for, and why!

Beginner B02 – Detecting Input

Will Goldstone — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:55:59 +0000

How to detect basic input using a script.

Code Used (Javascript)

function Update () {

if(Input.GetButtonUp("Jump")){
Debug.Log("We Have Hit the Space Bar!");
}
}

Beginner B12 – Input With Axes

Beginner B01 – Basic Collision Detection

Will Goldstone — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 17:57:56 +0000

How to detection basic collisions between objects using scripting.

Code Used

//Basic collision detection checking for two differently named objects

function OnCollisionEnter(theCollision : Collision){
if(theCollision.gameObject.name == "Floor"){
Debug.Log("Hit the floor");
}else if(theCollision.gameObject.name == "Wall"){
Debug.Log("Hit the wall");
}
}

Beginner B00 – Adding Mass / Gravity with Rigidbodies

Will Goldstone — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 16:37:47 +0000

How to add gravity / mass to an object using a Rigidbody component

Essentials E07 – Importing Assets

Will Goldstone — Thu, 08 Jul 2010 12:38:01 +0000

How to bring external assets into your Unity project via the interface or operating system.

Unity3D Student

UNITY 3.4 Released, go geddit!

http://unity3d.com/unity/whats-new/unity-3.4

Platformer Progress bar

Step one

Step Two

Step Three

Beginner B28 – SendMessage() to Call External Functions

Code Used (Javascript) – Reactor.js

Code Used (Javascript) – Switcher.js

Related Modules

Further Reading

Worms Style Power Bar

Video Explanation

Switching Cameras at runtime

Javascript

C# Equivalent

Beginner B27 – Using Time.timeScale to Pause

Code Used (Javascript)

Related Modules

Further Reading

Festive Greetings!

Beginner B26 – Using Mathf.Clamp to restrict values

Code Used (Javascript)

Related Modules

Further Reading

Beginner B25 – GUI Texture & Mouse Events

Code Used (Javascript)

Further Reading

Beginner B24 – For Loops

Code Used (Javascript)

Further Reading

Related Modules

Beginner B23 – Particle Systems

Code Used (Javascript)

Further Reading

Related Modules

Football Kick Power Bar

Creating Random Spawning

What’s Going On!

Beginner B22 – Pausing Scripts with WaitForSeconds()

Code Used (Javascript)

Further Reading

Related Modules

Beginner B21 – Finding Distance with Vector3

Code Used (Javascript)

Further Reading

Beginner B20 – IF Statements and Booleans

Code Used (Javascript)

Further Reading

Going Public

Ways to Respond

Mac Users

PC Users

What’s next?

Further Attacks

Intermediate I02 – Basic Animation and Events

Code Used (Javascript)

Further Reading

Beginner B19 – Following with LookAt()

Code Used (Javascript)

Further Reading

Intermediate I01 – Raycasting

Code Used (Javascript)

Related Modules

Further Reading

Calling All Teachers!

Phase Two begins!

Challenge C03 (Beginner)

Required Modules

Beginner B18 – Local vs World Direction

Code Used (Javascript)

Related Modules

Further Reading

Beginner B17 – Tweaking Components via script

Code Used (Javascript)

Related Modules

Further Reading

Beginner B16 – Switching Scenes

Code Used (Javascript)