Part 06 - Adding some plugins.

By Jamie Chatterton / 2018-06-12

Before we do anything else, we are going to add some plugins to help making the process easier.

To do this we need to open the "Asset Store", by clicking on Window > Asset Store and it will open in the centre window.

Asset Store

This is a web page, it shows the Asset Store, on the Unity web site, where you can download and install third-party plugins and tools, to expand the abilities of both the Unity Editor and the engine itself. Some of these are free, a lot are not. There are models, textures, plugins for the editor for functionality, code to provide game functions, lots and lots of different plugins and tools and assets. You need to register with Unity to get access to it, but it doesn't cost anything.

The IDE is flexible. You can drag the windows around, by dragging the tab and make it comfortable for you. I generally drag the Game window to a different screen as it gets in the way all the time and I like to see the result quickly.

The general flow for installing a plugin is:

  • Select / Open the "Asset Store"
  • If you haven't done so, create a Unity account and log in.
  • Search for the plugin / asset
  • Select what you want
  • Click on the Download button (if you have already downloaded it in the past it won't have this)
  • Wait for it to download
  • Click on the Import button
  • A separate window, with all the files it is about to import will popup. You can see and deselect things you don't want. If there are a large number of examples, I generally deselect these, especially if the package comes with a full working game!
  • Click on Import in this window
  • All the files from the package will be imported into the project folder structure.

The plugins we are adding are called "Probuilder" and "Progrids", both in the FREE category and supplied by UNITY TECHNOLOGIES.

These plugins are both Editor plugins and provide extensions to the editor to help make it easier to use. They both used to be commercial, but Unity has been purchasing commercial plugins and making them freely available, as they add a lot of useful functionality to the editor, often adding competing functionality to the other competing game engine "Unreal".

Probuilder

This is an extension that provides simple object building abilities in the editor. Something that Unity has lacked out-of-the-box for a long time. It can't easily create really complex objects, but is really just for prototyping and allowing the user to create placeholders that a graphic designer can replace with real complex models later on.

Progrids

This presents visible grids in 3D and allows snapping to these grids. Allowing for far simpler placement of objects within the Scene view. It integrates well with the Probuilder tools, as it was created by the same people.

Git repository: https://bitbucket.org/hiveit/unity-tutorial-coin/src/002_AddingPlugins/
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Part 05 - Building a project
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Part 07 - Creating some objects

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