what is unity ?

1. Unity Engine:
Comprehensive Overview
Cross platform real time 3D development platform
‑ ‑
Developed by Unity Technologies
Created By Sarjan Patel

2. Unity at a Glance
 Cross platform game engine (desktop, mobile, console, AR, VR)
‑
 Developed by Unity Technologies; first released June 2005
(Apple WWDC)
 Originally built for Mac OS X; now supports 19+ build targets
 Popular for iOS & Android development; easy for beginners &
indies
 Used for 3D & 2D games, simulations, film, automotive, AEC,
U.S. Armed Forces

3. Unity 1.0 (2005)
 Launched at Apple WWDC by Scott Forstall
 Goal: democratize game development
 Initial platform: Mac OS X (later Windows & Web)
 Runner up – Apple Design Awards (Best Use of Mac OS X
‑
Graphics)

4. Unity 2.x (2007 2009)
‑
 Unity 2.0 (2007) – 50+ new features
 Added: terrain engine, real time shadows/lights, video playback,
‑
VCS
 iPhone support after App Store launch (2008)
 Unity 2.5 (2009) – Windows editor

5. Unity 3.0 (2010)
 Released Sept 2010; added Android support
 Features: Beast lightmapping, deferred rendering, tree editor, UV
tools
 By 2012: 1.3 M+ developers; top mobile engine (Game Developer
Magazine)

6. Unity 4.x (2012 2014)
‑
 Released Nov 2012 – DirectX 11, Adobe Flash, Mecanim
animation, Linux preview
 Facebook SDK (2013) – campaign tracking, deep linking, sharing
 Facebook PC gaming platform built with Unity

7. Unity 5.x (2015 2017)
‑
 Lighting, audio & rendering overhaul; WebGL (plugin free)
‑
 Real time GI, PhysX 3.3, cinematic image effects, Unity Cloud
‑
 Experimental Linux editor
 Unity 5.6 (2017) – Nintendo Switch, Vulkan API, 360° 4K video

8. Unity 2017
 Real time graphics engine, color grading, analytics & reporting
‑
 Timeline (drag and drop cut scenes) & Cinemachine (smart
‑ ‑ ‑
cameras)
 2017.2 – Autodesk 3DS Max & Maya integration

9. Unity 2018
 Scriptable Render Pipeline (HDRP & LWRP/URP)
 Machine Learning tools (Imitation Learning)
 Unity Hub for multi version management
‑
 Released C# reference source code

10. Unity 2020 2021
‑
 3 B+ monthly downloads; 15 K+ new projects daily
 Mixed & Augmented Reality Studio (MARS)
 Apple Silicon editor support
 Bolt visual scripting, new multiplayer library, volumetric clouds
(HDRP)

11. Unity 2022
 Focus: performance, productivity, enhanced 2D tools
 Faster Play Mode & visual search queries
 Improved 2D animation, physics & sprite atlasing

12. Unity 6 (2024)
 Launched 17 Oct 2024
 Introduced generative AI tools: Unity Muse & Unity Sentis
‑
 New multiplayer workflows, web performance boosts, graphics
upgrades

13. Development Capabilities
 Creates 2D & 3D games/experiences; drag and drop editor
‑ ‑
 Primary scripting: C# with Mono (UnityEditor & runtime)
 Previous languages: Boo (removed 2015), UnityScript
(deprecated 2017)

14. Core 2D / 3D Features
 2D: sprite importing, advanced world renderer
 3D: texture compression, mipmaps, resolution control
 Advanced rendering: bump/normal, reflection, parallax, SSAO
 Dynamic shadows, render to texture, post processing effects
‑ ‑ ‑

15. Rendering Pipelines
 High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP) – high end PC/console
‑
 Universal Render Pipeline (URP) – mobile, VR/AR (was LWRP)
 Legacy Built in Pipeline (deprecated); pipelines are mutually
‑
incompatible

16. Unity Asset Store
 Launched 2010 – marketplace for 2D/3D assets, tools & plugins
 Accelerates development; 40 M+ downloads by 2018

17. Supported Platforms –
Overview
 Unity Editor: Windows, macOS, Linux
 Builds for 19+ targets: mobile, desktop, console, web, VR/XR

18. Mobile & Desktop Targets
 Mobile: iOS, iPadOS, Android, Android TV, tvOS
 Desktop: Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS
 Web: WebGL

19. Console & XR Targets
 Consoles: PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X|S, Nintendo Switch
 XR: Oculus, PS VR / VR2, HoloLens, Magic Leap, ARCore, ARKit,
Steam VR, Cardboard

20. Former & Regional Platforms
 Retired: Wii, Wii U, PS3, PS Vita, Xbox 360, 3DS, Windows Phone,
Tizen, etc.
 Unity Web Player deprecated in favor of WebGL
 Aug 2023: Unity China ‘Tuanjie Engine’ (Unity 2022 LTS), supports
Weixin Mini Game, OpenHarmony, AliOS

21. Licensing Overview
 2016 – switched from perpetual to subscription
 Free tier for revenue < $200 K/yr
 Unity Plus (mid tier), Unity Pro (>$200 K or console dev)
‑
 Console devs need Unity Pro or Preferred Platform License Key
(Sony/Nintendo)

22. Unity in Video Games
 Hit titles: Pokémon Go, Monument Valley, Call of Duty: Mobile,
Beat Saber, Cuphead
 Early adopters (2007): Splume, Magical Flying Pink Pony,
Global Conflicts: Palestine
 2018 stats: ~50 % of mobile games, 60 % of AR/VR content
 ~90 % content on HoloLens & Samsung Gear VR

23. Machine Learning & AI
 Unity ML Agents enables deep reinforcement learning in virtual
‑
worlds
 Agents learn strategies for robots & self driving cars
‑
 Used by Alphabet’s DeepMind for AI research

24. Unity Beyond Games
 Film: ‘Adam’ short, Neill Blomkamp’s Oats Studios, Disney’s
‘Baymax Dreams’ & ‘The Lion King’ backgrounds
 Automotive: virtual prototypes, assembly line simulation, worker
‑
training
 AEC: real time architectural viz, engineering sims, construction
‑
planning
 United States Armed Forces simulations & training

25. Key Takeaways
 Unity evolved from Mac only engine to dominant real time 3D
‑ ‑
platform
 Powers games, AR/VR, AI research, film, automotive & more
 Continuous innovation: SRP, XR, AI tools, generative content
(Unity 6)