So, now I have another tool to add to the long list of game creation software that I’ve had my grubby mitts on, but this one seems quite special. I’ve been aware of Unity for a while, at least since the Windows version was announced, but I’ve always been too busy to try it. I didn’t want to waste my 30-day trial, knowing that I wouldn’t get a chance to really use it properly.

However, since they announced the free version a couple of days ago, I’ve been digging up every scrap of info I can, in terms of tutorials, tips, examples and anything else that might help me learn to use it.

Here are some of the things that are absolutely awesome about Unity3D:

• FREE! (pro version available)
• Web player - Unity games can be exported to a web player that is easily installed in most browsers. I got it up and running in Chrome in a matter of seconds.
• Asset based workflow - although it still requires programming, the Unity GUI links all sorts of assets together through drag and drop: meshes, materials, bones, sounds, scripts, etc. Drag a script from your project folder onto an object to link them together, or even drag an object onto a script to link it as a variable. Fantastic!
• Prefabs - these are reusable compound objects, containing anything from meshes and materials to scripts and animations. You can create instances of prefabs that contain everything in the original, as well as override various properties while still maintaining the link. Change something on the prefab and the change will cascade to all linked instances. Great for making complex levels.
• Super fast scripting - for the logic side of things, Unity can use JavaScript, C# or a form of Python called Boo. All of them are heavily optimised and compiled to native machine code for the runtime. I’ve only tried the JS, and I must say it’s been on of the most pleasant coding experiences ever.
• Blender3D integration - Unity natively imports .blend files, including models, textures, UVs, animations and many other things. Edit your scenes in Blender and Unity will automatically update your assets too.

Now, I’ve only really spent a few hours with Unity, so it’s early days. I could end up hating it. However, first impressions have been above and beyond anything else I’ve tried in 3D.

I have a new focus for this blog now. I’m going to write as much as I can about my experiences learning the ins and outs of Unity3D, from my status today as an almost complete beginner, to however far I am able to take it.