Project Workflow
The article provides key information on the workflow stages for developing a project with UNIGINE.
Downloading and Installing UNIGINE SDK
To start developing a project with UNIGINE, you will need to get UNIGINE SDK and UNIGINE SDK Browser. Together, they provide access to all capabilities of the engine.
The latest platform-specific versions of UNIGINE SDK Browser and UNIGINE SDK can be downloaded at the UNIGINE developer portal in the Downloads section.
Once UNIGINE SDK has been installed on the computer, it is possible to start creating a project.
Creating a Project
A new project is created via UNIGINE SDK Browser. At this stage, you can specify the required project settings.
The created project will have the default file structure that will be changed on the development stage.
Developing a Project
Once the project has been created, you can start developing it. It is the most important stage as it includes working with content and implementing the application logic.
Working with Content
Working with the project content is performed via UnigineEditor and includes:
- Placing your assets in the supported formats inside the data folder of your project or creating/importing them via the Asset Browser.
In the data/.runtimes directory, UNIGINE native runtime formats generated for the corresponding non-native assets (such as .fbx, .hdr, etc.) will be stored.
- Assembling the scene via UnigineEditor, namely: placing objects, setting up materials, properties, physics of the objects, setting up lighting, adjusting global settings (environment, global illumination and other render settings).
Unlike the other engines, UNIGINE provides its own material system with a rich set of built-in base materials using predefined shaders. You can adjust settings of the built-in base materials via UnigineEditor to get the desired result. You can also extend the set of available materials by adding custom ones utilizing custom shaders.
See also the article on World Management.
Implementing Logic
UNIGINE provides the following APIs for implementing the application logic:
- UnigineScript API for fast scripting with no code recompilation.
- C++ API for maximum performance of the application.
- C# API for integration with the existing C# code base.
You can use any of these APIs to implement your application: individually and combined. Each of them provides access to the engine modules and the content. For example, you can write some functionality in C++/C# and export it to UnigineScript.
If you implement your application purely in C++ or C#, rebuilding of the application or its parts is required during development to check how changes made in the code affect the result.
Tracking Changes
Tracking changes to files of the project by Version Control System is performed according to the specific rules.
See Also
- Articles in the section Programming Overview
- Article on Execution Sequence
- Article on Typical Architecture of a UNIGINE-Based Application
Assembling a Project
Assembling the project is required when you need to build the final release version of the application. It can be done via UNIGINE SDK Browser.