Unity Pro 3

Unity Technologies

The unity engine's explosive growth over the last few years is nothing short of impressive. This all-in-one game development tool was first released in 2005, and has since become the engine of choice for many game developers across a wide range of experience levels and budgets. Now, Unity Technologies aims to build on that momentum with Unity 3, which adds new platform support, a slew of advanced graphical features, and other improvements, while also addressing some long-standing user requests. The result is a remarkably strong solution for game development that balances ease of use with flexibility and power.

The Basics

As in previous versions, Unity 3 comes in two basic flavors: a free entry-level variant and the more fully featured $1,500 per-seat "Pro" version. For the purposes of this review, we'll be looking mainly at Unity Pro, which benefits most from the new features, though it should be said that the free version is a complete product in its own right and a good place to start for budget-conscious indies and hobbyists.

If you're not already familiar with it, Unity's interface should be a quick study for anyone who has worked in a 3D modeling program or level editor. The main components are a scene view, a game/camera view, an object hierarchy, and an object inspector. Layouts of these and other windows are customizable and savable, allowing you to find the optimal arrangement for your work style.

Scripting is handled via the open source Mono implementation of the .NET framework, allowing your choice of C#, JavaScript, and the Python-like Boo--or if you want, a combination of the three--to handle game logic. Each compiles into native byte code. If you need to integrate something written in C or C++, Unity Pro will allow you to access functions exposed in a DLL or OS X Bundle as a plug-in to your project. Unity's own source code is not included in the free or Pro versions, but the company does have source-inclusive licenses available through its sales team.

The New Hotness

No doubt the flashiest upgrades in Unity 3 come in the form of its new graphics features, which are quite advanced for an engine in its price range. For starters, there's a completely revamped lightmap...