Unity Setup

Unity is a powerful game engine and remains the top choice for developing 3D games and environments. In this guide, we will see how to get up and running with Unity quickly. We’ll see how to install the software and how to navigate the editor.

Installation & Setup

We first need to download Unity Hub. This is the launcher that manages modules, versions, and projects for the Unity Editor. Once it is downloaded, create an account to get your license (personal or student) and log in. You can then download the version of Unity Editor (and additional modules) that you need through the Unity Hub — Long Term Support (LTS) versions are recommended.

You also need an Integrated Development Environment (IDE) for writing code — I recommend Visual Studio Code with the Unity extension from Microsoft. You also need the .NET SDK to get syntax highlighting and code completion.

Create Your First Project

1. Open Unity Hub, navigate to the Projects tab, click New Project, and select Universal 3D.
2. Set a project name and destination directory. You can also connect your GitHub account using a Personal Access Token (PAT) for version control.
3. Click Create Project and allow Unity to generate the project files.

The Unity Interface

Once the editor opens, you will see a collection of panels:

• Scene View: The canvas where you place and manipulate objects in 3D space.
• Game View: Renders what the player sees through the active camera.
• Hierarchy: Lists every GameObject present in the active scene.
• Inspector: Displays and edits properties and components of the selected object.
• Project Window: The file explorer showing all project assets (models, scripts, materials).
• Console: Displays debug logs, warnings, and compilation errors.

Navigation

To navigate the Scene View, a mouse is recommended (but a trackpad also works):

• Orbit: Hold Option/Alt + Left Click and drag / Hold Option/Alt and click-drag with one finger on trackpad.
• Pan: Click and drag the Middle Mouse Button / Swipe with two fingers on trackpad.
• Zoom: Scroll using the mouse wheel / Pinch the trackpad.
• Focus: Select an object in the Hierarchy and press F to center on it (Shift + F to lock view to it).
• Flythrough Mode: Hold the Right Mouse Button (or two-finger click) and navigate using W, A, S, D with Q / E (hold Shift to boost speed).

To interact with and manipulate objects directly in the viewport, switch between tools using the top-row hotkeys:

• Hand (Q): Pan the viewport.
• Move (W): Translate along the X (red), Y (green), and Z (blue) axes.
• Rotate (E): Rotate around axes.
• Scale (R): Scale along specific axes or uniformly from the center handle.