Mastering UI Development with Unity: An in-depth guide to developing engaging user interfaces with Unity 5, Unity 2017, and Unity 2018

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Packt Publishing Ltd, Apr 30, 2018 - Computers - 468 pages

Master Game UI system by creating captivating user interface components with Unity 5 through Unity 2018 and C#. Learn about UI texts, images, world space UI, mobile-specific UI and much more.

Key FeaturesDevelop a game UI with both technical and aesthetic considerationsUse all the UI elements provided by Unity's UI systemStep-by-step examples of creating user interface components in the top game genresBook Description

A functional UI is an important component for player interaction in every type of video game. Along with imparting crucial statistical information to the player, the UI is also the window through which the player engages with the world established by the game. Unity's tools give you the opportunity to create complex and attractive UIs to make your game stand out.

This book helps you realize the full potential of Unity's powerful tools to create the best UI for your games by walking you through the creation of myriad user interface components.

Learn how to create visually engaging heads-up-displays, pause menus, health bars, circular progress bars, animated menus, and more. This book not only teaches how to lay out visual elements, but also how to program these features and implement them across multiple games of varying genres.

While working through the examples provided, you will learn how to develop a UI that scales to multiple screen resolutions, so your game can be released on multiple platforms with minimal changes.

What you will learnDesign principles and patterns for laying out elements in your UITechniques that allow your UI to scale appropriately in different resolutionsHow to use automatic layouts to streamline your UI building processProperties of the Event System and how to appropriately hook events to your UI elementsAccess the components and properties of UI elements via codeImplement all of Unity's built-in UI elements as well as those provided by TextMeshPro Develop key UI components that are popularly used in multiple game genresAdd visual flare to user interfaces with the use of animation and particle effectsCreate a UI that displays in the Screen Space as well as World SpaceWho this book is for

This book is for anyone keen to improve their games via a great user interface with Unity's UI system. If you're looking for a book that explains how to develop specific user interfaces or that thoroughly explains how each of the individual Unity components work, this book is for you.

 

Contents

Preface
1
Designing User Interfaces
6
Canvases Panels and Basic Layouts
30
Automatic Layouts
77
The Event System and Programming for UI
120
Buttons
164
Text Images and TextMesh ProText
203
Masks and Other Inputs
261
Animations and Particles in the UI
324
World Space UI
394
MobileSpecific UI
415
Other Books You May Enjoy
439
Index
442
Copyright

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About the author (2018)

Ashley Godbold is a programmer, game designer, artist, mathematician, and teacher. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, a Master of Science in Mathematics, a Bachelor of Science in Game Art and Design, and a Doctor of Computer Science in Emerging Media where her dissertation research focused on educational video game design. She also authored Mastering Unity 2D Game Development: Second Edition (Packt Publishing). She enjoys playing video games and watching anime with her husband, daughter, and two cats.

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