Unity have just launched a brand-new product, and perhaps the coolest thing they have created in years… and chances are, it isn’t for you! Unity Studio (previously known as Unity Lite) is a new beta minimalistic version of the Unity editor with a very minimalistic and stripped-down feature set including a completely new visual programming language. Unity Studio is aimed at the non-game developer demographic, a way to make Unity accessible to non-game developers, but the inadvertently may have made the perfect tool for a beginner to learn the basics of 3D game development, while also giving them a “graduation” path to learning full featured Unity in the future.
The project includes comprehensive asset importers, including for several assets like CAD files that traditionally are not supported. As mentioned earlier, Unity Studio also introduces a new “Scratch-like” programming language:
You compose your applications logic using a set of virtual Lego bricks. Best of all, it is intended to add Unity 6 export capabilities, where this visual code is ultimately translated into C# code and your scene is transformed into a traditional Unity level.
It is important to note at this point in time, Unity Studio is very much NOT aimed at game developers and is a *very* small subset of Unity’s full capabilities. There are no bone animations, it’s a single scene, limited texturing capabilities, no audio playback, etc. That said, the kernel of a VERY good beginner friendly game engine are here, it’s just a matter of Unity choosing to focus on or support that demographic going forward. This has the potential to be an excellent educational tool, as well as a gateway experience for people getting started with the Unity game engine.
Some key FAQ from the Unity Studio homepage:
What is Unity Studio?
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Unity Studio is an intuitive web-based editor that empowers anyone within an organization to create and share in 3D. Quickly import 3D assets, build interactive 3D applications, and share them across devices for faster reviews and iterations. No coding, no heavy software installs—just easy 3D creation that works with your existing ecosystem.
How do I get access to Unity Studio?
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Sign up here to join the beta. You’ll get early access to explore Unity Studio, and your feedback will help shape its future.
Key Links
Unity Studio is currently in beta and is currently free. You can learn more about Unity Studio and see it in action in the video below.