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Unity 5 for Android Essentials
Unity 5 for Android Essentials

Unity 5 for Android Essentials: A fast-paced guide to building impressive games and applications for Android devices with Unity 5

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Unity 5 for Android Essentials

Chapter 2. Accessing Android Functionality

In this chapter, you will discover how to create plugins for Android platform by Java and C languages in Unity 5. You will learn in practice how to write simple plugins for the Android platform. Also, the reader will learn how to carry out an anti-piracy check, detect screen orientation, handle vibration support, determine device generation, and other more useful features. The topics that will be covered in this chapter are as follows:

  • Creating Java and native C plugins for an Android platform
  • Android scripting API in Unity 5
  • Accessing Android sensors and features within Unity 5

Creating Java and native C plugins for an Android platform

Before creating a Java or native C plugin for an Android platform inside Unity, you should install the Android NDK. Also, if you don't know how to build a shared library, then you should find out more about this process. A lot of information about Android NDK can be found on the web, for example, the Android official documentation can be found at https://developer.android.com/tools/sdk/ndk/index.html or in many different books by Packt Publishing; for example, see visit https://www.packtpub.com/application-development/android-ndk-beginner's-guide. Information about Android NDK is beyond the scope of this book.

Some parts of your game or app can be implemented using native-code languages, such as C or C++. The Android NDK is a toolset with multiple features and possibilities. You will not need to use the Android NDK in every project, but in some games or applications, it will be very helpful to reuse some custom or third...

Accessing the Android sensors and features within Unity 5

Let's discover a little bit more about some Android sensors and features that are shown in the simple code examples later in text.

Acceleration

You can also access the Android acceleration inside Unity. Let's upgrade our previous example, so we can see one more aspect of our Android device. The new piece of code is shown here:

GUILayout.Label("\n\n A C C E L E R A T I O N");
    GUILayout.Label("Input.acceleration = (" + Input.acceleration.x + ", " + Input.acceleration.y + ", " + Input.acceleration.z + ")");

After running this test on your Android device, you will see how acceleration values change very quickly in real time.

Gyroscope

Unity provides gyroscope access on Android devices as shown in the new piece of code. Before using gyroscope, you just need to enable it as shown here:

    Input.gyro.enabled = true;

GUILayout.Label("\n\n G Y R O S C O P E");
    GUILayout...

Summary

In this chapter, we look at the details of writing plugins in Java and native C for Unity. We practiced developing simple plugins for Android platform. Also, we explored how to make anti-piracy checks, detect screen orientation, handle vibration support, get device name, get device model, and get much more useful information. We learned how to access the acceleration, gyroscope, and compass sensors with their features and properties in practice.

In the next chapter, you will learn how to develop high-end graphics. You will explore how to write simple Cg shaders in Unity. You will also learn more about awesome tips, tricks, and techniques that are used all over the world in game production. You will also acquire information about global illumination and how to optimize your shaders.

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Description

Unity is a very popular and effective technology for creating 2D and 3D games and applications. The Unity rendering engine provides great real-time rendering of high quality graphics without too much cost and effort. It boasts industry leading multi-platform support and world class monetization and retention services for mobile games, making it the first choice for many game developers across the world. Unity 5 is a great starting point for game developers looking to develop stunning and robust games. Starting with a refresher on the basics of Unity 5, this book will take you all the way through to creating your first custom game. By the end of the book, you will understand how to work with all the aspects of Unity 5. You will quickly explore all the major key features of the Unity 5 engine and learn to implement real-world Android game and application features in practice. We begin by introducing how to set up the Android SDK on Windows and Mac OS X and configure Unity 5 settings for the Android platform. As you progress through the chapters, you will learn to implement innovative and user-friendly features with the aid of real-world examples. You will explore how to render high quality graphics with physically-based shaders and global illumination to enhance your project’s performance. Building on this, you will then learn to transform your native C# and JavaScript code into Unity scripts. Best practices to improve your Android games will also be discussed to help you create games fast and efficiently. Finally, putting together all these concepts, you will learn to create your own Android game from scratch. This book will teach you how to harness the benefits of different tools to become proficient at game design and development processes.

Who is this book for?

This book is perfect for competent Unity developers who want to learn how to develop, optimize, and publish games for Android devices in a quick and easy manner. This book assumes basic knowledge of game design concepts and/or some experience with other game technologies such as Unreal Engine 4, CryEngine, or GameMaker.

What you will learn

  • Discover tips and tricks to optimize Unity scripts
  • Create Java and native C plugins for the Android platform
  • Access Android features and sensors inside the Unity 5 engine
  • Render high quality graphics and optimize Cg shaders
  • Play Legacy and Mecanim animations in Unity 5
  • Download new assets and code behavior while your game is running on an Android device in order to expand your game in real time
  • Debug your games and applications on Android devices using the Unity Profiler tool
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Publication date : Aug 05, 2015
Length: 200 pages
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Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781784399191
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Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781784399191
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Table of Contents

8 Chapters
1. Setting Up and Configuring an Android Platform Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Accessing Android Functionality Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. High-end Graphics for Android Devices Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Animation, Audio, Physics, and Particle Systems in Unity 5 Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. Asset Bundles in Unity 5 Pro Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. Optimization and Transformation Techniques Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Troubleshooting and Best Practices Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

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Joel Oct 15, 2015
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This is a good book for people with some experience with game development and or Unity. It walks through many things that other beginner books don't cover, especially those specific to developing on the Android platform. There are many useful tools such as building your own plug ins and how to deal with using high-end graphics on Android. Although this could be the first book you ever read on the subject be prepared jump into the deep end. Be warned the last chapter needs to be downloaded online and this is the chapter where you actually walkthrough making a game. All in all good addition to any novice/experienced game developers library.
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