Continuing our exploration into spatial sound, this tutorial will serve as a guided introduction to setting up the Unity game engine for spatial/ambisonic audio, including software installation, project setup and configuration, and creation of simple spatial audio objects.

Subsequent tutorials will cover more advanced manipulation of audio objects, and scripting custom interactions.

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I: Create a UnityID account

Before using Unity, you will need to create a Personal (free) UnityID account. Follow this link, accept the terms, and confirm your email to activate your account.

Software Installation (optional)

The software is pre-installed on all RCC-361 lab computers. If you wish to work on your personal computer, follow the instructions below to install the software. If using a lab computer, skip ahead to Section II.

<aside> 🚨 Users installing software on personal devices do so at their own risk and TMU staff are not responsible for any issues, data loss, or damage that may arise as a result of attempting to do so.

</aside>

  1. Follow this link to download the Unity Hub installer.

  2. After installing, launch the Unity Hub application and when prompted, login using your UnityID account credentials.

  3. Click 'Installs' in the sidebar and then 'Install Editor' to choose the Unity version to install:

    Screen Shot 2022-03-09 at 11.38.59 AM.png

  4. On the Official Releases tab, locate Unity (2022.3.xx) and click 'Install'

    <aside> 🚨 To ensure project cross-compatibility with the RCC lab computers, we recommend installing version 2022.3.xx, NOT Unity 6.

    </aside>

    <aside> 🍏 NOTE: Macintosh users with a Silicon (M-series) chipset will be presented with both Silicon and Intel versions of the editor. The Resonance Spatial Engine (required later) is NOT compatible with the Silicon builds of Unity. Users should choose to install the Intel version instead (see pic below)

    </aside>

    Screenshot of Unity Hub on Silicon Mac computers, showing options for both Silicon and Intel builds of the editor.

    Screenshot of Unity Hub on Silicon Mac computers, showing options for both Silicon and Intel builds of the editor.

  5. Wait for the download and installation to complete. Be patient, as this will take several minutes. When installation is complete, it will appear in the 'Installs' section.

    Screen Shot 2022-03-09 at 11.54.37 AM.png

II. Account Sign In:

  1. After creating your account, launch Unity Hub.

    On the RCC-361 lab computers, a shortcut should exist on the Windows desktop.

    (Mac users may need to locate the launcher in their local ‘Applications’ folder)

Fig. I.1.1: Windows desktop shortcut

Fig. I.1.1: Windows desktop shortcut

  1. When prompted, click the Sign In button and enter your UnityID account credentials.

    Fig. I.2: Unity Hub sign-in prompt screen

    Fig. I.2: Unity Hub sign-in prompt screen

III. Project Creation

  1. In Unity Hub, click on 'Projects' in sidebar and then 'NEW Project'.

    Fig. II.1: Unity Hub Projects view

    Fig. II.1: Unity Hub Projects view

  2. Select the 'Core > 3D (Built-in Render Pipeline)' core template; and provide your project with a name and storage location (*use the D:/THAWSPACE volume in the lab); and click 'Create Project'.

    Fig. II.2: Unity Hub new project Core template screen

    Fig. II.2: Unity Hub new project Core template screen

    <aside> ⏰ Be patient and wait for the project to be created. This may take several minutes to load all template elements.

    </aside>

  3. Familiarize yourself with the basic user interface and window layout. If desired, you can choose a different layout from the Window > Layouts... sub-menu, or re-arrange/re-size any of the panels to create a custom layout. Pictured below is the default layout:

    Fig. II.3: Unity GUI overview

    Fig. II.3: Unity GUI overview

IV: Download Additional Assets

Additional downloads for audio spatialization and camera control have been made available on D2L, also below. These are not software installers, but add-ons that will be used later. Simply download these to a location on your computer for later use:

  1. Resonance Spatial Engine (Unity Package) *Direct download link
  2. Camera Controller Script (.cs file) **Google Drive download link

V: Import and Configure Resonance Audio

  1. Import the Resonance Spatial Engine package file.

    To do this, click on Assets > Import Package > Custom Package...

Fig IV.1: Unity - Import Custom Package menu location

Fig IV.1: Unity - Import Custom Package menu location