02. Installing Unity

Installation

Installing Unity can be done one of two ways. One is to download the recommended version of Unity directly. The second is to use Unity Hub. Unity Hub is great if you're planning on installing and using newer versions of Unity, like the beta versions. Personally, I prefer the second option as I find it easier. In the videos, you will likely see the Unity Hub interface when loading up projects.

Note: For the course, we recommend using Unity long term support (LTS) version 2017.4. There are many benefits to using LTS versions. First and foremost, LTS versions are more stable and will continue to be supported for two years. We use this version to ensure that our course content will be stable and hope that this will minimize “surprises” in following the course. Additionally, this is the Oculus recommended version of Unity. We strongly encourage using this version when working on all projects throughout the course. If you choose to use another version of Unity, know that support may not be available to help you through issues you may come across.

Option 1: Installing Unity Directly

Unity is a constantly evolving software with many updates every month. We will do our best to make sure our content stays up to date with any significant changes that are made. To ensure the smoothest possible experience make sure you:

Once you have download the Unity Installer for the required version of Unity and run the Unity Download Assistant, you will go through a standard installation process. You can click through and accept the defaults until you get to the Components selection step where you will select which components to install.

Selecting Components

macOS users

  • If you have an iPhone, make sure you also select iOS Build Support.
  • If you have an Android phone, make sure you also select Android Build Support.

Windows users

  • Make sure you also select Android Build Support.



Next, choose a place to install on your hard drive and move onto the next lesson, What Is VR?

Option 2: Installing Unity Hub

Download Unity Hub from Unity's website. Follow the prompts to get it installed.

Once it's installed, we need to install our recommended version of Unity, 2017.4.15. Open up Unity Hub and click on Installs at the top. Then Official Releases on the right. Then click the download button next to the version you want to install.
Unity Hub install versions by going to Installs and then Official Releases

Note: Installing the latest LTS version of Unity should be okay. Using Unity Hub, you can't specify the LTS version to download. It will automatically download the latest version. If this is the case, you may see some prompts when you work on course assets and starter projects. An example of such a prompt is below. Clicking continue will allow you to open the project.
An example Unity prompt stating that you're opening a project in a different version.
Important Note: Opening a project in a more recent minor version (like going form 2017.4.14 to 2017.4.16) is less likely to cause problems. However, opening a project in a completely different major version (like going from 2017.4.15 to 2018.3.1) could cause problems. Be prepared to do some debugging if you're attempting this.

After clicking download, you'll be prompted to select which components you want with the version. This is what will actually let you build to your phone.

If you have a Mac OS on your computer, be sure to select the Build Support for your phone. (Either iOS Build Support or Android Build Support).
If you're on a Windows computer, you'll select the Android Build Support.
Unity Hub Install Components

Once you have a version of Unity installed, you can set a version as your "Preferred" version by going to the "On My Machine" section of the Installs tab. Click on the three dots (…) next to the version you want to set as preferred then choose "Set as Preferred".

Unity Hub set a Unity version as preferred by clicking on the three dots next to an installed version.

Still don't believe us about the Unity version? Check out these sources.

Per Unity:
“The LTS stream is for users who wish to continue to develop and ship their games/content and stay on a stable version for an extended period.

The LTS version will not have any new features, API changes or improvements. It will address crashes, regressions, and issues that affect the wider community, such as Enterprise Support customer issues, console SDK/XDK, or any major changes that would prevent a large section of users from shipping their game. Each LTS stream will be supported for a period of two years.”
Source: https://unity3d.com/unity/qa/lts-releases

Google’s VR sdk recommends the LTS release of Unity (Unity 2017.4) or later.
Source: https://developers.google.com/vr/develop/unity/get-started-android

Oculus recommends Unity 2017.4.
Source: https://developer.oculus.com/documentation/unity/latest/concepts/unity-req/



Next, choose a place to install on your hard drive and move onto the next lesson, What Is VR?

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