Unity Is Now Offering ProBuilder for Free | Get Details

Unity Technologies has purchased ProCore, maker of popular modeling/level design tool ProBuilder and additional tools ProGrids and Polybrush. All this software is now available to Unity subscribers, including those with personal plans. You’ll find ProBuilder built into the Unity 2018.1, while Polybrush and ProGrids are available for free in the Unity Asset Store.

ProCore founders Gabriel Williams and Karl Henkel are joining the team at Unity and will help create additional functionality for the entire Unity package. With ProBuilder now included in Unity, developers will be able to design, prototype, and play their test levels within the Unity Editor.

This added functionality is valued at $150/annually, which is the old price of ProCore’s bundle, including ProBuilder, ProGrids, Polybrush, and several deprecated tools. With the added functionality, Unity is now a better value than ever before and a necessity for any game developer.

What Does ProBuilder Do?

ProBuilder is a hybrid piece of software that incorporates 3D modeling technology and level design tools. It’s optimized to build simple geometry, but you can achieve detailed editing and UV unwrapping, based on your needs. With the added functionality of ProBuilder, you can prototype structures for your game quickly, create complex terrains, build weapons and vehicles, and much more.

Key features include:

Extrude and inset
Procedural shapes
In-scene UV controls
Indefinitely editable shapes

Many games have already been made using ProBuilder, including popular cult first-person shooter Superhot and various indie titles. With its ability to model trigger zones, navigation meshes and create custom collision geometry, ProBuilder is a fantastic tool for any game developer utilizing Unity.

What Do Polybrush and ProGrids Do?

Although ProBuilder is no doubt the most important part of Unity’s acquisition, the other tools now part of all subscriptions are useful for game development. You can incorporate Polybrush and ProGrids into your development workflow, utilizing their unique functionality.

Polybrush — This tool enables you to blend textures and colours, as well as sculpt meshes within the Unity editor. While it’s still in beta, you can use it to sprinkle objects throughout your virtual world with highly customizable brushes suited to your needs.

ProGrids — With ProGrids, you can add a visual and functional grid that snaps on all 3 of its axes. Utilizing the power of this tool, you’ll develop more quickly and with more quality, constructing with ease and precision. It’s fantastic for modular and tile-based environments but can improve workflow in any game type.

Leverage all these new in-editor tools to design and develop faster and more precisely. Try out these included items with your Unity subscription today.

Purchase a BOXX PC for Your Unity Needs

At BOXX, our products are powerful workhouses that support Unity’s software solutions for game developers. Choose the most advanced game developing software, now available with added functionality. Our systems can run the processor- and GPU-heavy applications you need from the Unity ecosystem.

Virtual Reality Headsets That Are Changing the Market | BOXX

VR Headsets that Are Changing the Market

Virtual reality (VR) is the idea that you can explore new environments and play immersive games using the power of technology. It’s a concept that’s been theorized and dreamt about in science fiction for generations. And while virtual reality has been a nascent technology for decades, it hasn’t caught on in the past due to limited technology. However, in the last few years, VR technology has reached the point where we can support real-time motion tracking to make it seem like you’re in a virtual space that moves with you.

Now top VR headsets and companies are changing the market completely. Almost all of these products require a powerful PC, though there are some that can work with a smartphone.

With big-name companies like HTC, Sony, Oculus,

and Samsung throwing their hats into the ring, virtual reality is taking off in popularity. Here are some of the headsets we think are changing the market.

Oculus Rift

Oculus is the name that’s perhaps most synonymous with VR. While other headsets have recently outgunned Oculus’ technology, it was first to market and still retains a technical advantage over some competitors. While it doesn’t offer whole-room VR, it comes with Oculus’s motion controllers. The Rift is still a fantastic and affordable option for virtual reality.

Sony PlayStation VR

One of the best VR headsets on the market right now is Sony’s PlayStation VR, which offers a tethered VR experience that works with the company’s PS4 console. It works with proprietary titles made for the PS4 but also allows you to play any title as if you’re in front of a theater-size screen. The full package requires a PlayStation Camera and PlayStation Move Controller, which all bundles together.

HTC Vive with SteamVR

Surprising nearly everyone, HTC released its standalone HTC Vive headset, which can track your movement in a 10-ft cube around you. It needs to be hooked up to a powerful computer to work seamlessly and includes an advanced set of motion controllers. If you want whole-room VR, the HTC Vive combined with its SteamVR catalog of games is right for you.

Smartphone VR Headsets

One of the most exciting developments in VR technology is the ability to experience virtual reality with your smartphone. Using just your Android phone (for Google Daydream View) or Samsung phone (for Samsung Gear VR) allows you to enter a virtual reality world at a much lower price point. Both Google and Samsung offer controllers and quickly expanding content libraries. These smartphone headsets a good choice if you want to experience portable VR.

The Future of VR

Right now, virtual reality technology is still in its infancy. Sony, HTC, Oculus, and other companies are defining the market, and creating new games and worlds, but there’s so much more to be done. If you want to experience VR to its fullest, purchase a powerful workstation from BOXX. You’ll be able to run your VR headset and its included software at high speeds with any of our models.

Monthly Archives: July 2018