Unity is one of the top game engines used today, according to a recent survey from video game development professionals across the globe. Developed by Unity Technologies. Unity started in game development, but the Unity engine is now used in architecture, automotive, aerospace, and beyond. It’s often used alongside Helix Core.
In 2020, Unity acquired the version control tool Plastic SCM, which they renamed Unity Version Control. Here, you’ll learn about Unity Engine, Unity Version Control, how to use Unity with version control, and the key to finding the best version control system for Unity.
Table of Contents
- Is Unity Engine Good for Beginners?
- What Are Unity Alternatives?
- What Is Unity Version Control —Unity’s Source Control Tool?
- Why Use Unity with Version Control
- What to Consider When Looking for Unity Version Control Systems
- Is Git the Best Unity Version Control System?
- What is the Best Unity Version Control System? Helix Core
- How to Use Unity with Helix Core
➡️ Start Using Unity with Helix Core
Back to topIs Unity Engine Good for Beginners?
Despite recent criticism regarding changes to Unity’s monetization model, Unity is continuing to offer free plans for game developers. For instance, individuals and small organizations can use Unity Personal, which is free until the team reaches a certain revenue threshold. Unity also offers free options for students. This makes it an essential tool for students and developers.
In addition, when creating anything in 3D, things can get complex. Unity is able to handle the physics of a scene without overwhelming new users.
If you are just starting to learn game development and want to use an existing game engine, Unity is a great place to start. It will do the heavy lifting right in the tool. Plus, new Unity versions continue to add in features to help non-coders get up to speed fast, including a visual scripting tool.
Back to topUnity Is a Top Game Engine
Use it with the top version control system — trusted by top 19/20 game development companies. Start building your next game free.
What Are Unity Alternatives?
Though Unity is one of the most popular game engines, there are several Unity alternatives that might be a better fit depending on your studio and project.
Here's a list of the most popular game engines used today:
Each game engine has different strengths and weaknesses. For example, Unreal Engine is better suited for 3D games, but requires higher system requirements for more advanced features.
Some game developers even opt to build their own game engine to customize it to their specific needs.
📘 Related Resource: What Are the Best Game Engines
Back to topWhat Is Unity Version Control —Unity’s Source Control Tool?
Unity Version Control (previously Plastic SCM) is a commercial version control tool, offering a cloud-hosted option and intuitive interface for artists, game developers, and designers. Unity Version Control is owned by Unity and integrates directly with the game engine.
On the surface, Unity Version Control is an attractive solution. It offers a friendly UI for artists and handles the basics of version control at low scale. Unity Version Control can work for smaller teams and repos. But over time, performance declines, causing major issues.
📘 Related Resource: Read about Unity Version Control (Plastic SCM) vs. Perforce Helix Core
Why Use Unity with Version Control
Unity and version control go hand-in-hand, and many Unity teams use Perforce Helix Core for version control (instead of Plastic SCM). Teams can use Unity without version control. But there is increased risk of collaboration issues or losing progress on work in the case of an outage.
Version control is essential for game development teams who regularly work with large files and different assets. It not only enables them to manage changes to code and files over time, but also allows them to work on the same project simultaneously. A good version control system allows for better collaboration and faster development.
The Unity 3D development platform provides the framework for game development. And version control allows you to version and manage files, code, and artwork.
📘 Related Resource: What is Version Control
Back to topWhat to Consider When Looking for Unity Version Control Systems
While deciding on the best version control for Unity, it’s important to look out for the following:
- Efficiency: Ensure the tool maximizes end user efficiency, seamlessly integrating with your desired game engine and reducing your team’s manual operations.
- Customizability: Choose a tool that can be customized to your team’s workflow and game engine.
- Scalability: As your project continues to scale, with a higher number of users and larger files, you need version control that continuously delivers high performance.
- Traceability: Find a tool that gives your team a single source of truth. This will save time and help your team address issues quickly by tracking every digital asset in one place — including code, video, large binary files, IPs, and more.
Is Git the Best Unity Version Control System?
Git isn’t the best option for version control with Unity.
Git isn’t natively integrated with Unity. The Unity Editor specifically can have issues working with Git. This includes difficulty working with temporary files and large files. There are also some branching and merging challenges when using Git with Unity.
There can be some workarounds to solve these challenges, but they’re far from ideal.
Helix Core offers a better option for version control with Unity.
2024 Stats on Unity Version Control
51% of respondents use Perforce Helix Core as their preferred version control system, while 8% use Unity version control. Learn more insights about the growing influence of game technology and the current workforce in our report.
GET THE REPORT
Helix Core: The Preferred Version Control For the Top 19/20 AAA Game Dev Studios
Perforce Helix Core is the preferred version control system for top AAA game dev studios and indie studios alike.
That’s because Helix Core can version everything — code, artwork, Unity game engine assets, and more.
Gain a Single Source of Truth with Helix Core
There are large binary files, many files, many contributors, and many changes involved in building a game today. And it’s important to maintain a single source of truth.
Helix Core delivers just that. This version control software makes it easier to collaborate. It makes it easier to find the assets you need to work on. And it lets you see if someone else is working on a particular file.
The Unity integration is a key part of this. Unity and Helix Core are seamlessly integrated so you can version your files in Helix Core — without leaving Unity.
Why Camouflaj Uses Helix Core with Unity
Camouflaj switched from Mercurial to Helix Core. Why? Because Helix Core made it faster and easier for them to author content in Unity. They can now collaborate on everything much faster.
📘 Related Resource: Read about why Camouflaj switched from Mercurial to Helix Core.
Back to topWhat is the Best Unity Version Control System? Helix Core
Ultimately, Helix Core is the best version control for Unity. Using Unity for game development requires you to manage huge files, numerous interactions, and massive amounts of data. Helix Core enables you to manage all your digital assets with the performance and speed your teams need.
Build your next great game with Unity and Helix Core.
Perforce Helix Core enables you to:
- Collaborate more efficiently with your developers and creatives.
- Store every iteration of your digital assets.
- Secure your IP, ensuring global teams and external partners get only the information they need.
And with Helix Core, you get a single source of truth across teams for faster, more complete builds.
Helix Core’s distributed federated architecture gives you fast performance, even if you have remote teams distributed around the world. You’ll be able to customize and automate workflows for branching (Perforce Streams) and code review (Helix Swarm). And you’ll rest assured that your intellectual property is secured with Helix Core’s access control.
Back to topHow to Use Unity with Helix Core
Once your team has decided on Helix Core as their preferred version control system for Unity, configuring it is simple.
Download Helix Core from Perforce
You’ll first need to download Perforce Helix Core. If you’re not using Helix Core yet, get started. If you’re already a Helix Core user, download the latest version of the:
Once you’ve set up your Helix Core server and configured your users and security, you’re ready to configure Helix Core with Unity.
Follow along with Perforce Solutions Engineer Jase Lindgren as he walks you through the next steps.
Get Started with Unity and Helix Core
See for yourself how easy it is to use Unity with Helix Core. Get started for free for up to 5 users and 20 workspaces.