Video game development is more accessible than ever thanks to advanced software tools. Unity3D is one of the most popular game engines available, thanks to its ease of use, support for multiple platforms, and affordable pricing options (including free!). In addition to powering the majority of mobile and independently-developed games, the engine is being used in new applications, including animated short films by Disney, automotive design and self-driving training at Audi and Toyota, and augmented-reality demonstrations. Unity3D is beginning to be a viable tool to use alongside scientific projects, especially those that require 3D visual representation of pre-computed data for user analysis.

In this workshop, we introduce the Unity3D workspace, and prepare a demo that allows the user to load an example data-set and view it as a simple set of 3D representations.

A basic familiarity with computer programming (C# will be used during the session) is recommended to get the most out of the workshop. To take part, users will be responsible to bring their own laptop with Unity3D (available for Windows or Macintosh) pre-installed. Additional project files will be provided to registered users ahead of the workshop date.