I’m happy to say that the Unity Hub 2 is now available. Unity actually released version 2.0 with little fanfare a few weeks ago after beta testing it for a while. I think it’s worth calling the release out for a couple reasons. First, the hub is a great way to manage your Unity installation (or installations, as the case may be). Second, for some unknown reason users who tested the Unity Hub 2 beta didn’t get notified that it was released.
Why Use A Hub?
The Hub makes managing and launching Unity really easy. It’s a piece of cake, whether you have one or several different versions of Unity on your machine. Check out this post and skip to the Tell Me More section if you’d like to know more. The Unity Hub is also the future of the Unity Launcher. As outlined in this blog post, Unity is retiring the launcher and download assistant (they have been officially removed as of Unity 2019.1).
How To Install Unity Hub 2
The best place to get Unity Hub 2.x is from this post on the Unity Forums. You can also get it from the Unity Download Archive, though that link will not include release notes.
Look for the Unity Hub download link
Normally testing software, there is a notification when it has been released and the final version is available. That is not the case with Unity Hub 2.
Users who participated in the Hub v2 Beta release cycle, that application build will NOT auto-update to the Hub 2.x release. Please uninstall the Hub v2 Beta from your machine, and either launch the original Hub v1.x to receive the auto-update or download the Hub v2.x….
Unity Hub 2 is a nice improvement over the 1.0 release. Once you’ve installed it and launched the Hub, you’ll see the clean new interface.
It opens to show the Projects tab (as seen above). You can use the Add button to manually add a project that you don’t see on the list. You can also use the New button to create a new project. Additionally, if you have multiple Unity versions installed you can click the triangle to choose which to use for your new project.
When the ‘Create A New Project With Unity’ popup window appears, you choose the template (for SineSpace, choose 3D and not 3D with Extras). Next give your project a name and after that, choose a location. Clicking create does just that, Unity Hub 2 sets up all the folders and gets it ready for you to start using. For more info, check out my earlier Getting Started post, you can skip through to the section on Installing the SineSpace Editor Pack.
Unity Installations Made Easy
On the Installs tab, you can either click the Locate or Add buttons. Locate lets you tell Unity Hub 2 where an existing Unity installation is. Similarly, Add tells the Hub to add a new Unity installation. When you install using the Hub, it manages all the files and folders for you. As an added bonus you can use it to automatically remove it later.
You can also use the gray settings gear in the top right (see the image above) to specify where you want it to put all the Unity Editors you have it install. This is really handy if you want to put Unity on an external drive.
Uninstalling Is Even Easier
Over time, Unity will release updates to the editor. After that, you will want (or need) to update. To do that you add the new version, update your project, and then remove the old version. With Unity Hub 2 that couldn’t be easier. Simply click on the 3 dots in the top right corner of the Install you want to remove (I circled where it would be in red in the picture below). Once you click on it, you’ll see a pop-up menu and you just click Uninstall.
Removing versions you no longer need is easy
But Wait, There’s More!
For makers who are new to Unity, the Learn tab may come in really handy. On SineSpace in-world chat as well as on the SineSpace Discord server, I see a lot of newcomers who seem to struggle with basic usage of Unity. I get it, the natural tendency for most people is to just jump in and go. Then things become complicated quickly, and soon you’re frustrated and asking a bunch of newbie questions. Fortunately Unity is an established game engine and there are a lot of different tutorials out there to help learn the basics.
Unity Hub 2 makes the process even easier. It features a series of tutorials, projects, resources, and links together on the Learn tab. Very easy to find, and above all it’s worth the time to check out. Actually, as I’m writing this page I realize I could probably learn a few things going through these new tutorials myself. 🙂
That’s It!
Well, that’s it for this tutorial, anyway. You now have the Unity 2.0 Hub and know how it can make your life easier. From here you can follow my installation videos, or check the SineSpace Youtube channel for tutorials on a wide range of content. Keep an eye on trilo.org for additional tutorials in the future!
If you have questions or comments, please post in the comments below! If you want personal help or private training, please see this post. Good luck with your projects!
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