Unity Mars 1.4 is ready for takeoff

Unity Mars helps AR developers overcome many of the challenges surrounding AR app development. These include working with unknown environments, testing and iterating in-Editor, and crafting AR experiences that interact with dynamic content in the physical world. In this post, we’ll take a look at what Unity Mars 1.4 has to offer, and share some key content we’ve built to help you get started. 

Unity Mars 1.4 brings with it the capacity for meshing, a new Project Validation tool, an overhaul to the Simulation view, and so much more.

Compatible with both iOS and Hololens devices, the meshing feature in Unity Mars 1.4 contains a few different use cases that focus on creating more natural interactions between the physical world and your digital content. This focus hinges on:

1. Improved occlusion: The mesh is invisible but occludes virtual objects behind the mesh (physical environment) more realistically than using plane data, which results in refined AR experiences.
2. Physics on the mesh: This helps objects fall realistically against an environment for better character navigation.

Meanwhile, the new Project Validation tool automates platform configuration to ensure that your app works on just about any given device, whereas the Simulation view’s UX overhaul enhances workflows and simplifies settings for smooth interactions.

At the same time, the Content Manager comprises a new workflow for incorporating simulated environments as well as tutorials and templates. This cuts down on package size and setup time, while forging a path for adding more simulations, tutorials, and sample content to your project.

For details on additional improvements and bug fixes to Unity Mars, head on over to the documentation.

It’s been over a year since Unity Mars first launched, and we’ve put together a wide range of content with supporting use cases to help you understand how it works. Please peruse our list of highlighted content below.

Helpful guides for getting started with Unity Mars:

• Unity Learn: First steps in Unity Mars tutorial
• Unity Mars starter templates
• The Unity Mars knowledge base
• How Unity Mars and AR Foundation work together

For more advanced features and workflows aimed at facilitating AR app authoring, check out these Unity Mars resources:

• Working with Unity Mars Simulation
• Using Unity Mars for plain language AR authoring
• How the Query system adapts AR content to the real world

AR apps can be built for many different purposes, from creative games to training on a factory floor. We put two on-demand videos together to clearly illustrate how Unity Mars can be used for AR games and industrial applications alike.