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Part 2 - The Unity User Interface

Once your new project has been created, you should be greeted with the Unity editor. There is a lot going on here, but we will explore each section of the UI piece by piece.

The Unity editor interface

The Project Window

This window is like the file explorer you use on your laptop. It holds all folders and files in your project. The most important folder for us is Assets, where you keep scripts, artwork, audio, and more.

Project window

The Hierarchy

A hierarchy is a list of all GameObjects in your scene. In 2D, the order can matter when you use a Canvas to place text or images.

Hierarchy window

The Scene View and Game View

The Scene view is where you build and edit your game. The Game view shows what the game looks like when it runs.

Scene and Game view toggles

The Play, Pause, and Next Buttons

  • Play (right-pointing arrow) runs your game.
  • Pause (two vertical lines) pauses the game so you can inspect it.
  • Next advances the paused game by one frame.

Play, Pause, and Next buttons

The Inspector

This window shows all components attached to the GameObject you select in the Hierarchy.