- Unity 3d Visual Studio
- Visual Studio For Mac Tutorial
- Visual Studio For Mac Unity
- Microsoft Visual Studio For Mac
Visual Studio for Mac Tools for Unity is a free Visual Studio extension that turns Visual Studio for Mac into a powerful tool for developing cross-platform games and apps with the Unity platform.
Unity integration is included out of the box in Visual Studio for Mac, and starting from Unity 2018.1, Visual Studio for Mac is the default C# IDE for Unity projects.
Note
This information is for Visual Studio for Mac IDE. For Visual Studio Code, see this guide for more information.
Just download Visual Studio Community, switch default Unity IDE and enjoy very smooth integration. First things first — I’m not an experienced game developer. I just started my journey with Unity not long time ago and this article is a result of my early explorations that can be useful for newcomers. Besides Visual Studio for Mac and Visual Studio 2017 Community, there are now a few other C# IDE alternatives available. Visual Studio Code (Windows, macOS, Linux) Unity supports opening scripts in Visual Studio Code when selected as an external script editor in the preferences.
Overview
Here are some of the key features of Visual Studio for Mac Tools for Unity:
Compatible with Visual Studio for Mac Community Edition
Unity 3d Visual Studio
Visual Studio for Mac Community Edition is available for free, and bundled with Unity installs starting with Unity 2018.1. See the Visual Studio for Mac Tools for Unity setup documentation for more information.
IntelliSense for Unity messages
IntelliSense makes it fast and easy to implement Unity messages like OnCollisionEnter, including their parameters.
Superior debugging
Visual Studio for Mac Tools for Unity supports all the debugging features that you expect from Visual Studio:
- Set breakpoints, including conditional breakpoints.
- Evaluate complex expressions in the Watch window.
- Inspect and modify the value of variables and arguments.
- Drill down into complex objects and data structures.
Powerful refactoring and context actions
Write more usable code with quick menus and keyboard shortcuts for renaming, refactoring, and context actions.
Browse and add new files
Browse Unity projects and add folders, scripts, or shaders, all within the Visual Studio for Mac IDE.
Use familiar key bindings
Boost productivity by using the key bindings that you know. Visual Studio for Mac provides familiar key bindings for many popular IDEs, such as Visual Studio on Windows, ReSharper, Visual Studio Code, and Xcode.
Customize the Visual theme
Give your eyes a rest with the included dark theme.
Tips for Unity developers getting started with Visual Studio for Mac
These links explain useful features for Unity developers just starting with Visual Studio for Mac:
- Customizing the IDE – Learn how to change the visual theme or switch to a more familiar key binding scheme.
- Source Editor – Learn how Visual Studio for Mac can make writing better code faster and easier, including common keyboard shortcuts.
This section explains how to get started using Visual Studio for Mac Tools for Unity.
Install Visual Studio for Mac
Unity Bundled Installation
Starting with Unity 2018.1, Visual Studio for Mac is the default C# integrated development environment (IDE) for Unity, and is included in the Unity Download Assistant as well as the Unity Hub installation tool. Download Unity from store.unity.com.
Visual Studio For Mac Tutorial
During installation, ensure that Visual Studio for Mac is checked in the list of components to install with Unity:
Unity Hub
Unity Download Assistant
Check for Updates to Visual Studio for Mac
The version of Visual Studio for Mac included with the Unity installation may not be the latest. It is recommended to check for updates to ensure you have access to the latest tools and features.
Manual installation
If you already have Unity 5.6.1 or above, but don't have Visual Studio for Mac, you can install Visual Studio for Mac manually. All editions of Visual Studio for Mac are bundled with Visual Studio for Mac Tools for Unity, including the free Community edition:
- Download Visual Studio for Mac from visualstudio.microsoft.com.
- Visual Studio for Mac Tools for Unity are installed automatically during the installation process.
- Follow the steps in the installation guide for additional installation help.
Note
Visual Studio for Mac Tools for Unity requires Unity version 5.6.1 or above. To verify that Visual Studio Tools for Unity are enabled in your version of Unity, select About Unity from the Unity menu and look for the text 'Microsoft Visual Studio Tools for Unity enabled' in the bottom-left of the dialog.
Confirm that the Visual Studio for Mac Tools for Unity extension is enabled
While the Visual Studio for Mac Tools for Unity extension should be enabled by default, you can confirm this and check the installed version number:
From the Visual Studio menu, select Extensions....
Expand the Game Development section and confirm the Visual Studio for Mac Tools for Unity entry.
Configure Unity for use with Visual Studio for Mac
Visual Studio For Mac Unity
Starting with Unity 2018.1, Visual Studio should be the default external script editor in Unity. You can confirm this or change the external script editor to Visual Studio:
Microsoft Visual Studio For Mac
Select Preferences... from the Unity menu.
In the Preferences dialog, select the External Tools tab.
From the External Script Editor dropdown list, choose Visual Studio if it is listed, otherwise select Browse....
If Browse... was selected, navigate to the Applications directory and select Visual Studio and then click Open.
Once Visual Studio is selected in the External Script Editor list, close the Preferences dialog to complete the configuration process.