Chapter 1, Getting Started with NGUI, describes NGUI's functionalities and workflow. We will then import the plugin and create our first UI system and study its structure.

Chapter 2, Creating Widgets, introduces us to our first widget and explains how we can configure it. It then explains how to create a main menu using the Widget template

Chapter 3, Enhancing Your UI, explains the drag-and-drop system and how to create draggable windows. It also covers the use of animations, scrollable text, and localization with NGUI.

Chapter 4, C# with NGUI, introduces C# event methods and advanced code-oriented components that will be used to create tool tips, notifications, and Tweens through code.

Chapter 5, Building a Scrollable Viewport, introduces us to an interactive fullscreen-scrolling viewport using scroll bars, keyboard arrows, and draggable items.

Chapter 6, Atlas and Font Customization, explains how you can customize your UI using your own sprites and fonts; this will enable us to modify the appearance of our entire main menu.

Chapter 7, Creating a Game with NGUI, covers game features, such as spawning mobile enemies, handling player input, and detecting collisions between widgets to create a game.

In order to follow this book, you will need the Unity 3D software available at http://unity3d.com/unity/download.

You may use any version of Unity, but I recommend the 4.x cycle. Just the Add Component button and copy-paste component features will buy you some time.You must be familiar with Unity's basic workflow; the words GameObjects, Layers, and Components should not be a secret for you.

All the code pertaining to coding skills are available here and explained with comments on each line. So if you are not familiar with them, you will still be able to understand it.

While working with this book, we will create our own Sprites. If you do not want to or cannot create these assets by yourself, don't worry; the ones I have created for this book will be available for download.

You will also need the NGUI plugin for Unity by Tasharen Entertainment. You can buy it directly from the Unity Asset Store or you can click on the Buy Now button at the bottom of the page http://www.tasharen.com/?page_id=140.

Whether you are a beginner starting to work with Unity 3D, an intermediate, or a professional developer searching for an effective UI solution, this book is for you.

You have worked on games or apps for PC, console, or mobile platforms, but are you struggling with Unity's built-in UI system to create your game's interfaces and menus? This is where you should be.

Once you have finished reading this book, you will discover that building a user interface can be easy, fast, and fun!

In this book, you will find a number of styles of text that distinguish between different kinds of information. Here are some examples of these styles, and an explanation of their meaning.

Code words in text are shown as follows: "Declare a new Difficulty variable to store current difficulty."

A block of code is set as follows:

public void OnDifficultyChange() 
{
  //If Difficulty changes to Normal, set Difficulties.Normal
  if(UIPopupList.current.value == "Normal")
    Difficulty = Difficulties.Normal;
  //Otherwise, set it to Hard
  else Difficulty = Difficulties.Hard;
}

When we wish to draw your attention to a particular part of a code block, the relevant lines or items are set in bold:

//We will need the Slider
UISlider slider;

void Awake ()
{
  //Get the Slider
  slider = GetComponent<UISlider>();
  //Set the Slider's value to last saved volume
  slider.value = NGUITools.soundVolume;
}

New terms and important words are shown in bold. Words that you see on the screen, in menus or dialog boxes for example, appear in the text like this: "You can now click on the Create Your UI button."

Feedback from our readers is always welcome. Let us know what you think about this book—what you liked or may have disliked. Reader feedback is important for us to develop titles that you really get the most out of.

To send us general feedback, simply send an e-mail to <[email protected]>, and mention the book title via the subject of your message.

If there is a topic that you have expertise in and you are interested in either writing or contributing to a book, see our author guide on www.packtpub.com/authors.

Now that you are the proud owner of a Packt book, we have a number of things to help you to get the most from your purchase.