New update allows iPads and iPhones to be used as game controllers
Unity 4.1, the first update for the Unity 4 engine and toolset, is now available to download, and includes support for Apple AirPlay.
There has been an overhaul of the memory profile tool to make it more powerful, so developers know exactly where a device’s memory is going when a game is running.
The update brings developers multi-screen AirPlay support. iOS device users running version 4.3 or later can use AirPlay to stream content direct to an HDTV, and use their iPad or iPhone as a game controller – running and controlling the game from their iOS handheld device whilst watching the action unfold on screen.
Unity’s animation system Mecanim has been updated to allow developers to create blend trees using fewer nodes and in a more flexible and intuitive way with 2D blend nodes. It is possible to use 2D blend nodes to blend animations based on two parameters in a single node.
There have also been some shader updates that Unity said will help save time thanks to material-specific shader keywords and a need for less code. A shader with a number of different flags can be enabled and disabled, either via the API or by using the new Custom Material Editor functionality.