Unity Certified Associate Exam

Explain the function of a NavMesh

A NavMesh is a map of the traversable surfaces in the scene. Objects with NavMesh Agents use the NavMesh to determine where they can move. Obstacle avoidance and navigation would not be possible without a NavMesh. The NavMesh is found in Window -> AI -> Navigation, and can be edited from there.

Define a Prefab

A Prefab is a GameObject that has been taken into the scene and has been adjusted to exactly how you want it to show up in game. A Prefab could be a box with a Move script component on it and the textures and materials it needs when it spawns in the game. Anything that spawns into a game while it's running will need to be a prefab.

Define Culling Mask*

A culling mask identifies which objects will be lit by a certain light and which objects will not be. For example, a matte object will not be hit by light, while a shiny metal bowl will be. The culling mask settings are inside the Light component, and give a dropdown menu with different layers. If you select a layer, the light will be able to hit objects assigned to this layer.

Explain the concept of "unifying color"*

A unifying color in the environment makes that scene and objects within it feel like they belong. Unifying color can also give scenes a certain mood, such as how a navy unifying color makes a scene feel scarier or like night time.

Identify an empty Prefab*

An empty prefab is a prefab made from an empty GameObject that has nothing on it. Empty prefabs show up in the Project window as the default blue box image.

Differentiate animation states

Animation states include Move, Idle, and Death. An additional state is the "Any State", which means that any state can transition to the following state. One of these states will be the default state.

Describe various Audio Effects*

Audio Mixers can apply effects to audio clips. These effects include chorus, lowpass, highpass, echo, duck volume, and more. Duck volume is used when you want to lower the volume of another audio source while one audio source plays.

Explain audio options*

Audio clip properties can be changed in the Audio Source and in the Audio Mixer. In the Audio Source, properties include volume, pitch, and whether the audio clip is 2D or 3D (distance effect, Doppler effect) sound. You can also change whether the clip is muted, looping, bypasses effects, bypasses reverb zones, and the priority of the clip in the scene. Background music will have higher priority and will be 2D, while SFX will have lower priority and will be 3D.

Transform Colliders

Collider shapes can be modified by changing their center coordinates and size in the collider component, or they can be modifies by using the Edit Collider button. This allows the user to move the collider within the scene and position it that way.

Utilize Colliders

Colliders are used on environment objects that you want the player to interact with or not move through. If you want an object to act as a trigger, you would use colliders to enable this as well.

Identify Colliders by their appearance

Colliders can be 2D or 3D. 3D colliders include capsules, spheres, boxes, meshes, and terrains. Capsules are pill-shapes, spheres are spheres, boxes are boxes. Meshes are colliders based nearly exactly on the object's model or geometry, and as such are VERY computationally heavy. Terrain colliders are used for floors and walls.

Differentiate properties

Colliders have size properties that allow the user to place the collider around the object. Colliders also have an "Is Trigger" function, which allows the object to be used as a trigger for some event or method.

Explain the purpose of concept art*

Concept art defines the main, unifying idea of the game and how the art style will support that idea. Concept art can also provide a draft of how the environment and characters will look and give a good starting point for designers and modelling artists to create assets for the game.

Differentiate console hardware by feature

Consoles can be home consoles or handheld consoles. Home consoles are connected to a TV and include the Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo switch, and Wii. Handheld consoles are portable and include the Nintendo 3DS, Nintendo switch, Game Boy, and PlayStation Vita.

Create a new animation state

Create a new state by right clicking inside the animator controller window and selecting Create State -> Empty State

Create transitions

Create a transition by right clicking on the first state, selecting Make Transition, and clicking on the second state.

Define "critique" in the context of video game development*

Critique is given by collaborators, coworkers, or clients on what you have created for the game. Critique can be constructive or destructive, and it generally guides the continuing development of the game. Critique is important so developers can set their scale effectively and provide what their clients or target audience really want.

Identify video game controls

Game controls depend on the platform the player is using. PCs or Macs use keyboard input and mouse movement to control the game, while consoles like Xbox and PlayStation use specialized controllers to control the game. Mobile devices use touchscreen input like swiping the screen and tapping as game controls.

Differentiate video game genres

Game genres include first-person shooter (FPS), realtime strategy (RTS), puzzle, role-playing games (RPGs), platformers, simulations, sports, and adventure. The genre of game determines what audience the game is marketed toward.

Identify video game mechanics*

Game mechanics include moving players, turns, shooting or attacking, selecting weapons, inventories, UI elements like menus, scores, and health bars, and leveling. Game mechanics combine to give an overall gameplay experience, and are usually chosen to support the game's genre and story.

Identify GameObjects within a scene

GameObjects are physical models inside the scene. They highlight orange and have a move arrow on them when selected. Lights, cameras, UI, and particle system effects are also GameObjects.

Differentiate GameObjects by their appearance

GameObjects can be 3D or 2D. 3D objects include cubes, spheres, capsules, planes, and cylinders. 2D objects include sprites and tilemaps.

Explain Generate Lightmap UV settings*

Generate Lightmap UV is a setting that takes baked lightmaps and maps the 2D coordinates to the 3D models inside the scene. This uses the UV maps of static objects in the scene to break up the baked lightmaps and light the scene correctly.

Modify Gizmos*

Gizmos can be changed in the top toolbar of the Scene window. Click the dropdown arrow to see all possible gizmos in the scene and enable or disable them. The most used gizmos are the 3D icons and the scene grid.

Explain lighting settings*

Global Illumination (GI) is how light bounces off the environment and illuminates surroundings, and especially how indirect light affects the scene. Light baking is generated and adjusted through the Lighting Settings window, which includes the scene lighting, realtime lightmaps, and baked lightmaps. In the Scene tab, the user can change how much GI impacts the scene and can set the skybox and sun source.

Apply an Animator Controller to a GameObject

Have the object open in Inspector. Drag the animator controller from the Project window to an empty space in the Inspector. Double click on the controller in the Project window to open it.

Infer lighting settings by visual indicators*

If the scene is very bright, the light intensity is likely higher. If the scene is colored, the light likely has a color assigned to it. If the objects in the scene have shadows, the lights have shadows enabled. If the light is shaped in a way that's not normal, it likely has a cookie on it.

Differentiate Image Effects by their result*

Image Effects are components added to the camera to make the scene look a certain way, such as blurry, pixelated, grayscale, motion blur, or with a different depth of field.

Predict particle option results*

Image effects with larger particles (such as pixelated particles) will have more abstraction than image effects with smaller particles (such as blur)?

List compression formats*

Images can be compressed either losslessy or lossy. When you import an image asset, it shows import setting in the inspector. You can change the compression to none, low quality, normal quality, or high quality. You can also lower the import size of the image. Lossless formats are BMP, TGA, PNG, and TIFF. Lossly formats are JPEG.

Finalize specific lines of code*

In C#, all lines must end with a semicolon and all methods should use open and closes parentheses.

Differentiate video game participants*

In a single-player game, the person playing the game controls the main character. Any other characters, including enemies and allies, are non-player characters (NPCs). In a multiplayer game, other people playing control other player characters, and all of the player characters can interact with each other. Players can be casual players or more hardcore gamers.

Create empty GameObjects

In the Hierarchy window, go to Create -> Create Empty. This makes an empty GameObject that has no representation in the Game window but is seen as a gizmo in the Scene window. The empty object is created with only a Transform component.

Create an Animator Controller

In the Project folder you store your controllers in, right click and select Create -> Animations -> Animator Controller. Once open, you can create states, assign animations to them, make parameters, and make transitions.

Explain the concept of "intellectual property" (IP)

Intellectual property states that whatever you create is your property and you alone have the rights to copy, sell, and distribute it. If you take on client work, intellectual property rights for that project are usually transferred upon payment. IP rights protect creators and distributors from theft.

Explain Light Baking

Light baking is precalculating lighting in a scene so the light doesn't have to calculate in real time. This makes the game run faster and makes scenes less computationally heavy. Light baking is only useful if the objects and lights baked in are still throughout the game. Objects must be marked as static in order to be baked into a lightmap.

Explain Light Intensity

Light intensity is how bright a specific light shines. This can be changed in the Light component on the light object.

Explain Lightmaps

Lightmaps are the visual representations of light baking, and they tell the game where lights hit and shadows form. Lightmaps have a .exr file extension.

Differentiate light types by feature*

Lights include area lights, point lights, spotlights, and directional lights. Area lights are rectangles that emit light from one side--these only show up in baked lightmaps. Point lights are spheres that emit light equally in all directions. Spotlights are cones of light. Directional lights are represented by a sun icon and do not come from a specific point, making them good for simulating sunlight.

Adding audio sources to the Audio Mixer

Make an object an Audio Source by adding the Audio Source component and assigning it an audio clip. Send it to a mixer by setting the output of the source.

Assess Rendering Modes*

Materials can have the rendering mode set to opaque, cutout, fade, or transparent. Opaque rendering shows the model as completely opaque and solid. Cutout rendering makes part of the model completely opaque and part of the model completely transparent. Fade allows the model to fade completely in and out--not just become transparent. Transparent rending makes the model transparent like glass would be, but still allows for highlights and reflections.

Explain the function of Max Slope

Max Slope is defined in the scene's NavMesh and tells the maximum slope that any object can climb. If a surface is below the max slope value, it is considered a floor. If a surface is above the max slope value, it is considered a wall and is not traversable.

Explain the purpose of methods

Methods are sections of code that can be reused within a whole project. Some methods may change a variable, while some may move an object. There are some basic methods that Unity already has available, but if you need to do something more specific you can make your own method.

Describe methods to optimize model assets*

Model assets can be optimized by creating prefabs for enemies or other NPCs in the game. This allows a type of enemy to use the same assets as the other instances of that enemy, which cuts down computation needed in generating these enemies.

Differentiate import file formats*

Models can be imported as native 3DS Max or Maya files. They are usually imported as .fbx files if the model is fully rigged, mapped, and animated. You can also import .obj files for static meshes.

Orbit the Camera

Move the camera with the arrow keys or with the Move gizmo on the top left of the Scene window. When moving the scene, the cursor icon turns to a hand. Orbit the camera by holding Alt and clicking and dragging around the scene. When the camera is orbiting, the cursor icon turns to an eye.

Explain the purpose of the Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA)*

NDAs state that those working on a project cannot discuss or disclose information or parts of the project without approval. NDAs allow companies and clients to agree about what can or cannot be shared with the public about a project. If the NDA is violated, the project can be discontinued and the employee who violated it will likely be fired.

Create a Prefab

Once you've added everything you want to the object, you drag the object from the Hierarchy window into the Prefabs folder in the Project window. This saves the object as a prefab. To edit the object, add anything you need to the prefab and click "Apply" at the bottom in the Inspector.

Define parameter types*

Parameters can be booleans, integers, floats, or triggers. Booleans are true/false, integers are whole number variables, floats are decimal number variables, and triggers are used when an event controls animation transitions.

Parent objects

Parent objects by selecting the to-be child object in the Project window and dragging it on to the parent object.

Differentiate particle options by their result*

Particle systems change visually based on how the user changes the modules used and particle system's settings. Particle systems can also emit along a line or trail, which can differentiate them from particle systems emitting in a 3D shape.

Explain particle system settings*

Particle systems include many modules and ways to modify the system. Without adding any modules, the particle system settings include the duration of emission, speed, lifetime, color, looping, size, rotation, gravity modifier, max particles, shape of particles, and shape of emitter. The particle system can also include changes in velocity, color, size, and rotation over the particles' lifetimes.

Utilize the Hierarchy Window

Prefabs can be made by dragging objects from the Hierarchy window into the Project window. Objects can be added to the scene by dragging them from the Project window into the Hierarchy window--this generates the object at the coordinates it was exported with (usually the origin). Objects can be parented under other objects by dragging the child object onto the parent object. Objects can be created using the Create button in the top left of the window.

Match production phases by criteria

Production consists of pre-production, production, and post-production. In pre-production, the development team makes a game design document (GDD) and a technical design document (TDD) to plan out the game. The concept artist will sketch out game art. In production, the team is working on each aspect to complete it, and critique from the team or the client drives revisions in the project. In post-production, the game is finalized, packaged, and marketed to the target audience. The studio now manages customer service for the game, including fixing bugs, releasing patches, and possibly releasing new levels or content.

Describe the function of raycasts*

Raycasts are rays sent out from a light souce that determines if there are objects in the light's path. If there is, the raycast method returns true and allows shadows to form.

Assess the impact of forces on Rigidbodies*

Rigidbodies allow objects to be controlled by physics, so objects with rigidbodies are impacted by gravity, drag, and angular drag forces.

Explain Rigidbodies*

Rigidbodies are components on objects that gives them physics, such as colliding with colliders, having mass, using gravity, and having drag/angular drag (friction) when moving.

Locate Rigidbodies

Rigidbody is a component under the Physics category. Rigidbodies are generally put on moving objects and characters. Also, only rigidbodies will fall if there's no ground.

Differentiate Rigidbody properties

Rigidbody properties include colliding with colliders, having mass, using gravity, and having drag/angular drag when moving.

Identify script types*

Scripts can be made in MonoDevelop or Visual Studio and imported into Unity. They can also be created inside Unity and then edited in one of the previous softwares. Usually, Unity uses C# scripts, but Unity can also use UnityScript (JavaScript). Scripts can create components for certain GameObjects, can go over a whole scene to change how it works, or can hold important public variables. When you make a method in a script, that method can be public or private.

Assess Shadow types

Shadows can be hard shadows or soft shadows. Hard shadows don't blend as fully into the environment, but are less computationally heavy. Soft shadows look more realistic but take longer to render. You enable certain shadows in the Inspector for that light.

Assess raycast trajectories*

Showing raycast trajectories can where light hits and where light can't hit in the scene.

Differentiating methods by their result*

Some of the more commonly used methods include Awake, Start, Reset, Update, and FixedUpdate. These methods generally do not return a value, but some methods can return a variable or value. Some methods also need variables passed into them as parameters.

Match Standard Shader properties by their description*

Standard shaders allow the user to set main maps and secondary maps to that object. The user can add albedo maps (color(s) of the object without any lighting), specular maps (shininess of the object), normal maps (bump/texture of the object), occlusion maps (which parts of the object receive more indirect light), and emissions (how the object emits light). Standard shaders also hold the material's rendering mode.

Explain NavMesh baking

Stationary objects can be baked into the NavMesh, which makes realtime navigation less computationally heavy. If an object does not move during gameplay, it can be baked into the NavMesh and be a permanent traversable or non-traversable surface. Objects must be set as static to be baked into the NavMesh

Implement the Any State

The Any State shows that any state can transition to the linked state. Automatically already in the Animator Controller.

Differentiate audio properties*

The Audio Reverb Zone is used when the audio source is in a space were audio would reverb or echo, such as in a cave. This is added as a component onto an object and has a min distance, a max distance, and different reverb presets and effects.

Recognize methods by their desired result*

The Awake method is called before the script even runs, which allows you to enable or disable other scripts.

Differentiating the Awake method by its result*

The Awake method is called when the game begins. This is the very first method to be called in the game.

Differentiate the Console Window

The Console window shows all errors found in the scene and assets and is where scripts print to. This information is not seen by the player when they play the game. If there are errors in the game, the Console window points to where in the script errors are.

Explain the Doppler effect

The Doppler effect is a real-life effect where the pitch of an audio source changes as it moves closer and further away from the listener. This can be implemented in Unity by setting an Audio Source as 3D audio with the Spatial Blend slider. The Doppler level of the source can also be adjusted.

Evaluate the effectiveness of specific methods

The FixedUpdate method is used similarly to the update method, in that it continuously loops through its code, but it is different in that it waits a certain amount of time after each loop. This is used when you want continuous updates but it would be too much to update every frame.

Differentiate the Hierarchy Window

The Hierarchy window shows a list of the objects in the scene. If objects have child objects under them, this window shows the parent object with a dropdown button that can be opened to show the child objects as well. This window also has a Create button in the top left to create new objects.

Explain the purpose of the Hierarchy Window

The Hierarchy window shows all the objects in the currently open scene and shows which objects are parented under other objects.

Explain the functionality of the Inspector Window

The Inspector window shows any components and properties of whatever object is selected in the Hierarchy or Project windows. You can add components to objects in this window.

Identify UI functionality in the Project View Window*

The Project View window allows users to search for assets easily via the tag system. Assets can be tagged as specific labels (Character, Effect, Architecture, Prop, etc.) or as types (AudioClip, Sprite, Script, etc.). You can also save folders, assets, or searches as favorites to find them easily in the window.

Explain the functionality of the Project View Window

The Project View window shows all the assets in the entire project and the organization of these assets. It looks and functions like a file explorer. You can import assets into a specific folder by right clicking inside that folder, selecting Import New Asset, and finding that asset in your computer. You can also create objects here and import asset packages.

Differentiate the Project View Window

The Project View window shows up as with the file organization of the project on the left side and the current open folder on the right side. You navigate through this window by selecting different folders on the left side and you generate objects in the scene by dragging in prefabs from the right side. The left side organization also holds your saved favorites.

Recognize the purpose of existing code*

The ScreenPointToRay script is attached to a camera and is used to measure where the camera is in space. It draws a ray from the camera to a point on the 2D space on the screen. It calls GetComponent to do this.

Explain the benefits of the Asset Store

The Unity Asset Store includes assets made by Unity and community members. You can buy and download these assets to use in your game. The Asset Store is linked to the Unity software and you can open it by going to Window -> Asset Store.

Define the Albedo of a material

The albedo map shows all the colors and visual details of the object without any lighting. It does not represent the shininess, texture, or emission of the object.

Examine the Animator Controller

The animator controller creates states that the GameObject can be in and assigns animations to these states. It also defines transitions for each of these states.

Differentiate Unity Editors*

The free version of Unity only includes light mode, while the paid version includes light mode and dark mode. The paid versions also include additional tech support, additional Unity services, and training via Unity Learn Premium.

Differentiate production talent roles and responsibilities*

The game industry includes roles such as producer, concept artist, art director, programmer/game designer, audio engineer, level designer (includes environments and lighting), materials/modeling artist, and technical artist.

Summarize how art choices affect mood*

The mood of a game must be supported by the art for that game. Darker games such as thriller and horror games will have darker and grungier art. Lighter games such as puzzle games will have brighter and higher-contrast art. Warm colors make games feel more vibrant and lively, while cool colors make games feel calmer and slower.

Explain raycast parameters*

The raycast method (?) must be passed the origin coordinates of the ray, the direction of the ray, the maxDistance the ray will be sent out, the LayerMask that can be used to ignore certain colliders, and the queryTriggerInteraction which tells whether the light is allowed to hit trigger colliders or not.

Use the Zoom Tool

The zoom tool can be used by scrolling on a mouse or by pinching in or out on a touchpad.

Focus the Scene View Camera

To focus the scene view on a specific object, select that object in the Scene window and press F. While this will not pay respects, it will zoom the view in or out as needed and center to the object.

Load a Scene

To load a scene, go to where the scene is saved in the Project folder and double click on it. This loads the scene in the Scene and Game windows and loads all the GameObjects in the scene into the Hierarchy window. To make a scene, go to File -> New Scene.

Modify Sprites*

To open the Sprite Editor, go to Windows -> Sprite Editor. Select the sprite sheet you want to edit in the project window and double click on it to open it in the Sprite Editor. Now you can cut out sprites from the sheet (Slice tool) and save individual sprites as children of the sprite sheet in the Project window (Apply button). The image needs to be marked as a Sprite (2D and UI) in order to show up in the Editor, and the sprite mode needs to be changed to Multiple for the Editor to cut individual sprites out of a sheet. You can also get to the Editor by clicking the Sprite Editor button in that sprite sheet's Inspector.

Reset components

To reset a component on a GameObject, go to the top right of the component and click on the gear icon. This opens a dropdown menu, on which the "Reset" option is available. Resetting a component reverts it to the state it was when it was first added to the object. Resetting a transform component moves the object back to the origin and sets all scaling to 1.

Explain transition conditions*

Transition conditions are parameters that state that a variable must be a certain amount before the transition can take place. To implement a transition condition, deselect "Has Exit Time" on the transition, make a parameter, and attach it to the transition in the Conditions section.

Differentiate transition properties*

Transitions can move to the next state after a certain time ("Has Exit Time") or move only when a parameter is true. Transition properties only exist on transitions linking states that have animations already on them.

Differentiate video game types*

Video games can be online browser games, social network games, casual games, AAA games, and indie games. Game types are broader than game genres, although there is some overlap.

Explain obstacle avoidance using NavMesh agents

When an object has a NavMesh Agent component on it, it can use the NavMesh to determine where it can or cannot travel. The object then calculates the best path to its target and follows that path. The Agent component also controls the object's speed, acceleration, and gives a rough estimate of the collider around the object to allow it to understand where it can and cannot fit.

Locate Audio clips

When assigning a clip to an Audio Source, go to the AudioClip slot in the Audio Source component and select the browse button. All available clips show up in the browsing window. Select the clip you want, and it is assigned to that Audio Source.

Save a Scene

With the scene open, go to File -> Save As -> save the scene as the name you want in the Project folder you want.

Modify the volume of an audio source

You can change the volume of an audio source by moving the Volume slider in the Audio Source component. You can also change the volume of one source or a group of sources by adjusting the volume level of the Mixer it outputs to.

Customize the Unity interface

You can customize the interface and the windows open by moving the windows and adding new windows. Move the windows by dragging on the top bar of the window to undock it and hover the window over a space in the interface to redock it. Add new windows by going to the Window tab, selecting the window you want, and docking it in the interface. You can save your preferred interface by going to the top right dropdown menu of the interface, selecting Save Layout, and renaming it.

Activate audio source looping

You can loop an audio source by enabling the "Loop" button in the Audio Source component.