Unity 2017.1 engine launches today

The newest engine from Unity Technologies, Unity 2017, is now available.

The engine follows on from highly successful Unity 5 engine which, according to Unity makes up for nearly 50 per cent of all new mobile games.

The new engine will include the release of the Timeline feature and Cinemachine feature that allow developers to plan out scenes with camera angles like a storyboard without coding requirements, along with new analytics tools to give more information on game users habits and the ability to implement real time change.

Unity 2017.1 will be the first Unity product to work as a subscription service, which will allow for users to gain full benefits of the engine and platform for a lower cost. The engine is free for personal use, $35 a month for the Plus service which will allow for development on all platforms, including VR, and $135 a month that will include a full analytics package, performance reporting and the Unity Ads monetisation platform.

"Unity 2017.1 is a one-stop creation powerhouse that will allow teams of artists and designers to unlock their full creativity. With incredibly open choreography tools like Timeline, smart procedural cameras in Cinemachine which follow your direction, and a built-in world-class colour grading suite plus the ability to edit and output all from within, we’re unleashing a content creation game changer that will improve collaboration across the board,” said Unity head of cinematics, Adam Myhill. “Working in an environment with so much power and flexibility doesn’t
 just save a huge amount of time, it allows you to experiment, iterate and collaborate in ways which are the key ingredients of so many great things."