Unity vs. Unreal Engine for XR Development: Which One Is Better?

Today there is a plethora of game engines available in the market for the development of XR like Sumerian, Cry Engine, and Open Source but the choice of most developers or creators is either Unreal Engine 4 or Unity 3D. Unity 3D and Unreal Engine require no prior VR development expertise and anybody can use them for as long as desired. The best part of these two engines is their free usage but before comparing their utilities, it is better to have an overview of each of them first.

Unity 3D:

The advent of Unity 3D happened back in 2005 and is quite popular amongst mobile game developers since then. Right now it’s one of the most popular 3D and 2D development platforms in the world. The popularity of Unity is so intense in the mobile gaming world that about 50% of the entire mobile games are made with Unity 3D. Unity enjoys popularity over 195 countries and not only gaming platforms in the developed countries but also in developing countries like India, it is quite popular and that’s the reason Game Development Companies in India too are dependent on Unity. Unity supports over 28 platforms and integrates with 60% of the entire AR and VR content and also creates tools for AR and VR creators. Due to the massive popularity in mobile-oriented projects, there is a prevailing myth that Unity is good for only mobile VR/AR but in fact, Unity engine has a multifaceted development platform that is capable to handle any type of complex XR solution as well, for example, Audi logistics and configurator training are created with Unity3D platform. The several specifications of Unity like reflection, parallax, bump mapping and supporting several file formats make it the first choice for Unity 3D game development Company.

Let’s have a quick look at the features of Unity 3D:

• Multiple platforms including web and mobile platforms get supported by Unity.
• IDE works as the single integrated system for all platforms.
• The process for documentation is very swift and accurate.
• Memory leaks are usually restricted by Unity.
• The integrated assets of Unity are easily downloadable.
• The code used by Unity consists of more stability and less error.
• The low cost of Unity makes it quite budget-friendly.

Unreal Engine 4:

Unreal Engine is quite old if compared to Unity. The license of Unreal remained confined to AAA studios initially until 2015 when the fourth version of it became accessible to the public. With the announcement of Unreal Engine 5, there are some additional stunning features included in the previous structure. Film and animation production is very much dependent on Unreal Engine. For example in The Mandalorian, Unreal was used to build the entire 3D environment on set. Today Unreal is being used by both big studios as well as indie developers for multiple projects of gaming, education system as well as in business sectors. It is no longer true that Unreal can only be used in multi-million dollar projects alone; Unreal can be used for VR/AR development as well as 2D and 3D games and mobile game development as well.

Unreal or Unity?

Certain factors like asset storage, documentation as well as a community need to be looked into when considering the apt engine for XR development.

Let’s analyze the said factors in both cases:

1)Asset storage:

Virtual objects representing the real world are necessary for any app development. Unity and Unreal offer asset markets which include pre-developed 3D models, objects as well as environments. For example, Unreal Engine marketplace owns 10k assets whereas Unity owns assets of over 30k including 3D effects. The choice of the engine in this case depends on the aimed project. Game production units looking for finished results with higher visual quality or any game with a sci-fi or fantasy setting can look for Unreal. But for developing VR applications for business, graphics do hold not much importance. In that case, Unity has a lot to offer because it is easier and quicker to choose from Unity 3D store without having to hire 3D modelers.

2)Training and Documentation:

Documentation is very much required to develop XR accurately and both Unity and Unreal have extensive documentation available. There are training courses available to build XR applications but the number of courses stands higher with Unity. Unity is mostly favored by new developers because of its developed infrastructure and lower entry point.

3)Developer’s Community:

Game engines update themselves constantly to meet developers’ expectations and the same with the case with Unity and Unreal as well. The community created around the engine is equally important when sudden cases rise due to bugs, glitches, or other mysterious problems. The role of community becomes paramount in the growing XR industry as well. Unity has for example a bigger community of indie developers compared to Unreal. At present Unreal has over 12k topics trending about C++ programming and like 4.5 k threads related to VR and AR development. Now talking about Unity, this number rises to 6.5 k in terms of VR development and over 128,000 threads on scripting. Better the number; better the chances of finding any solution to a problem. The community of Unreal is divided into two- non-programmers and developers knowing to use C++. The number of non-programmers is larger in Unreal because of which the experts knowing C++ often can’t help the non-programmers because their communications are different. In the case of Unity, there is no such gap because the developer here knows the primary development language C# and beginners can easily seek help from the experts in that regard.

4)C# or C++:

Both languages are suitable in the case of XR development. The choice depends on the comfort level of the developer; Beginners tend to choose C# for its simplicity. C# is also the choice of most development companies into AR/VR development because it translates to a largely documented code base and a larger amount of tested solutions.

5)Graphics:

Unreal Engine is said to have some advantages in the graphic section but Unity too is performing well with its 3D assets. Advanced lightings, shaders, and PBR materials work wonder for Unreal but with blueprints usage, the complex nodes can cause performance issues.

It is difficult to choose any one engine without doing self-research. If one is having prior experience with C++, then Unreal is the best answer but for a beginner, it will always be Unity. A game developer highly focused on graphics, Unreal engine is the solution. But a complex business solution requiring lots of prototyping, optimization will have to go for Unity 3D. After all these, if you feel the need for professional help, then you can knock at Monkhub. we aim to disrupt traditional technological solutions by actively delivering emerging tech through applying Augmented, Virtual as well as Mixed Reality.