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Some questions regarding UIElements replacing uGUI

Discussion in 'UI Toolkit' started by Sharlatan, May 4, 2019.

  1. Sharlatan

    Sharlatan

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    Hey there!

    I have a few questions concerning UIElements and what that means for uGUI. Hopefully, some of the devs can answer these :) Thanks in advance!

    In your Unity 2019.1 blog post (https://blogs.unity3d.com/2019/04/16/introducing-unity-2019-1/#uielements) you write that UIElements "will replace uGUI for creating runtime UI in future releases". This brings the following questions to mind:

    • Do you have a roadmap detailing when you plan to introduce UIElements as the new system for ingame UIs?
    • Will this be a hard cut? Or are you planning on supporting uGUI and UIElements in parallel for a while, before phasing uGUI out?
    • If uGUI and UIElements will exist in parallel for a while, do you have an idea as to how long you'll still plan to support both before dropping support for uGUI?
    • In the video (linked in the blog post cited above) you mention, that you're planning to add visual authoring. Are you planning on providing a system with concepts similar to the current system with things like layout groups, layout elements, canvas scalers, content size fitters, etc. or will this be a big overhaul/paradigm shift?
    • Probably depends a lot on the answer to the last question: Are there any plans to provide auto conversion tools for existing UIs or will we have to rebuild all of them by hand and from scratch?

    Thank you very much and have a nice day!
     
    Sharlatan, May 4, 2019
    #1
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  2. LVermeulen

    LVermeulen

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    Just wanted to add a question - Will UIElements work within current uGUI canvases? I am hoping I can do part of the UI with UIElements - inside a current UI canvas. Would be a great way to allow slowly changing UI to UIElements, rather than having to start from scratch
     
    LVermeulen, May 5, 2019
    #2
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  3. uDamian

    uDamian

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    We are planning to have something to show for in-game UIElements later this year. That said, it's important to note that uGUI is not going anywhere for a long time and will continue to be supported (including some new features).

    As for the transition, we have no plans to make uGUI and UIElements aware of each other in any way (in contrast to how you can currently have IMGUI within UIElements). Nothing will stop you from using UIElements and uGUI in the same game/scene/screen, but they will not affect or interact with each other.

    The same applies to visual authoring. The builder for UIElements will be optimized and catered to work best with UIElements and as such it may not have the same concepts as the uGUI authoring tools. It will be a bit of a paradigm shift.

    But once again, there will be plenty of time to transition, if you want to transition. And If it makes sense (proves practical) to provide some automatic transition tools, we will.
     
    uDamian, May 6, 2019
    #3
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  4. Lahcene

    Lahcene

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    Can't wait for that UIElements Builder, do you plan to release it as a preview any time soon?
     
    Last edited: May 7, 2019
    Lahcene, May 6, 2019
    #4

  5. uDamian

    uDamian

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    We are aiming for a UI Builder preview package released around or just before the Unity 2019.2 release, which is going to be around this July (2019).
     
    uDamian, May 6, 2019
    #5
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  6. Lahcene

    Lahcene

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    Thanks for the info, can't wait for it.
     
    Lahcene, May 7, 2019
    #6

  7. StephanieRowlinson

    StephanieRowlinson

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    Is "later this year" July like for the builder or even later? Our game's UI is still on IMGUI and we want to move to UIElements instead of uGUI as it's much more suited to our needs by the looks of it.
     
    StephanieRowlinson, May 8, 2019
    #7

  8. benoitd_unity

    benoitd_unity

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    Hi SRowlinson, we're aiming to release a Preview Package towards the end of the year, around 2019.3 time frame. Can you share why you think it is more suited? What kind of UI are you planning to build?
     
    benoitd_unity, May 9, 2019
    #8

  9. StephanieRowlinson

    StephanieRowlinson

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    Drat, that pushes our plans back a year.

    Quick background: I work for XVR Simulation and we make training software for emergency personnel at the command level. And no, it's not in VR, our name just dates back to 2000. ;)

    As an example, this is our basic UI for just placing and configuring an item. We have more complex systems that allow users to manipulate items, etc as well. From what I've seen, UIElements with it standard listview and upcoming treeview is much more suited for creating this type of UI than uGUI. On top of that the separation of concerns, especially with styling being global and separate, will make maintenance much easier for us. We have annual updates to our product and expect to make plenty of changes and additions to it once we've got the basics nailed down. Finally, we're considering interfaces similar to Shader Graph for some interactions and if I understood correctly, that interface was also built in UIElements.
    upload_2019-5-13_13-23-48.png
     
    StephanieRowlinson, May 13, 2019
    #9
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  10. benoitd_unity

    benoitd_unity

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    I agree it does seem like a perfect fit. We want UI Elements to be a great solution for both Game and Application UI.

    I know it's late for you but it might be worth it to wait a bit and invest in that technology instead. We'll post a roadmap very soon so you'll have a better idea of what we want to accomplish and in which order.
     
    benoitd_unity, May 26, 2019
    #10
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  11. StephanieRowlinson

    StephanieRowlinson

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    I've talked it over with product management and we are going to wait for this technology. Looking forward to the roadmap! Will it be posted in this forum?
     
    StephanieRowlinson, May 27, 2019
    #11
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  12. benoitd_unity

    benoitd_unity

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    Yes it will
     
    benoitd_unity, May 29, 2019
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  13. StephanieRowlinson

    StephanieRowlinson

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    @benoitd_unity we've just had a delivery and are looking at our plans for the upcoming year so I was wondering if there's any news on that roadmap. ;)
     
    StephanieRowlinson, Jun 19, 2019
    #13
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  14. jGate99

    jGate99

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    Me too, Roadmap is needed
     
    jGate99, Jun 27, 2019
    #14
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  15. DenverCoulson

    DenverCoulson

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    My company is also very interested in seeing a roadmap for UI Elements in-game. More importantly, I would simply like to know if in-game UI Elements is even being considered in the Unity 2019.x release window.

    Unity 2019.2 is out now and I do not believe there was a UI Elements Builder preview package.
    Unity 2019.3 alpha releases do not seem to have anything new that Unity 2019.2 does not provide for UI Elements.
     
    DenverCoulson, Jul 30, 2019
    #15

  16. benoitd_unity

    benoitd_unity

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    Hi everyone, we just posted our roadmap for UI.

    Cheers,
     
    benoitd_unity, Aug 27, 2019
    #16
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