Will Unity-free ever support native plug-ins?

For the last three years I've been using Unity-free to develop experimental software for training musical skills.

I've been using OnAudioFilterRead to load custom waveforms onto the audio output stream in real time.

Consequently it is battering my CPU.

The right way to do this would be to write an OSX native plug-in that does the work at a low Core-Audio level.

But you need Unity Pro for native plug-ins, and I don't have that kind of money.

This situation is killing me. I've put so much time into figuring out the way Unity works, the last thing I want to do is pick up another technology.

Is there any glimmer on the horizon that Unity will one day allow native plug-ins?

 

Native plugins are part of Unity on Android and iOS. I would be very surprised if they became part of non-Pro on PC/Mac/Linux. Unity has to make money somehow, right?

Have you looked into a low level plug in like G Audio?

 

I am not a professional Unity user; I have yet to generate a penny from my Unity work.

I am pursuing an academic enquiry into musicality; whenever I run out of money I have to take a break and teach maths.

I've been using Unity sporadically for about three years so far.

That's a lot of $75 installments.

Also I often put everything down for several months while I work on something else, and then come back to it.

So it really is impractical for me to go for the $75 / month option.

I understand fully if this situation elicits little sympathy from professionals who generate $500 a day.

My situation is atypical, and it is a consequence of straying off the beaten track that I have to make my own path. I'm a treasure hunter, and I accept a rocky journey.

However, I am curious in the discussion: whether it could some day make logical sense for Unity to allow native plug-ins.

There was a time when mobile plug-ins were not free, and people asked the same question, and people said "But they have to make their money somehow", and now they are free!

So maybe it is conceivable that they will go the next step.

And if not, it would be nice to put the last nail in the coffin and bury the issue once and for all.

 

Dumb question. Do you have any idea how much money a package like Unity costs to build, yet you want them to give away one of the key items which encourages people to move beyond the free version? Would you like their salaries and an open invitation to their houses too? If you want access to the pro features, why don't you do what the rest of us who want those features do and actually stump up the cash to buy (or lease) the pro version?

This kind of mentality is what has forced developers into giving away their games free on iOS and Android. People wanting something for nothing.

It would NOT make 'logical' sense for Unity to allow plugins on the free version, it would be a dumb thing to do from a business perspective as well as pissing off all the people (like me) who want to support them by actually paying the money that they're due.

Get a grip.

 

@S7ARBVCK, steady on, you sound like you've got your knickers in a twist.

For the record, I have finally moved across to Juce, which is the right technology for my purpose; it is a multiplatform C++ framework specially geared towards real-time audio -- perfect for my needs!

So I am no longer trying to bash a square peg into a round hole.