External modellers

Given that 3D design is an intensive discipline in itself, I recommend that you invest in a similar tutorial guide for your application of choice. If you're new to 3D modelling, then here is a list of 3D modelling packages currently supported by Unity:

These are the eight most suited modelling applications as recommended by Unity Technologies. The main reason for this is that they export models in a format that can be automatically read and imported by Unity, once saved into your project's Assets folder. These eight application formats will carry their meshes, textures, animations, and bones (a form of skeletal rigging for characters) across to Unity, whereas some smaller packages may not support animation using bones upon import to Unity. For a full view of the latest compatibility chart, visit: http://unity3d.com/unity/features/asset-importing.

Resources

Models in this book will be provided online in a .fbx format (a native format for Unity use, which is common to most 3D modelling applications).

When downloading content to use as part of the exercises in this book, you'll need to utilize Unity's package system. Accessible from the Assets top menu, importing and exporting Unity packages gives you the ability to transfer assets between projects while including dependencies. A dependency is simply another asset related to the one you are importing/exporting. For example, when exporting a 3D model as part of a Unity package—when transferring to a collaborator, or simply between your own Unity projects—you would need to transfer the relevant materials and textures associated with the models, and these associated assets would be referred to as the model's dependencies.

When prompted throughout the book, you'll download the assets provided in the Unity package format and add them to your assets by using Assets | Import Package.