The Unity 2021.1 beta kicks off this year’s Tech Stream with a continued focus on quality and productivity, plus integrated visual scripting. Read on to learn what’s available for you to try out today.

Unity 2020.1 and 2020.2 included many improvements to existing functionality that make Unity workflows even more intuitive to boost your productivity. With the 2021.1 beta, we’re building on this foundation while also introducing the first iteration of the new key features announced in our 2020 roadmap blog post.

Some of highlights in 2021.1 are ready to be tested – and we’d love to hear your feedback:

Visual scripting: Create scripting logic without coding
Graphics: Point Light Shadows on for the Universal Render Pipeline (URP) and static shadow casters for the High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP)
Editor: Performance improvements, including quick search and global variables for localization
Scripting: Faster IL2CPP, incremental C# script compilation, precision time API, and Code Coverage features
Profiler: Can now profile multiple players and servers from one machine, plus improvements to Memory Profiler 
Artist tools: ProBuilder’s point-to-point cut, Cinemachine support for physical cameras, and Timeline improvements, plus greater stability in cinematic tools and Python for Unity
2D tools: Tilemap UX features, Sprite Swap workflow
Platforms: General improvements
Package lifecycle: Changes to how we roll out and classify new features and packages

You can get the latest beta from the Unity Hub or on our download page. As of today, it includes  over 1700 fixes and more than 240 features and changes. Remember, the beta is not intended for use in production-stage projects, and you should also make sure to back up your existing projects if you plan to use them with the beta, as always. That said, we would love to know how Unity 2021.1 works for you – submit a bug report to qualify for your chance to win one of four ultrawide IPS 34” 144 Hz monitors. Also, don’t hesitate to visit and post in the beta forum, where Unity staff across teams are monitoring and considering your valuable feedback.

Finally, make sure to sign up for the webinar on February 25, where the Creator Advocacy team will demo many of the new features in Unity 2021.1 beta. You can learn more about the webinar and sweepstakes below.

Join the hands-on 2021.1 webinar

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