Been hunting around and I can't seem to find a definitive video or article comparing the features of Unreal and Unity from the point of view of a developer that actually uses them. I've invested many hours into C# so Unity would be the logical option but after seeing the graphical and physics capabilities of Unreal and its Maya support its difficult to pass it up. Switching over and learning the Unreal C would be an annoying commitment if the end proficiency in Unreal isn't worth it. Could anyone lay it down or link me a video or article that pinpoints the advantages and disadvantages of both.
Unity Vs Unreal
I don't have an answer but just poining out that you can use Unreal without having to code (I think it's called blueprints) which is flow graphs/drag and drop. When you feel you need more control you can then use c++ - which your c# background will make a fair bit easier for you.
I have started using UE4 now.
Blueprints is a visual node based way to create games (or supplement your C++ code ).
The current version of UE4 (4.10.1) requires VS2015 for a C++ project BTW.
Bits and pieces from UE3 are not (currently) part of UE4 due to licensing conflicts (SpeedTree, FaceFX, And possibly more).
Unity apparently supports 3D mice, Wheres UE4 currently does not (One EPIC Dev is doing something in regards to that but it seams that it is not officially on the road map and higher priorities and what not).
Other then that I can't say much.
It depends on if you like their visual scripting or not. Also, if you know what kind of game you want to make, I suggest googling for tutorials and resources that you would need to make said game in either engine, and see which has the most helpful links for you.
On the bright side unreal script is no longer a thing, so the C++ you learn would be more applicable to other things. (Granted you're learning Unreal's usage of C++ but that's not really a bad thing)
Also you could get both(if data is not an issue, UE4 is ~5.5Gib download) and try to implement something in both
Both? is cross engine really a thing? Like each uses different conventions? I was thinking more about the visual compilation and look of the engines. Unity often looks jagged and artificial unless the game is 8 bit or modeled by a professional, something I haven't seen the new Unreal do. Also I'm unsure, does unity have support for that new global light mapping tech, the one that does away with lighting mattes for all the environment objects? I remember seeing it in a CryEngine demo and I'm pretty sure Unreal has it enabled.
Unity5 has some kind of global illumination library integrated if that is what you are referring to.
But as far as I know it is used to create lightmaps, But may also work dynamically to.
I hated UE4 C++ because if you have a C++ crash in your code the entire editor crashes also... In unity this happens only if you manage to write a infinite loop.
Unity5 has some kind of global illumination library integrated if that is what you are referring to.
But as far as I know it is used to create lightmaps, But may also work dynamically to.
Both Unreal and Unity have "realtime GI" systems which sort of work under an extremely specific set of conditions, but they're not really a viable solution to lighting an entire game and pretty comparable to each other in terms of quality. Both can also bake static lightmaps and are pretty comparable in this regard as well.
I was thinking more about the visual compilation and look of the engines. Unity often looks jagged and artificial unless the game is 8 bit or modeled by a professional, something I haven't seen the new Unreal do.
Visually I feel like they're actually fairly comparable. It's probably a little bit easier to make an Unreal game look pretty quickly, but you can get both to look similarly good if you're willing to do a bit of math. It's also very easy to make either engine look terrible if you don't give it anything good to draw.
I hated UE4 C++ because if you have a C++ crash in your code the entire editor crashes also... In unity this happens only if you manage to write a infinite loop.
I've had plenty of editor crashes in Unity by doing much less than that. IMHO (With respect) the unity editor crashes quite often.