Features
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Full Inspector integration
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No need to hit Play to see the results
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What you see in the Scene view is what you get in the Game view (fully
WYSIWYG)
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Component-based, modular nature: attach the behaviours you want to make your
widgets do what you want without having to code.
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Full support for iOS/Android, Blackberry, Win8, WP8, Flash
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Flexible event
system
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Make complex UIs that take only
1 draw call
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Create your atlases right
in the editor, update/modify them at will, or import an atlas from the
Texture Packer.
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Support for lighting,
normal mapping, refraction, and more — unleash your creativity!
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Support for clipped
panels with hard or soft
edges.
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Support for a flexible size table, letting your widgets automatically push
others out of the way.
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Support for eastern languages with IME
input
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Built-in Localization
system
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Built-in keyboard and controller support
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An assortment of useful
scripts to help you — from
changing a button color to dragging an object
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Simple built-in tweening system.
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Clean, short, simple and extensively optimized C# code
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No DLLs or external resources
Workflow
Working with NGUI is just like working with Unity. Drag & drop ready-made
controls such as button, checkbox, scroll bar and many others right into the
Scene View or make your own using a Lego-like approach — want the button to
scale as you hover over it? Attach the UIButtonScale component. Attach the
scripts you need and nothing else. Save controls as prefabs and re-use them
anywhere. It’s the Unity-like approach to UI creation.
Video Tutorials
Free Version
NGUI 2.7.0, the last of NGUI 2 cycle is now free and can be downloaded here.
It’s dated September 2013, and comes in full source code form and without any
kind of DRM. It’s feature-limited and not nearly as streamlined as the current
NGUI 3-based releases, and doesn’t come with support — but if you can’t afford
NGUI 3 or just want to try it, you’re welcome to grab it.
Just note that in order to use it for professional purposes you must fall under
the same conditions as Unity
Free: “free
version may not be licensed by a commercial entity with annual gross revenues
(based on fiscal year) in excess of US$100,000, or by an educational, non-profit
or government entity with an annual budget of over US$100,000.”
As a footnote, when publishing NGUI extensions on the Asset Store, it’s best to
not include the NGUI code at all. Asset Store overlords are quite used to the
“requires NGUI to run” condition. :)
Licenses
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NGUI Standard single-seat
license can be picked up for $95 through
the Asset
Store, as well as directly via PayPal.
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Comes with all tutorials and examples.
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You can rationalize the purchase like this: will NGUI save you or your
developers at least 2 hours of work? If yes, then you have nothing to
lose by grabbing a copy.
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NGUI Professional single-seat license can be obtained for $200 that
comes with a personal access to NGUI’s GIT repository which grants you
access to all the latest features and updates weeks before everyone else, in
addition to revision history dating back to version 1.0.
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Comes with all tutorials and examples.
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Gives access to the latest beta releases.
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Gives access to all revision history, changesets, and releases dating
all the way back to 1.0.
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Gives an easy way of merging in your own custom changes and
modifications.
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Gives you the ability to submit your own changes.
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It’s generally recommended to have one Professional license for your
lead developer, and the rest being Standard licenses.
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If your company requires an explicit invoice, you will need a
Professional license.
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NGUI Site License is
a license covering unlimited developers in a single studio. It comes with
Professional level access and is priced at $2000 —
or the equivalent of 1 Professional + 19 Standard licenses.
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Comes with all tutorials and examples.
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Gives all benefits of the Standard + Professional licenses.
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Covers unlimited developers from a single studio.
Additional Details
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You can upgrade your Standard to Professional level at any time by paying
the difference between the license fees.
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If your company requires an explicit invoice,
you will need the Professional license.
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If your company needs to put a wall of lawyers at ease before you can use a
third-party tool for your development, please get in touch via the contact
form.
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If choosing PayPal, the automated system will immediately create your
account and send the download instructions to your email address.
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Once you download NGUI, you are no
longer eligible for any kind of refunds, as it comes in full source
code form. Software delivered in source code form cannot be simply “taken
back”. It’s not like returning a shower curtain back to WalMart. Please
think before you license NGUI, as there is no going back.