The UniStorm Editor

UniStorm's Editor is self-documented so everything is explained right from within the editor via tooltips. Tooltips can become visible by hovering over the desired setting as demonstrated below.

Note: This is why the UniStorm Wiki does not cover every individual UniStorm Editor settings. It will instead cover features that may need further clarification with tutorials.

UniStorm's Editor is categorized into 5 tabs; Player & Camera, Time, Weather, Celestial, and Settings. Each of these categories has a description to briefly explain what settings they offer. Below you will find guides that cover some of these feature more in-depth.

Adjusting Gradient Colors and Animation Curves

If you are not familiar with Animation Curves or Gradient Colors, please refer to these guides for help as UniStorm uses both of these.

Adjusting Gradient Colors

Adjusting a Curve

Camera & Player Settings Tab

The Camera & Player tab is where you can set the player and camera UniStorm will use.

Setting up a Player with UniStorm

If you haven't already done so, you can add a UniStorm system to your scene by going to Window>UniStorm and select your preferred version of UniStorm (at the top of Unity). Your default choices are Desktop, VR, and Mobile. This will add a UniStorm System prefab to your scene, which is the same system from the demo scenes. It has 25 weather types each with their own unique particle effects, sounds, and/or settings. Once this is created, you will need to add your player to the system. If needed, please refer to the video below for a tutorial on setting up your player. It only takes a few seconds to do.

Note: If you haven't already done so, it is recommended that you set your Color Space to Linear as explained here: https://github.com/Black-Horizon-Studios/UniStorm-Weather-System/wiki/The-UniStorm-Editor#proper-lighting

UniStorm Time Management Tab

UniStorm's time system tracks minutes, hours, days, and years with accurate calculations of dates and days of the week. It also has options to generate sounds and music for each time of day based on the audio clips set within the Time of Day Sound and Music lists.

Disabling the Time

If you want the time to remain static and never change, you can set the Time Flow to false.

Using Real-World Time

If you want UniStorm to use the current time, according to the computer or device, you can enable Use Real-World Time. This will also make UniStorm use the current date. Weather generation, if enabled, will be calculated as normal using the Precipitation Odds setting located within the Weather tab.

Weather Management Tab

UniStorm's Weather Management tab holds all cloud, fog, and weather related settings.

Cloud Shadows

UniStorm's cloud shadows match the current cloud cover and cloud formations for added realism and visual quality. This works with a screen space image effect that is applied automatically to your UniStorm camera. It can be enabled by setting the Cloud Shadows to Enabled. When Cloud Shadows are enabled, an additional option will open allowing you to control the resolution the cloud shadows image effect will use.

Note: Some water shaders may conflict with UniStorm cloud shadows. If you notice the water doesn't look right with UniStorm, the Cloud Shadow feature will most likely need to be disabled.

Switching Between Volumetric and 2D Clouds

UniStorm has two cloud types, volumetric and 2D. These can be changed within the UniStorm Editor under the Weather tab within the Cloud Settings. Volumetric clouds look better and more realistic, but use more performance. 2D clouds use less performance, but don't look as realistic. You can use whichever suits your project's needs.

2D Clouds

Volumetric Clouds

Celestial Settings Tab

UniStorm's Celestial Settings tab holds all settings related to the Sun, Moon, and Atmosphere.

Adjusting the Direction of Sunrises and Sunsets

To change the direction of UniStorm's sunrises and sunsets, adjust the Sun Revolution setting that is located within the Celestial tab under the Sun Settings. The value of this slider goes from -180 to 180 representing the degrees the sun will rise and set. By default, this value is set to 0. The Sun Revolution also affects the direction of moon, but in the opposite direction.

Creating Custom Moon Phases

To create custom moon phases, go to the Moon Settings tab located under the Celestial tab. Here you will find a list with the default moon phases.

All you have to do is apply a texture to each of the moon phase texture slots. If your custom moon phase has less than the default value of 8, you can press the - button to make the list smaller. If your custom moon phase has more than 8 textures, you can press the + button to make the list bigger. Each moon phase texture slot also has a Light Intensity setting that controls a modifier for UniStorm's moonlight intensity. This allows you the option to have brighter full moons and darker new moons, if desired.

Settings Tab

UniStorm's Settings tab allows you to import and export UniStorm Profile objects as well as control the Platform Type presets.

Importing or Exporting a UniStorm Profile

UniStorm Profile Management allows users to import the settings from the currently applied UniStorm Profile. This will overwrite all of your UniStorm color values as well as the Sun and Moon Intensity curves. Users can create as many UniStorm Profiles as needed. These can be useful for testing multiple kinds of lighting, colors, and settings without having to manually apply them with each UniStorm System.

Importing a UniStorm Profile

Step 1

Go to the Settings tab within the UniStorm Editor. Here, you will see a slot to apply a UniStorm Profile object. A UniStorm Profile is a scriptableobject that stores UniStorm’s color and light intensity variables. There are 3 included UniStorm Profiles with UniStorm; UniStorm Profile (Standard), UniStorm Profile (Darker Nights), and UniStorm Profile (Black Nights). Of course, custom UniStorm Profiles can be used as well. Assign the UniStorm Profile you would like to import to the UniStorm Profile slot.

Step 2

Press the “Import Profile” button to import the settings from the UniStorm Profile slot. This will import all settings from the UniStorm Profile in the UniStorm Profile slot. After the progress bar has finished, you will get a confirmation message that everything imported successfully. All the proper settings from the UniStorm Profile should now be applied to your UniStorm system. Note: This process cannot be undone so it is recommended that you have a backup UniStorm Profile of your original settings.

Exporting a UniStorm Profile

Step 1

Go to the Settings tab within the UniStorm Editor. Here, you will see a button called “Export Profile”. Press this button to export your current UniStorm settings to an asset file. This will open up a save menu for you to pick a location to save your UniStorm Profile. After pressing the “Save” button, your UniStorm settings will be saved to an asset file that UniStorm will see as a UniStorm Profile. You can use this UniStorm Profile to import settings to another UniStorm system, if desired.