Is anyone using a MacBook Air with Unity3D?

News & General Discussion
1

Hi there,

My Windows Tablet PC just gave up the ghost, so I’m planning on getting an Intel Mac now ( of course, to still spend plenty of time in Windows, but with the option of doing some OS/X dev work as well ). This will also let me try out Unity 3D finally :slight_smile:

I’m really liking the look of the Air as I move about quite a bit between working in the office and at home, and I was wondering if anyone here actually has one, and is using it to develop with Unity 3D.

While it has a lower cpu speed than the other Macbooks ( 1.6GHz ), it does have the newer Integrated Intel graphics chipset - which of course is no nVidia/ATI, but it is very popular amongst casual computer owners ( ie a cheap / default solution when buying a new computer ).

Working with the Mac Air could give advantages like being able to heavily optimise on the lowest common denominator, but I’m aware that it could also be a major pain in the ass to work with as a development machine if it is TOO slow.

So, thanks for any feedback you can give me on this!

Also, thanks to one of the Unity3D community who posted feedback on the Director Games list - I’m usually a Windows based Shockwave 3D developer. I thought I’d post here as well, as being able to run Unity3D is on the list somewhere as well.

While we’re on the subject, if you are on a Mac Air, this might be a good link to test, to let me know if it runs too slow / just about OK / smoothly on your hardware ( any non-pro MacBook users out there could also comment, as you have a similar graphics card, but a slightly faster CPU ).

( private link for now… )
http://www.armaghplanet.com/3d

Many thanks in advance for any feedback!
Mal

2

As far as I know the intel 3000 cards are not that much better than the 950, and that their drivers are broken right now causing most pixel shaders to be disabled.

Honestly I don’t see what the big deal is about thin and lightweight. I don’t mind carrying a few pounds and thinness doesn’t really make the computer smaller as far as fitting it in a bag or pack is concerned.

If I wanted a cheap portable mac for web development, I would get a macbook. If I cared about making use of high end hardware in my projects, I would get a macbook pro.

But its up to you. Just remember that the air’s performance is roughly equivalent to the macbook’s.

3

the air definitely isn’t that much more than the MacBook unless you definitely need to have the lowest possible weight.
Sure it has a multi touch touchpanel but most apps do not even use nor support it (and I don’t assume to see those things from others than apple directly in the forseable future). As well, you most likely will not feel the difference between bluetooth 2.0 and 2.1 …
the only thing you might notice is the different screen. and the fact that the air is nearly twice as expensive.

Don’t think you will actually feel the difference of 1.5 to 2.1kg in a backpack or similar.

4

My major professor just got one and she’s a bit disappointed with it, although she’s comparing it to her other MBP. She said that other than taking to meetings for notes it just doesn’t compare to the MB or MBP. So if you really are interested in Unity and are willing to spend that much, spend a few hundred extra and get the MBP, otherwise save a bunch of $ and get the MB.

5

I think the MacBook Air is a stupid product overall, but the multitouch trackpad is amazing. I use it on my MacBook Pro, and it saves a lot of time, and is fun. You can use MultiClutch to assign the gestures to any keyboard shortcut you want, globally, or application-specific. My favorite is three-finger vertical swipes to switch tabs in Safari. (Apple hasn’t implemented vertical swipe gestures yet for any function.)

http://wcrawford.org/2008/02/28/everytime-i-think-about-you-i-touch-my-cell/

6

erm 3 finger vertical will change pages in pdf documents for example instead of scroll lines :slight_smile:

7

Nice one! I didn’t see that documented anywhere. How’d you find that out?

I bet there will be no such thing as a MacBook Pro in two months’ time. I think we’ll have a consolidated line, all with multitouch trackpads. You’ll pay more for larger screens, better graphics cards, and more horsepower, as with the iMac. (A recent iteration of the iMac lineup had the cheapest model with an Intel GMA950, and the rest with dedicated graphics). Apple White has been killed off (other than on the Time Capsule and Airport Extreme Base Station, for some reason), so there’s no reason to have to manufacture multiple form factors anymore. 13, 15, and 17-inch “MacBooks”, and MacBook Airs, is what I expect, personally.

Macrumors recently lent some weight to my prediction (I actually thought it might have happened for the last refresh, but that was only a month and a half ago, anyway.)

8

The MacBook Air was an experiment in engineering and marketing. Other products down the line will benefit from it as Apple has learned from the experience. While I think it is a very cool device, I don’t recommend purchasing it.

9

Has it been selling well? I really love the form factor, but the performance/price ratio for a computer that thin is not something I consider very appealing.

10

Mac Book Air is hopeless, unless you want a light weight computer thats got really good wireless capabilities.
Going without a disc drive is not something I would want to do. It would lead you to buying extra equipment unless you already have another computer.

11

Jessy,
I don’t have numbers on its sales, but it doesn’t sound like a flop so far.

GameMoth,
That is what they used to say about floppy drives when Apple made a similar decision.

The computer isn’t for me either, but I think criticizing the Air is silly. Many of the decisions made with this machine were the right ones to make. And what really excited me about it was the possibility of a large flash drive at a reasonable cost. Those are the specs for the laptop of the future. And you’ll see amazingly longer battery life too.

Anyway, I think the Air has a lot to offer as an experiment and a way to push future markets. I think we’ll all benefit from it.

12

You could of course opt for this Tablet สิ่งจำเป็นของชีวิตประจำวัน – มีแท็บเล็ตไว้อุ่นใจแน่นอนทำงานง่ายพบพาสะดวก if your looking for a tablet mac. :wink:

13

My doesn’t believe that’s a very good product for anyone, because there are no keys, and it has integrated graphics, but my could be wrong.

14

Yeah… programming might get a bit hard without a keyboard indeed. So however ‘handy’ it might be, it’s not really appealing if you have to drag an extra bag with peripherals around :smile:
It’s more of a gimmick really, as for integrated graphics I find they’re always lacking, but that’s because I want the highest possible quality and don’t require anyone else to be able to run it.
My money would/did go to an MBP.

15

MBP here as well.

My suggestion in case of a Mac Tablet would be: wait for Apple. They have been working on such a device forever. The multitouch touchpanel and the iPhone / iPod Touch are the first results of that but its only a question of time until you will get a MacBook like device with such capabilities. At best a dual screen one where the bottom one is an iPhone like touch :slight_smile: (that would be great if you could layout your “keyboard” as you want, similar to the unaffordable russian keyboard with the mini lcds in each key …

16

Currently I have a Powerbook and I am leaning towards a Macbook Air as a replacement. I travel a lot, every week in fact, and I find the form factor very desirable. You would not think 2 pounds is much, but coupled with everything else I have to drag through the airports you can tell the difference. The thickness also matters. My bags are only so wide. Plus, I made the mistake of going to the Apple Store and holding one.

I was originally leaning towards the low end model, but I have been reading that those with the SSD model are generally more pleased with the performance. The limited persistent storage space is primarily holding me back. Well, that and the price. Then there is the fact that Intel is launching its SSDs this quarter and they are suppose to perform extremely well. Much better than any of the current crop. However, I do not know if the will make it into the Air anytime soon. I can see them as an option on the next rev of the Macbook Pros (the Air is considered a consumer machine by Apple). I rationalize the graphics in that it gives me a minimal graphics configuration to work against.

Why not the Macbook? For about the same weight and not much more money I can get the Macbook Pro, which is much nicer with a better graphics, keyboard, and screen. I am also addicted to the backlit keyboard.

I still like the Macbook Pro due to its larger HD and better graphics at a lower price point. But if I am realistic I do not think I will need that much graphics horsepower since I do not see myself utilizing those abilities anytime soon.

Now if the SSD price would come down just a little I would be all over the Air.

17

Hi folks,

Just a quick update to let you know that I went ahead and bought the Macbook Air to develop on.

I just got Windows XP installed using BootCamp ( important note - you HAVE to purchase an external USB CD/DVD drive to do this on the Mac Air, as it isn’t possible via the Apple Remote Disk Utility ( / Disc ) or via a USB Memory Card / Drive.

I had one small issue that I wasn’t aware of when I bought the Air - I had to go back to the store the next day and buy the actual Air SuperDrive, as some people reported that they were unable to install Windows on a regular ( cheaper ) USB drive, and I needed to get Windows installed on it ASAP ( eg to run Dir 8.5 for a Shockwave 8.5 project we’re currently delivering ).

I’ll let you know how I get on, but so far it’s great! The size and weight is just unbelievable to work with and carry around - when I go to use other laptops now, they seem huge and bulky!

The speed also seems great, I’ve been able to run all of our existing Shockwave 3D content at high framerates.

I’ll hopefully get time to download the Unity3D trial in a few weeks time, I don’t want to download it and then have it time out when I’m ready to test!

Of course, the famous Murphys Law kicks in as usual, and the laptop I was replacing seems to be working 100%!

I post again in a week or two, to let you know how it is to develop over a longer period of time ( in case there are any issues )

Best regards, and thanks for the info…
Mal

18

Just bought a MacBook Air as a replacement for my now 4.5 year old iBook
Downloading Unity right now, so I’ll get back to you on performance :wink:

Although this far I’m really satisfied with it! Soooo thin and light :slight_smile:
And the “Me wants!” factor is just overwhelming!

19

So did you end up getting the one with the HD or the SSD? I am very interested in seeing how it is to use Unity on the Air.

20

Hi again, sorry for the lack of updates here :frowning:

I got the standard variant with 80GB HD and a 1.6GHz processor
For the game I’m working on it’s just superb!

But my current game is not exactly a “next-gen game” so I don’t know how well it would perform with huge detailed levels…
The levels are not made in Unity but instead from script via variables stored on a MySQL server
The game got around 100-120 object moving around and then theres some particle effects and even though it sometimes got over 300 drawcalls it hasn’t begun stuttering yet :slight_smile:
And if I flip to editor mode with the game running, Unity still flies like it always does :smile:

But as I said: this game is not very detailed and don’t use any fancy shaders!
It’s only the Basic-Outline Cartoon shader (2 draw calls per object) at work here…

Overall I’m very satisfied with it and it is really nice to get some coding done in the sun sometimes :wink:
I could try out some of your stuff for you I guess if you have any “work in progress” that you are curious about…