Unity 6: Getting Started with 3D Objects, Images, and Video

Student reference guide · Unity 6 · Universal Render Pipeline (URP) · New Media

This guide introduces the essential tools for building a 3D environment in Unity. You will learn to navigate the workspace, import 3D scans from Blender, manipulate objects, apply photographic textures, and place videos on surfaces.

The goal is to create a navigable environment containing your own 3D objects, photographs, and moving images. You do not need to write code for these tasks.

1. Understanding the Unity interface

Unity is organized into several windows. Each has a different purpose.

You can rearrange windows by dragging their tabs. To restore the default layout, use the Layout menu at the upper right and select Default.

Scene View navigation

If you lose your position, select an object in the Hierarchy and press F while your cursor is over the Scene View.

2. Selecting and transforming objects

Select an object by clicking it in the Scene View or Hierarchy.

The colored handles represent the three axes:

• Red = X

• Green = Y

• Blue = Z

Drag a colored handle to change the object along that axis. With the Scale tool, drag the center handle to scale uniformly.

For precise adjustments, select the object and enter values in the Transform component of the Inspector.

Useful object commands

3. Importing a 3D model from Blender

Unity supports FBX files, making it relatively easy to transfer scanned and edited objects from Blender.

1. In Blender, export your finished mesh as an FBX.

2. In Unity, locate the Project window.

3. Drag the FBX file from Finder or File Explorer into the Assets folder.

4. Unity imports the model.

5. Drag the FBX from the Project window into the Scene View or Hierarchy.

6. Select the imported object and press F to focus on it.

If your model appears extremely small or large, use the Scale tool (R) or adjust the Transform → Scale values in the Inspector.

Model scale

For scanned objects, it is acceptable to adjust the scale in Unity rather than Blender.

If a model imports too small, try a uniform scale such as:

• X = 10

• Y = 10

• Z = 10

Increase or decrease as necessary.

Important: Unity generally treats one world unit as one meter. For objects used with physics, collision, or player navigation, realistic scale is preferable.

If the FBX is consistently importing at the wrong size, select the FBX asset in the Project window, open its Model import settings, and adjust Scale Factor instead.

4. Extracting photographic textures from an FBX

Scans from Polycam or similar applications may contain photographic textures embedded in the FBX.

Extract textures

1. In the Project window, select the original FBX asset.

2. In the Inspector, open the Materials tab.

3. Look for Extract Textures.

4. If available, click it and choose a folder inside Assets.

5. Click Extract Materials if necessary to create editable material assets.

6. Inspect the resulting material and confirm the photograph is assigned to its Base Map.

If the texture doesn’t appear automatically, select the extracted material and drag the correct photograph into its Base Maptexture slot.

For a 3D scan, use the Universal Render Pipeline/Lit shader so that the surface responds to scene lighting.

If the model appears pink

Pink or magenta usually indicates an unsupported or missing shader.

Select the material and change its shader to Universal Render Pipeline/Lit.

If the model appears white or gray

The photographic texture may be missing or not assigned. Check the material’s Base Map.

Note: Extract Materials is not the same as Unpack Prefab. If you need to edit the imported model’s hierarchy independently, right-click the scene instance and use Prefab → Unpack Completely. This does not extract its textures.

5. Creating a photographic texture

A photograph can be placed on a wall, a flat surface, or a 3D object using a Material.

Step 1: Import the photograph

1. Drag a JPG or PNG into your Unity Assets folder.

2. In the Hierarchy, right-click and choose 3D Object → Quad.

3. Position and scale the Quad where you want the photograph to appear.

A Quad is a flat, single-sided rectangular surface. It works well for photographs, screens, and video.

Step 2: Create a material

1. In the Project window, right-click → Create → Material.

2. Name it PhotoMaterial.

3. Select the material.

4. In the Inspector, change its Shader to Universal Render Pipeline/Unlit.

5. Drag the photograph into the Base Map texture field.

Step 3: Apply the material

Drag the material from the Project window directly onto the Quad in the Scene View.

The photograph should appear on the surface.

Tip: If the photograph looks stretched, change the Quad’s scale to match the image’s aspect ratio. For a 16:9 image, use X = 1.78 and Y = 1, for example.

If you want the image to be affected by lighting and shadows, use the URP/Lit shader instead of Unlit.

6. Creating a video texture

Unity’s built-in Video Player component allows video to play directly on a 3D surface.

Step 1: Import the video

1. Export your video as an MP4 using the H.264 codec.

2. Drag the MP4 into the Unity Assets folder.

3. Create a Quad using GameObject → 3D Object → Quad.

Recommended video format for this class:

Step 2: Create the video material

1. Create a new Material named VideoMaterial.

2. Set its shader to Universal Render Pipeline/Unlit.

3. Drag the material onto your Quad.

Step 3: Add the Video Player

1. Select the Quad.

2. In the Inspector, click Add Component.

3. Search for Video Player and add it.

4. Configure the component:

The material must be assigned to the Quad’s Mesh Renderer. If Auto-Select Property is available, disable it to specify _BaseMap manually.

Step 4: Test playback

Press the Play button at the top of the Unity Editor.

The video should play on the surface of the Quad.

If the video doesn’t appear, check that the Video Player is assigned to the correct renderer and that the material is using the URP/Unlit shader.

7. Making images and videos transparent

Both photographs and videos can be made partially transparent using material settings.

1. Select the material.

2. Set its shader to Universal Render Pipeline/Unlit.

3. Under Surface Options, change Surface Type to Transparent.

4. Set Blending Mode to Alpha.

5. Click the color swatch beside Base Map.

6. Reduce the Alpha (A) value.

Lower alpha values make the surface more transparent.

This allows you to layer images, create translucent video screens, and overlap moving images with 3D objects.

Note that reducing opacity affects the entire rectangular surface. It does not remove a video’s background.

8. Organizing your project

Create folders in the Assets directory to keep the project organized.

• Scenes: Individual rooms or environments

• Models: FBX files and other 3D objects

• Materials: Surface materials

• Textures: Photographs and image maps

• Videos: MP4 files

• Prefabs: Reusable objects such as video screens and doorways

A prefab is a reusable object with its components and settings saved. For example, you can configure a video screen once, drag it into different scenes, and assign different video clips.

9. Common problems

10. Quick reference