It just occurred to me that I should try Unity.
I used to write code using a combination of Python and pygame when creating data visualization videos, but the limitations were clear—it was strictly 2D. Then it suddenly struck me: Unity is a tool well known for 3D game development. Why couldn’t it be used to generate a 3D data visualization video?
The way we learn has really changed. In the past, I would have searched for beginner tutorials, followed them step by step, and then adapted what I learned to fit my own needs. Today, instead, I simply opened ChatGPT and asked:
“I am a backend developer and have experience with Java, C++, and Python. Please suggest development tools for 3D data visualization, including Unity.”
ChatGPT provided a comparison chart of Unity, Unreal, Godot, CryEngine, and Cocos 3D. Overall, it concluded that Unity was the best fit for my purpose. After that, it provided a tutorial tailored specifically to my needs. The video below is the final output.
As with most tutorials, it wasn’t easy to follow every step. Differences between the tutorial environment and my own often caused issues. In the past, resolving these kinds of problems took a lot of time. Now, I can simply capture the error message and a screenshot and share them with ChatGPT; it diagnoses the root cause and provides appropriate action items, which work quite well in most cases.
It took quite a long time after learning pygame before I could create my own videos. This time, it feels like I’ll reach the same level of polish much faster. Now that I understand the basic concepts of Unity, I’ll move on to the next steps when I have some free time again—whenever that may be.
Kirin's Technology Essay 