Unity 3d - ProBuilder - A Brief Introduction to Probuilder and the Shape tools

This is a brief introduction to ProBuider in Unity 3D. This is a great option to create 3D Models and rapid game environment building inside the Unity editor! Also check out How to Make a Bounce Game Series https://bit.ly/39HIYBU. ► Download Playmaker at https://bit.ly/3dV8JzC ► Download Unity at

This opener to the ProBuilder series introduces the tool and its three main shape-creation workflows: predefined shapes, bezier shapes, and poly shapes. ProBuilder lets you model 3D geometry directly inside the Unity editor — it won't replace a full modeling package, but for low-poly work built right where your game lives, it's hard to beat.

Step 1 — Install and set up the window

Open the Package Manager and search "pro" — ProBuilder appears in the results (version 5.0.3 in this walkthrough; the dropdown shows other available versions if yours differs). Once installed, open the ProBuilder window and dock it somewhere handy, like next to the Project window. The UI defaults to text-based buttons; the three-dot options icon switches to icon mode if you prefer, though text mode makes it easier to learn what each tool actually does.

Step 2 — New Shape: the predefined library

Clicking New Shape opens a dialog of predefined shapes — arch, cone, and more, each with its own options at the bottom. The workflow: click and drag in the scene to define the X and Z footprint, release, then drag upward to pull out the height. With an arch, for example, you can adjust the thickness, the number of sides (more sides means smoother curves), the circumference (try dialing it away from 180 and back), whether it has end caps, and whether it's smoothed. You can also type exact dimensions instead of dragging — say 6 on X, 1 on Z, 2.5 high. When you're done, switch to any other tool and the shape is committed. Alternatively, right-click in the Hierarchy for a ProBuilder submenu with the same shapes — no settings dialog there, but you can tweak everything after dragging one out.

Step 3 — Bezier Shape: tube along a curve

New Bezier Shape creates a curve with a mesh wrapped around it — think pipes, tunnels, or curved rails. The bezier shape script exposes rows (segments along the curve — dropping from 8 to 4 visibly changes the silhouette), columns (the rings around the tube — also try 4), and radius, the half-unit distance from the curve's center to the mesh edge. Drag the radius out for a fatter tube or in for a thin one.

Step 4 — Poly Shape: draw rooms from above

Poly Shape shines for level layouts. Switch to a top-down view and click out the outline of a room and hallway point by point — turning on ProGrids helps you snap to clean angles instead of freehanding crooked walls. That gives you a flat floor plan; the tool then lets you extrude it upward, say 3 meters for a room. You'll be looking at the outside of the walls, so flip the normals in the poly shape settings and the geometry inverts — now you're standing inside the room. It's one of the fastest ways to block out playable spaces for a character to move through.

Where the series goes next

These three tools — New Shape, Bezier Shape, and Poly Shape — are the starting points for everything ProBuilder builds. The rest of the series digs into the editing side so you can shape this raw geometry into real game environments.