Back in August 2015, I was first introduced to Unity and the Unity Asset Store. That was also the start of my professional journey with game development and interactive applications.
Over the years, I’ve worked with countless Unity packages, free and paid, in different professional projects. But here’s the surprising part: I never personally purchased a package for myself. Either the company handled it, or I managed to work with free assets and custom code.
In fact, in Pakistan (at least for me), spending money on digital assets is something we rarely think about. But now, after almost 10 years, I finally bought my first Unity Asset Store package — and it feels like a milestone.
What I Bought: RoomPlan for Unity Kit
The package I purchased is called RoomPlan for Unity Kit.
The reason? I wanted to test Apple’s RoomPlan API inside Unity for an unpaid project with future prospects. Normally, this requires writing Swift or Objective-C code and then bridging it with Unity, since there hasn’t been direct AR Foundation support.
Recently, however, Unity released AR Foundation 6.2, which introduced RoomPlan bounding box support. I even confirmed this update through the official Unity AR Foundation GitHub thread. But this was not enough for my demo purposes.
For now, I’m using this RoomPlan package to quickly build a furniture placement demo in Unity without having to dive deep into Swift.
Bonus Tip: Saving Money on the Unity Asset Store
One thing I discovered while making my first purchase is that Unity actually gives you a discount coupon for your first purchase.
👉 Try using codes like WELCOME2025 or WELCOME25OFF — both should give you 25% off your first Unity Asset Store package.
Also, don’t forget to check the weekly Asset Store Publisher Sales. Unity often runs promotions where you can grab big discounts and sometimes even get paid assets for free for a limited time.
So if you’re planning your first purchase, it’s worth looking around before checking out. Well, its a general online shopping tip, if you coupon code field in the checkout, you should definitely search for the coupons, and LLMs like ChatGPT, claude or Grok can bring valid coupons for you. Just ask properly!
Documentation and Experimentation
Anyone who has worked with new Unity packages or any library knows the struggle: the documentation.
This kit was no exception. At first, nothing worked as expected. But after carefully reading the docs, asking LLMs to explain the docs, trying out different configurations, and experimenting with Unity AR Foundation 6.2, I managed to get results.
It’s still early, but the ability to test Apple’s RoomPlan API in Unity without manually writing iOS code is already saving me a lot of time.
The Challenge of iOS Development on Windows
Developing mobile apps is never easy, but iOS development on Windows adds a completely new level of difficulty.
As I shared in my last blog, I don’t own a Mac machine, so I’ve been running macOS on VMWare just to make Unity iOS builds. Right now, I’m still facing these challenges:
- Very slow file sharing between Windows and macOS VM.
- Exporting Unity projects for iOS takes extra steps.
- Testing apps in this setup is painfully slow.
Still, this workaround lets me continue exploring Unity iOS development until I can invest in real Apple hardware.
Why This Purchase Matters
After a decade of working with Unity, buying my first Unity Asset Store package feels symbolic.
It’s not just about getting access to a tool, it’s about investing in my own growth. This package is helping me test ideas faster, focus on actual development, and save myself from unnecessary headaches.
And on top of that, I’m also supporting another developer who put in the effort to make this Unity package. That feels good.
Closing Thoughts
If you’re a developer, especially in countries like Pakistan where buying digital assets isn’t common, I encourage you to think differently. The right tool or package can save you days of effort, speed up your learning, and even open new possibilities.
For me, this is just the beginning. Maybe one day I’ll complete the circle and publish my own Unity Asset Store package.
Until then, I’ll keep experimenting with Unity, exploring APIs like RoomPlan, and pushing through the challenges of iOS development on Windows — even if it means fighting with slow VM setups.
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