Aether

Unity SDK Installation

Complete guide to installing and managing the Aether Unity SDK in your project.

Installation

Method 1: Zip Install (Recommended)

  1. Download the Unity SDK zip from the Downloads page
  2. Open your Unity project
  3. Extract the zip (it contains an Aether/ folder)
  4. Copy Aether/ into your Unity project’s Assets/ folder (so you have Assets/Aether)
  5. Unity will auto-import the scripts

Method 2: Unity Package Manager (UPM)

  1. Open Window → Package Manager
  2. Click the + button (top left)
  3. Select Add package from git URL
  4. Enter: https://github.com/finexma-dev/aether.git?path=unity-sdk/Aether
  5. Click Add
ℹ️Git Requirements

For UPM installation, Unity needs Git installed and accessible in PATH.

What Gets Installed

The SDK adds the following structure to your project:

1Assets/ 2└── Aether/ 3 ├── Editor/ 4 │ ├── LiveInspector/ 5 │ │ ├── AetherLiveInspectorWindow.cs 6 │ │ └── AetherSettingsWindow.cs 7 │ └── Aether.Editor.asmdef 8 ├── Generator/ 9 │ ├── Aether.Generator.csproj 10 │ └── AetherSourceGenerator.cs 11 └── Runtime/ 12 ├── Core/ 13 │ ├── Aether.cs 14 │ ├── AetherBootstrap.cs 15 │ ├── AetherBridge.cs 16 │ ├── AetherErrorCapture.cs 17 │ ├── AetherRecorder.cs 18 │ ├── AetherTestScript.cs 19 │ ├── AetherCaptureConfig.cs 20 │ ├── AetherSemanticCapture.cs 21 │ ├── DeltaEmitters/ 22 │ └── Tracking/ 23 │ └── GtmlEventAttribute.cs 24 ├── Snapshots/ 25 │ ├── GameStateSnapshot.cs 26 │ └── UISnapshot.cs 27 └── Aether.Runtime.asmdef

Verification

After installation, verify the SDK:

  1. Check Assets Folder: Look for Assets/Aether/ directory
  2. Check Menu: Unity menu should show Aether submenu
  3. Check Console: No import errors should appear

Initialization

You must initialize the SDK once (typically in your first scene).

Option A (recommended): Add AetherBootstrap to a GameObject in your startup scene.

Option B: Call Aether.Init() from your own startup script.

Configuration

Access Aether settings via:

Unity Menu → Aether → Settings

Or programmatically:

1using Aether.Runtime.Core; 2 3// Initialize with defaults 4Aether.Init(); 5 6// Or with configuration 7Aether.Init(new AetherConfig { BridgeUrl = "ws://localhost:7890", AutoConnect = true, AutoRecord = true });

What Gets Captured Automatically

Aether captures the following automatically:

  • Console Logs: All Debug.Log, Debug.LogWarning, Debug.LogError
  • Exceptions: Unhandled exceptions and stack traces
  • Game Objects: Active scene hierarchy
  • Components: Component states and properties
  • UI Elements: Canvas hierarchy and UI state

Manual Instrumentation

For custom events, use the [GtmlEvent] attribute:

1using Aether.Runtime.Core; 2 3public class MyGameplayScript : MonoBehaviour 4{ 5 [GtmlEvent] 6 void OnPlayerDeath() 7 { 8 // This event will be captured automatically 9 } 10}

Performance Expectations

Aether is designed to be lightweight:

  • Overhead: < 1% CPU during normal operation
  • Memory: ~5-10 MB additional memory
  • Network: Minimal bandwidth (localhost only)
  • Disk: Event storage grows over time (configurable limits)
ℹ️Performance Tuning

Adjust capture frequency and event limits in Aether Settings to optimize for your project.

Uninstallation

To completely remove Aether from your project:

Method 1: Manual Removal

  1. Delete Assets/Aether/ folder
  2. Remove any Aether-related menu items (if custom)
  3. Clean up any custom Aether scripts you added

Method 2: Unity Package Manager

If installed via UPM:

  1. Open Window → Package Manager
  2. Find Aether in the list
  3. Click Remove
⚠️Backup First

Always backup your project before uninstalling. Aether data files in Library/Aether/ can be safely deleted.

Troubleshooting

Import Errors

Problem: Import fails or shows errors.

Solutions:

  1. Ensure Unity version is 2021.3 LTS or newer
  2. Check that all required dependencies are available
  3. Try re-importing the package

Missing Menu Items

Problem: Aether menu doesn't appear.

Solutions:

  1. Verify Assets/Aether/Editor/ exists
  2. Check for compilation errors in Console
  3. Restart Unity Editor

Connection Issues

Problem: Unity can't connect to bridge.

Solutions:

  1. Ensure bridge is running before Play mode
  2. Check bridge host/port in Aether Settings
  3. Verify firewall isn't blocking localhost

For more help, see the Troubleshooting Guide.

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