I've been all over the map for UI's in my life. 55 yrs old, life long programmer, and even wrote a few of my own UI's from the ground up.

For Unity, we went down the path of NovaUI - but it was abandoned a couple years ago -- so was a "dud". I've also dabbled in uGUI and UI Toolkit -- but want something more advanced, more easily, and that can be skinned.

So I've looked at other Unity Asset Store options - and found some.

But NoesisGUI seems to stand head/shoulders above the rest, and I'm trying to find out if this impression I have is real. Not seeing much traffic here on the forums, and see the new "Noesis Studio" now in Beta. I'm fine with Beta, so long as it gets "finished" (unlike NovaUI).

My chief concerns are:
1. What is the workflow for Unity3D - can we edit UI in-game? If we have to restart (which is fine), does Unity have to "recompile itself" (inserting ~10 seconds of delay) before it runs again. Restarting is fine, so long as the delay is short.

2. Can I get started without paying yet -- I have no issue with the $260 USD cost, but don't want to sink in money until I've tried it out, and have some assurance that we can "start running with it now", and get a feel for the pros/cons of using NoesisGUI vs. one of the other solutions (from Unity Asset Store).

===
Tech questions:
1. How does Noesis integrate with Unity's 3D scene/rendering? Do you create Unity-based game objects?
2. Is rendering ultimately done with Unity-based shaders? (or is it done inside of your Noesis Runtime DLL and the result is sent to Unity?)

Before investing into even "trying this out" - I wanted to see some signs of life here on the forums, and get a feel for this. We got "burnt" last time, via NovaUI - made big investment of time, only to have it abandoned, and now our work needs to be redone.

We are creating a Civilization-style game with intricate UI overlay, along with in-scene UI (labels, stats, health). So one system to do both is a benefit. Perhaps this is NoesisGUI.

Hello!

You’re definitely in the right place. When it comes to creating robust, efficient, and highly customizable user interfaces within Unity, NoesisGUI stands out as the premier solution on the Asset Store. We’ve been dedicated to developing and refining this technology for over 8 years, and we’re fully committed to supporting and evolving it for many years to come, because we genuinely love what we do. Our clients love it too! Just take a look at our website’s showcase of AAA titles powered by Noesis, including Baldur’s Gate III, the 2023 Game of the Year.

Regarding your technical questions, the best way to truly understand the benefits is by experiencing NoesisGUI firsthand. Our Unity package includes comprehensive samples and a detailed tutorial to get you started quickly. Architecturally, Noesis is a native plugin that renders directly at a low level with GPU communication, bypassing the C# layer for maximum performance.

To address your concerns specifically:

• In-Game UI Editing & Workflow: Yes, you can edit UI live during gameplay thanks to our robust Hot-Reload system. You don’t need to restart Unity constantly, which keeps your iteration time minimal and smooth.
• Getting Started Without Immediate Payment: You can try NoesisGUI risk-free, our binaries allow you to run the fully featured system for 10 minutes per session. This gives ample opportunity to test out the workflow, features, and performance before committing financially.

Your project, a Civilization-style game with both complex overlay UI and in-scene UI elements, sounds like a perfect fit for NoesisGUI’s flexibility and power.

If you have any questions or want to dive deeper into specific aspects, feel free to ask. We’re here to support you in making an informed choice and ensuring NoesisGUI is the right fit for your game.

Thank you sir. I'm feeling optimistic about your offering here. I'll throw a few test scenarios at it, and witness the iterative/WSYWIG workflow firsthand, and see how it pans out.

I'll write back after I gain a few levels of experience (D&D reference).