Successfully connected HighByte Intelligence Hub to Unity3D with SparkplugB! ✔
👀 I am sending data from my Automation-Gateway.com to the Intelligence Hub via OPC UA, then the values are published from HighByte to MQTT with the Intelligence Hub SparkplugB connector and then getting consumed in Unity with the MQTT SparkplugB Asset.
👍 Works straight forward and was easy to setup!
🧐 Sparkplug Learning: If a Host Application is not the Primary Host of an Edge Node and it starts up after the Edge Node, it must send the Rebirth command to the Edge Nodes in which it is interested in, to get a birth message with the current/initial values of all the metrics of the nodes. My Unity client ignores incoming metrics of DATA messages which it has not seen before in a BIRTH message…
Unlock the potential of industrial data from SparkplugB enabled devices, seamlessly integrated into Unity3D to build 3D applications?
Or start creating industry Apps for Apple’s Vision Pro with SparkplugB connectivity? 🕶️
💡 I completed a SparkplugB 🚀 implementation for Unity. The primary objective was to acquire a hands-on understanding of SparkplugB.
👉 You can find it for free on GitHub It’s made on top of the “MQTT for Unity” Asset.
Disclaimer: There is no assurance that I have captured all the rules within the extensive 140-page SparkplugB specification. While Unity supports visionOS, I have not conducted testing on this platform.
MQTT for Multiplayer Games? I am not a Game-Developer and I do not know how they create multiplayer internet games. But I know that MQTT can be used for that. Why?
# IoT turns to IoP
MQTT is used for connecting devices. Think about using MQTT for connecting players. “Internet of Things” (IoT) will turn to „Internet of Players“ (IoP).
# A Player is like a Device?
In a multiplayer game, each player is like a device. When they join the game, it’s like they’re saying “Hello, I’m here!” to everyone else – this is known as a “birth message” in MQTT terms.
# Sharing Information Seamlessly
As players move around in the game, they keep sending updates like their location, healthy state, collected goodies, …. MQTT acts like a messenger, picking up this information and delivering it to everyone else playing.
# Handling Player Exits
What if a player leaves the game intentionally or unintentionally? MQTT has a smart feature called “last will message.” It’s like a goodbye note that tells other players someone has left the game. This way, everyone stays in the loop.
# Central Management
A central game management connected to the central MQTT broker, written in any kind of language, could be used to observe and control the game and all the players.
# Why MQTT?
1. **Real-Time Updates**: It’s fast and perfect for real-time games.
2. **Reliable**: Even if a player’s connection is shaky, MQTT makes sure messages get through.
3. **Efficient**: It doesn’t eat up much data, so players won’t lag.
4. **Simple**: It’s not complicated to set up and to use.
# Conclusion
Using MQTT in multiplayer games is like having a super-efficient mailman who ensures everyone knows what’s happening as it happens.
For Unity there is a „Unity for MQTT“ and a “GraphQL for Unity Pro” asset. Easy to use and usable with all the main build targets, including WebGL!
See the game demo I made with MQTT.. I also integrated data from WinCC Unified in the demo, with the GraphQL for Unity Pro Asset.
If you are getting errors like “Missing JToken” with the GraphQL for Unity (Pro) Asset, then open the package manager and choose “add from git url” and give this url: com.unity.nuget.newtonsoft-json
“MQTT for Unity” is a Unity Package designed to seamlessly integrate MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) functionality into Unity projects, offering a user-friendly solution for enabling real-time communication and data exchange within Unity applications.
Tested on Windows, OSX, WebGL, UWP + HoloLens2, and Android. iOS not tested, but should work as well.
Streamlined Integration: “MQTT for Unity” provides a straightforward and hassle-free integration process, enabling developers to quickly set up MQTT communication in their Unity projects.
Real-Time Communication: Harness the power of MQTT to establish real-time communication channels within your Unity application, perfect for multiplayer games, IoT applications, and more.
Customizable Configuration: Easily configure MQTT parameters, such as broker settings, topic subscriptions, and message handling, to tailor the communication to your specific project needs.
Cross-Platform Compatibility: “MQTT for Unity” is designed to work seamlessly across various Unity-supported platforms, including Windows, OSX, WebGL, UWP + HoloLens2, and Android. iOS not tested, but should work as well.
With “MQTT for Unity,” developers can unlock the potential of MQTT communication in their Unity applications without the complexities of manual integration, making it an essential tool for creating interactive and connected experiences in Unity.
If you use the GraqhQL for Unity asset and if you want to set the headers on HTTP or Websockets in the code, then you must use the the GraphQLHttp or GraphQLWebsockets class. At the base class “GraphQL” there is no “Headers” property!
public GraphQLHttp MyGraphQL;
void Start()
{
if (MyGraphQL != null)
{
MyGraphQL.Headers = new List<Header>()
{
new Header() { Key = "token", Value = "secret"}
};
...
Then you can also execute a GraphQL query in the code.
The GraphQL for Unity Asset can be used to execute GraphQL queries in Unity. The result is set on properties of Unity objects and there is also a Unity Event on the GraphQL Query Object where user-defined function of a GameObject can be triggered every time when a queries returns data or an error.
public class Sample1 : MonoBehaviour
{
public void ResultEvent(GraphQLResult result)
{
if (result.Errors.Count==0)
{
Debug.Log("Data: " + result.Data.ToString());
}
else
{
Debug.Log("Error: " + result.Errors.ToString());
}
}
}
Create a GameObject with this class as component and then you can drag and drop this GameObject to the Query GameObject and select the “ResultEvent” method. Every time when the query is executed then this function will be called with the result data (or error data).
The GraphQL for Unity Asset uses the Newtonsoft version which is built in newer version of Unity (2020+). If you get an error like this:
Assembly 'Library/ScriptAssemblies/Assembly-CSharp.dll' will not be loaded due to errors: Reference has errors 'GraphQL'.
Assembly 'Assets/GraphQL/Libs/GraphQL.dll' will not be loaded due to errors:
GraphQL references strong named Newtonsoft.Json Assembly references: 12.0.0.0 Found in project: 12.0.1.0.
Assembly Version Validation can be disabled in Player Settings "Assembly Version Validation"
Then you can try to remove NewtonSoft dependency from your project – if you have a dependency. And just use the NewtonSoft version which is already built in and shipped with Unity 2020+. If you use an older version of Unity then you can try to copy the NewtonSoft DLL from 2020 and use this in your older Unity version.
Or you can go to Project Settings -> Player -> Other Settings and deactivate “Assembly Version Validation”
Install the newtonsoft package from Unity. Go into the package manager and click “+” and then select “Add package from git URL” and fill in “com.unity.nuget.newtonsoft-json”.
