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Installation

Goal: Get the CoBalance toolchain running on your machine before the first real exercise. By the end of this step you will have the example Unity project open, the Balancing Tool launched, and you'll have confirmed that the two can exchange files.

Step 1 – Prepare the Unity Project

  • Create a new project: New Project → Universal 2D, Unity 6.
  • Download CoBalance-Example.unitypackage from the release page.
  • In Unity: Assets → Import Package → Custom Package..., select the downloaded .unitypackage.
  • In the import dialog, leave everything selected and click Import.

Step 2 – Install the CoBalance Plugin

The plugin is installed through the Unity Package Manager via a Git URL — no manual file copying required.

  1. Open Window → Package Manager
  2. Click the + button in the top-left corner
  3. Choose Add package from git URL...
  4. Enter this URL and confirm:
https://github.com/JonasBordewick/CoBalance.git?path=unity

✅ Verify: A new CoBalance entry appears in the Unity menu bar.

Step 3 – Set Up the CoBalance Tool

The tool ships as a standalone application — no Python installation needed.

Warning

The app is not code-signed, so your OS will warn you the first time you open it. This is expected. Follow the steps for your system:

Windows

  1. Download for Windows CoBalance.exe
  2. Double-click the .exe. If you see "Windows protected your PC", click More Info → Run anyway.

macOS

  1. Download for macOS CoBalance.dmg
  2. Double-clicking will likely say the developer cannot be verified. Instead:
    1. Right-click the app → Open → click Open again in the dialog.
    2. Alternatively: System Settings → Privacy & Security, scroll down to the blocked-app message → Open Anyway.

Linux

  1. Download for Linux CoBalance-x86_64.AppImage
  2. Make it executable & run it(file manager → Properties → Permissions → "Allow executing", or in a terminal):
chmod +x CoBalance-x86_64.AppImage

Step 4 – Confirm Everything Works

This is the real checkpoint: Unity sees the plugin and the tool can open the project file.

  1. In Unity: confirm that a CoBalance entry is present in the menu bar.
  2. Locate the file project.cb in your project folder under <Unity Project Path>/CoBalance/ (it was created automatically when the plugin was installed).
  3. In the Balancing Tool: open that file via Project → Open (Ctrl+O).

✅ Setup complete: The project.cb file opens in the Balancing Tool and shows the Parameters view. If you got here, your toolchain is ready — continue with Getting Started.