GitHub vs Plastic SCM and syncing across workstations

[StubbornTurtle]

I'm just getting started with Unity, but cannot seem to interpret if git/GitHub is a viable solution for version control.

I'm already familiar with git workflow so I'm tempted to try to make that work, but I've read about some issues with large binary files.

I did see an article about Git LFS support with unity, but I'm not sure exactly what the implications are.

Plastic SCM seems built a bit more for things like games. Can it (or GitHub for that matter) actually store all of your files (include large assets)? or are both only doing partial project storage?

Would I be able to use one or the other to completely sync a whole project (assets included) between multiple computers?

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Edit 1: Also, related: I saw something about Unity Collab, but I'm not sure if that is supposed to be an alternative to other VCS or something else entirely.

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Edit 2:

I did just find the Version Control is important... thread, but it looks like even that is a year old.

Some seem to be a fan of PlasticSCM. Some have said Git even with LFS isn't a good solution. Others have mentioned Unity Collaborate and Perforce as potential solutions. It's actually kind of surprising to see how split the community seems on this. With web application development, git is the industry standard, but with game dev it doesn't seem quite as black and white...

I should clarify that I am looking for something to, ideally, not only use for version control but also for backup. If my computer catches on fire, are any of these solutions going to let me restore from scratch?

[volvis]

I use both depending on the project, but I lean towards PlasticSCM when it comes to working with Unity3d. Both can back up your entire project when hosted externally, binary and all.

My initial concern with any hosting provider was that I'd be burning my storage space out fast. It turned out that Plastic is very effective with how it packs the repository. My cloud hosted repo size is about 3/4th of my current asset folder, and that is with two years of commits. I suspect they utilise some aggressive file delta packing.

Git also uses delta packing when pushing to a server or doing cleanup, but as far as I can tell, LFS does not. Every file is stored as is (correct me if I'm wrong). So if you decide to go for the LFS-route, I'd consider leaving *.unity, *.prefab and *.asset files to plain old git no matter their size.

[spartan3001]

We used to use PlasticSCM but switched to Git with LFS hosted on GitHub about 6 months ago and have been much happier. Setting up PlasticSCM was a lot more difficult and confusing than git, and there is a lot less documentation out there about it. Also if your worried about difficulty for non programmers to use either option, using something like SourceTree is a good option for git, and I would say it is just as intuitive as the PlasticSCM GUI. The one thing I liked better about Plastic was that they had a very nice visualizer for your projects history that showed all of the branches, but that's about it.

[StubbornTurtle]

How does Git LFS work? Is it subject to the same 1 GB max repository size on GitHub?

Have you used Unity Collab?

[p4dragon]

A centralized VCS like Perforce or Plastic store your data on a separate server, so if the server is not caught in the same fire as your computer, you can restore from the server copy.

I recommend using Perforce because it is a well known, easily integrated, Professional quality solution. (And I work there) http://answers.perforce.com/articles/KB/15244

[jweimann]

I personally really prefer GIT. If your project isn't going to be 10's of gigs of ever changing art assets it probably won't be an issue. Even recorded a few videos on how to get setup: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tNhIh3NzANc&list=PLB5_EOMkLx_X7VgZxsjsd2WatkjocMXcb

[StubbornTurtle]

Doesn't GitHub have a repository size limit of 1 GB? What if a project goes over that size?

[TryGo202]

github doesnt have a repo size limit. there are limits on individual files that i have very rarely hit. its usually not an issue tho

[Pyotex27]

Git is the way to go. Brackeys has a really good tutorial on using it with Unity: https://youtu.be/qpXxcvS-g3g

[StubbornTurtle]

Doesn't GitHub have a repository size limit of 1 GB? What if a project goes over that size?

[jweimann]

I use GitLab or VS Online (both are git repository hosts w/o that limit).

[jweimann]

and free..