Manual: Supported asset type reference (original) (raw)

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Unity supports many different types of assets and most common image file types. It uses asset importers to process and convert external files into assets you can use in your project.

Unity supports the following kinds of files:

• 3D model files: Unity supports standard and proprietary model fileA file containing a 3D data, which may include definitions for meshes, bones, animation, materials and textures. More info
  See in Glossary formats. Internally, Unity uses the FBX file format as its importing chain. For a list of supported files, refer to 3D model importers.
• Image files: Unity imports image files as textures and supports most common image file types. For a list of supported files, refer to Image importers.
• Audio and video files: Unity supports many audio and video file formats. For a list of supported files, refer to Audio and video importers.
• **ShaderA program that runs on the GPU. More info
  See in Glossary files: Unity supports different shader file types depending on the graphics pipeline you’re using. For a list of supported files, refer to Shader importers.
• Text and arbitrary data: Unity can import arbitrary data from files such as .html, .xml, .json files, which you can use to store and use data from external sources. For a list of supported files, refer to Text and arbitrary data importers.
• Plug-ins and code related assets: You can add managed and native plug-insA set of code created outside of Unity that creates functionality in Unity. There are two kinds of plug-ins you can use in Unity: Managed plug-ins (managed .NET assemblies created with tools like Visual Studio) and Native plug-ins (platform-specific native code libraries). More info
  See in Glossary files into your project to expand the functionality of your application, and assembly definitions to create and organize your scriptsA piece of code that allows you to create your own Components, trigger game events, modify Component properties over time and respond to user input in any way you like. More info
  See in Glossary into assemblies. For a list of supported files, refer to Plug-ins and code importers
• Native assets: There are a range of asset types that are native to the Unity Editor. For a list of supported files, refer to Native asset importers.

Asset importers

Unity uses importers to process and convert external files into assets that can be used in your project. Each file type has a corresponding importer that handles its specific requirements.

Unity supports many asset file types via its collection of built-in importers. Most of these importers are implemented in the Unity Editor’s native code. They provide the import functionality for most of Unity’s basic asset types, such as 3D models, textures, and audio files.

Most importers have a corresponding class in the UnityEditor namespace that exposes the same configurable import settings as the InspectorA Unity window that displays information about the currently selected GameObject, asset or project settings, allowing you to inspect and edit the values. More info
See in Glossary window for the asset type. They also have corresponding pre-process and post-process callbacks on the AssetPostprocessor class so you can define custom behavior to run before or after asset import. For example, the import settings for the AudioImporter are configurable in the Audio Clip Inspector window or from code with the AudioImporter class. You can also create custom pre-import or post-import behavior for audio assets with AssetPostprocessor.OnPreprocessorAudio and AssetPostprocessor.OnPostprocessAudio respectively. This pattern applies for most major asset types.

3D model importers

Unity uses the FBX file format as its importing chain. For a list of 3D modeling software that Unity supports, refer to Model file formats.

Audio and video importers

Image importers

Unity imports image files as textures. Unity supports most common image file types, such as .bmp, .tif, .tga, .jpg, and .psd. For more information, refer to Import a texture.

Native asset importers

There are a range of asset types that are native to the Unity Editor. You can create assets of these types using Editor features. When you create these, Unity saves the files which represent them as asset files in the Assets folder of your project. These include animations, curves, gradients, masksCan refer to a Sprite Mask, a UI Mask, or a Layer Mask More info
See in Glossary, materialsAn asset that defines how a surface should be rendered. More info
See in Glossary, and presets.

Plug-ins and code importers

You can add managed and native plug-ins such as .dll files into your project to expand the functionality of your application. Unity also supports assembly definitions to help you create and organize your scripts into assemblies.

Shader importers

Text and arbitrary data importers

Built-in scripted importers

Scripted importers allow you to write your own custom importers for formats that Unity doesn’t natively support. Some of Unity’s own built-in importers are implemented as scripted importers because they are written in C# in core packages, rather than within the Unity Editor’s native code itself. Unity imports scripted importer assets after native importer assets.

Additional resources

• Scripted importers
• Introduction to importing assets
• Asset metadata
• AssetPostprocessor API reference

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