Unity supports many different types of assets and most common image file types, including BMP, TIFF, TGA, JPG, and PSD.
If you save layered Photoshop (.psd) files in your Assets folder, Unity imports them as flattened images. You can find out more about importing images as textures, or importing images as sprites.
For the full list of Unity’s built-in importers, supported file types and supported filename extensions, see Built-in importers.
Listed below are some of the more common types of asset that you might want to use when getting started with Unity, and links to find out more about how to work with them.
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| 3D Model Files | Unity supports the FBX file format, which means that you can import data from any 3D modeling software that supports FBX. Unity also natively supports importing SketchUp files. For a list of 3D modeling software that Unity supports, see Model file formats. 3D Model files can contain many types of asset, such as meshes, animation, materialsAn asset that defines how a surface should be rendered. More info See in Glossary and textures. For more information about importing 3D model files, see Importing Models. Unity also supports SketchUp and SpeedTree formats. |
| Image files | Unity imports image files as textures. Unity supports most common image file types, such as BMP, TIF, TGA, JPG, and PSD. If you save your layered Photoshop (.psd) files in your Assets folder, Unity imports them as flattened images. Read more about importing textures. |
| Audio files | Unity supports many audio file formats. It’s generally best to import uncompressed audio file formats such as .wav or .aiff, because during import Unity applies the compressionA method of storing data that reduces the amount of storage space it requires. See Texture Compression, Animation Compression, Audio Compression, Build Compression.See in Glossary settings specified in your import settings. Read more about importing audio files. |
| Text, HTML, XML, JSON | Unity can import arbitrary data from files, allowing you to store and use data from external sources. These are all handled by the Text Asset Importer. |
| Plug-ins and code-related assets | You can drop 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 into your Unity project as assets (such as .dll files) to expand the functionality of your game or app. Unity also supports assembly definitions to help you 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 infoSee in Glossary into assemblies. |
| Native Assets | 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, materials, and presets. For the full list, see the NativeFormatImporter type in the Built-in Importer list below. |
You can install a wide range of assets, including plug-ins, tools, and libraries directly into Unity through the Unity Package Manager (UPM). These are a new type of package, and are available through the Package Manager window. For more information about packages in general, see the PackagesPackages are collections of assets to be shared and re-used in Unity. The Unity Package Manager (UPM) can display, add, and remove packages from your project. These packages are native to the Unity Package Manager and provide a fundamental method of delivering Unity functionality. However, the Unity Package Manager can also display Asset Store packages that you downloaded from the Asset Store. More info
See in Glossary documentation.
As you build your game, Unity stores a lot of metadata about your assets, such as import settings and links to other assets, among other information. If you want to transfer your assets into a different project and preserve all this information, you can export your assets into one of these containers:
.unitypackage extension. Asset packages are a handy way of sharing and re-using Unity projects and collections of assets. More info