Unity Asset Manager is a cloud-based digital asset management (DAM) solution that streamlines how teams can upload, manage, transform, share, and access their complex real-time 3D assets. It is a tool for developers and designers: Whether you're dealing with 3D models, materials, or entire scenes, it streamlines workflows and ensures everyone can access a single source of truth.
With Unity Asset Manager you can:
Together with Cam Ayres, Staff Solutions Architect on Unity’s Industry Customer Success team, we’ve put together a step-by-step guide on how to access Unity Asset Manager within Unity Cloud, how to install the package, upload and download assets, versioning, comments, preview transformations, and other capabilities to help you get started.
Step 1: Create your Unity project, connecting to Unity Cloud and an organization
To begin, create a Unity project.
Next, Unity Asset Manager needs to be connected to Unity Cloud and linked to a Unity organization to function seamlessly. Here’s how:
1. When creating a new Unity project through Unity Hub, ensure you connect it to a Unity organization.
2. For additional functionality, set up version control (e.g., Unity Version Control) to track changes across assets and projects.
Connecting to Unity Cloud not only ensures proper functionality but also allows you to access and manage your assets across projects and users within your organization.
Once your project is open, you’re ready to integrate Unity Asset Manager.
Step 2: Install Unity Asset Manager
Unity Asset Manager isn’t pre-installed, so you’ll need to add it to your project. Follow one of the following steps:
1. Navigate to the official Unity Asset Manager page and follow the instructions to install the package.
2. Copy and paste the package name com.unity.asset-manager-for-unity into the Unity Package Manager, hit "Install," and wait for the installation to complete. It should then show in your project.
3. Or, if you’re logged in to the Unity Asset Manager’s browser-based interface, then you can navigate to Integrations > Editor and choose to install Asset Manager for Unity Editor. Unity Asset Manager will then open in the Editor.
Once installed, you can access it by going to Window > Asset Manager within Unity. You'll now have the asset manager interface available in your project.
Step 3: Import and manage assets
Unity Asset Manager can store and handle various types of data, not just Unity-compatible files. From PowerPoint files to particle effects to entire scenes, it can work with any type of data. Here's how to start importing.
1. Open the Asset Manager window.
2. Select the project containing your desired assets, select a specific asset, and click 'import'.
3. Importing a Unity-compatible file will immediately make it available in your project, ready to go.
The Asset Manager for Editor window also allows you to export files from you project up to Asset Manager, allowing members of your organization with appropriate role-based access controls to access and reuse existing assets, materials, shaders, scenes, and more.
To understand how to optimize & convert assets and how to update assets when there are changes in the source data, see below.
To custom-fit workflows with your existing ecosystem of tools, you can use Unity Asset Manager as part of our Unity Cloud offering. You will need to log in with your Unity ID or create an account here. Thereafter, you can edit and manage assets at runtime via a simple API and SDK, making integrating with other apps in your pipeline easy.The Unity Asset Manager will also process your files in the background, tessellating CAD, BIM, and Pointcloud data into user-friendly formats like FBX, USD, or GLB. This process preserves textures, metadata, and dependencies, while automatically generating previews, better topology, and sharable 3D interactive views of your data.Start by uploading your assets:
1. Once you’ve logged in to Unity Cloud, select Asset Manager from the dashboard.
2. After selecting the project, or collection of assets, you’d like to manage, select "Add asset" and choose whether you’d like to load a single asset, folder, or collection of files.
3. If it indicates an issue with your asset submission, it may be that Unity Asset Manager is running asset transformations. Wait until it is done and you can then save it along with the metadata.
4. Once uploaded, Unity Asset Manager will process the file and allow you to view, edit, or comment on the asset using its built-in 3D viewer. You can also check the source files and access versions that are stored in the history.
Unity Asset Manager simplifies workflows further with features like Unity Version Control (UVCS) integration. Instead of uploading an asset from your computer, you can browse UVCS and pull in packages or other project assets from any organization that you belong to:
This feature allows for seamless reuse of existing assets without needing to manually transfer or rework files, further reducing redundancy.
This flexibility extends asset management beyond Unity, making it accessible across multiple team members, including those working on different tools or devices. All teams working on a project can refer to one source of truth.
Example of custom integration with Unity Asset Manager: The Unity Asset Manager integration for Blender allows you to create cloud assets directly from Blender. This integration is available through the Unity Asset Manager for Blender open-source repository, so that you can get inspired by it, or build on top of it, to create your own custom integration flows with the Unity Cloud Python SDK, be it for Blender or any other software.
With the Optimize and Convert feature, you can easily convert supported 3D files into widely used formats like GLB and USDZ, while applying automatic optimizations to streamline your assets, using the following options:
Note: To use the Optimize and Convert built-in pipeline, you must have an Asset Manager Contributor role or higher in the project where your assets reside. Here’s how to get started using the feature.
Using the API
Trigger the Optimize and Convert pipeline using the StartTransformation endpoint.
Using the Asset Manager web interface
1. Select the asset you want to Optimize and Convert. A side panel appears.
2. On the top right corner, select Edit.
3. Go to the Files tab.
4. Select the More (...) menu on a supported file format.
5. Select Optimize and Convert. The Optimize and Convert panel replaces the info panel.
6. Select the parameters and enter an output name.
7. Select Run.
8. Once the conversion is complete, you can download the individual files or the entire dataset as needed.
For more details, please check our documentation page.
Keeping your assets up-to-date is crucial when working with integrations. Here's how to ensure your assets reflect the latest changes, using an example of an asset updated in Blender that's being used in Unity. Note: this is just one integration we’ve made to be used as an example, you can create your own to export data to Unity Asset Manager from any 3D Content Creation (3DCC) tool.
1. Export the updated asset from Blender to Asset Manager
Let's say you've modified an asset in Blender-- one that was already in your scene in the Unity Editor. Once you're satisfied with the modification, push the changes through the Blender integration by exporting the updated asset as an FBX file to your Unity Asset Manager.
2. Check for updates in Unity Editor
Open the Unity Editor. If the asset in your scene is out of sync with the Unity Asset Manager, an icon will appear indicating that the asset is outdated.
3. View asset versions
Click on the out-of-sync asset in Unity. Go to the versions panel, where you can see both the imported version and the latest pushed version from Blender.
4. Update to the latest version
Select "Update to Latest." If the updated asset includes changes (e.g., color modifications or added components), the changes will immediately reflect in Unity. You'll also see a green checkmark confirming the asset is now up-to-date.
5. Always stay synced
Unity continuously checks the Unity Asset Manager for updates to ensure your scene reflects the most recent iteration of the file, especially if your team is making iterative changes from the front end.
By following these steps, you can easily keep your assets consistent and up-to-date across your workflows.
Unity Asset Manager offers several features designed to enhance collaboration within your team:
These tools ensure that marketing, engineering, design, and innovation teams can work with the same assets without duplicating efforts or introducing inconsistencies.
For enterprise users, Unity Asset Manager can integrate with PLM (Product Lifecycle Management) systems. Here's what you can do:
This integration ensures that all data flows securely and efficiently between systems, enhancing both productivity and security.
For more information on getting started with Unity Asset Manager, read the documentation.
By using the Unity Asset Manager, you can eliminate inefficiencies like redundant file creation or external vendor processing. For example:
From centralizing resources to creating a single source of truth for your team, it offers convenience and efficiency. By integrating asset management into your workflows, you save time and ensure that your projects are consistently high-quality.
Add Unity Asset Manager to your workflow today and experience smoother collaboration, reduced rework, and elevated project results.
