ASSET PANEL - User Guide

What It Does

Transforms your scattered Unity assets into organized sections like:

  • Characters
  • Environment
  • UI Elements
  • Effects

Each category is browsable, searchable, and previewable — making asset selection fast and intuitive.

Installation

  1. Copy the AssetPanel folder into your Unity project's Assets directory
  2. In Unity, go to Tools → Asset Panel → Asset Panel Window
  3. Click Open Config, then Sample Asset Structure for a quick setup

You’re now ready to browse and use your assets.

Setting Up Categories

Quick Setup (Recommended)

  1. Go to Tools → Asset Panel → Asset Panel Config
  2. Click Sample Asset Structure
  3. Edit folder paths to match your project
  4. Click Save Configuration

Manual Setup

  1. Choose your mode:
    • Simple Mode: Basic categories
    • Advanced Mode: Categories with sub-groups
  2. Click Add Group or Add Category
  3. Name it (e.g., Characters) and set the folder path (e.g., Assets/Characters)
  4. Click Save Configuration

Using Asset Panel

  • Browse: Click category tabs to view assets
  • Preview: Click any asset for a rotating 3D preview
  • Use: Drag assets directly into your scene
  • Search: Use the search box to find assets across all categories

Organization Modes

Simple Mode — Ideal for Small Projects

  • Characters
  • Environment
  • UI Elements
  • Effects

Advanced Mode — Ideal for Large Projects

World Building

  • Terrain
  • Buildings
  • Props
  • Vegetation

Characters

  • Players
  • Enemies
  • NPCs

Common Use Cases

Game Development

  • Characters, terrain, props, UI elements, particle effects

Architecture & Visualization

  • Furniture, building components, landscaping, materials

Any Unity Project

  • Organize prefabs, textures, models, and shaders by purpose — not just file type

Troubleshooting

  • Assets not appearing: Check folder paths in your configuration
  • Can't find Asset Panel menu: Look under Tools → Asset Panel or Window → Asset Panel
  • Configuration not saving: Click Save Configuration after making changes
  • Preview not working: Ensure the asset is a prefab or 3D model Unity can preview
  • Drag-and-drop not working: Drag from the Asset Panel grid, not the preview area

Tips for Best Results

Organization

  • Group by purpose (Characters, UI, Environment)
  • Use clear, descriptive names
  • Keep categories focused and tidy

Workflow

  • Set up categories before importing large batches
  • Use search for known asset names
  • Preview before placing assets in your scene

Performance

  • Limit categories to 50–100 assets
  • Use sub-categories for large collections
  • Keep folder paths clean and consistent

Quick Summary

  1. Install by copying to your Assets folder
  2. Set up categories using the sample configuration
  3. Browse assets visually with 3D previews
  4. Drag and drop into your scene
  5. Search across all categories instantly

Result: Less time searching. More time building.