Supported asset type reference

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.

Importer	Description	Supported file formats
FBXImporter	Imports 3D model files. For more information, refer to Importing a model.	`.blend` `.c4d` `.dae` `.dxf` `.fbx` `.jas` `.lxo` `.ma` `.mb` `.max` `.obj`
Mesh3DSImporter	Imports 3D Studio Max files. For more information, refer to Importing a model.	`.3ds`
SketchUpImporter	Imports SketchUp files. For more information, refer to SketchUp Import Settings and `SketchUpImporter`.	`.skp`
SpeedTreeImporter	Imports SpeedTree files. For more information, refer to SpeedTree Import Settings window and `SpeedTreeImporter`.	`.spm` `.st`
SubstanceImporter	Imports Substance files.	`.sbsar`

Audio and video importers

Importer	Description	Supported file formats
AudioImporter	Imports audio files. For more information, refer to Audio files and `AudioImporter`.	`.aif` `.aiff` `.flac` `.it` `.mod` `.mp3` `.ogg` `.s3m` `.wav` `.xm`
VideoClipImporter	Imports video files. For more information, refer to Video sources and `VideoClipImporter`.	`.asf` `.avi` `.dv` `.m4v` `.mov` `.mp4` `.mpg` `.mpeg` `.ogv` `.vp8` `.webm` `.wmv`

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.

Importer	Description	Supported file formats
IHVImageFormatImporter	Imports specialized image formats. For more information, refer to `IHVImageFormatImporter`.	`.astc` `.dds` `.ktx` `.pvr`
TextureImporter	Imports texture files. For more information, refer to Import a texture and `TextureImporter`.	`.bmp` `.exr` `.gif` `.hdr` `.iff` `.jpeg` `.jpg` `.pct` `.pic` `.pict` `.png` `.psd` `.tga` `.tif` `.tiff`

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.

Importer	Description	Supported file formats
NativeFormatImporter	Imports Unity’s native asset formats.	`.anim` `.animset` `.asset` `.blendtree` `.brush` `.buildreport` `.colors` `.controller` `.cubemap` `.curves` `.curvesNormalized` `.flare` `.fontsettings` `.giparams` `.gradients` `.guiskin` `.ht` `.mask` `.mat` `.mesh` `.mixer` `.overrideController` `.particleCurves` `.particleCurvesSigned` `.particleDoubleCurves` `.particleDoubleCurvesSigned` `.physicMaterial` `.physicsMaterial2D` `.playable` `.preset` `.renderTexture` `.shadervariants` `.signal` `.spriteatlas` `.state` `.statemachine` `.terrainlayer` `.texture2D` `.transition` `.webCamTexture`
PrefabImporter	Imports prefabAn asset type that allows you to store a GameObject complete with components and properties. The prefab acts as a template from which you can create new object instances in the scene. More info See in Glossary files. For more information, refer to Creating prefabs.	`.prefab`
VisualEffectImporter	Imports visual effect files.	`.vfx` `.vfxblock` `.vfxoperator`

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.

Importer	Description	Supported file formats
AssemblyDefinitionImporter	Imports assembly definition files. For more information, refer to Introduction to assemblies in Unity.	`.asmdef`
AssemblyDefinitionReferenceImporter	Imports assembly definition reference files. For more information, refer to Introduction to assemblies in Unity.	`.asmref`
DefaultImporter	Imports system files.	`.rsp` `.unity`
PackageManifestImporter	Imports package manifest files. For more information, refer to Package manifestEach package has a manifest, which provides information about the package to the Package Manager. The manifest contains information such as the name of the package, its version, a description for users, dependencies on other packages (if any), and other details. More info See in Glossary.	`.json`
PluginImporter	Imports plug-in files. For more information, refer to Import and configure plug-ins and `PluginImporter`.	`.a` `.aar` `.bc` `.bundle` `.c` `.cc` `.config` `.cpp` `.dylib` `.h` `.jar` `.java` `.jslib` `.jspre` `.kt` `.m` `.mm` `.prx` `.rpl` `.so` `.suprx` `.swift` `.winmd` `.xib`

Shader importers

Importer	Description	Supported file formats
ComputeShaderImporter	Imports compute shader files. For more information, refer to Writing compute shaders and `ComputeShader`.	`.compute`
RayTracingShaderImporter	Imports ray tracingThe process of generating an image by tracing out rays from the Camera through each pixel and recording the color contribution at the hit point. This is an alternative to rasterization. raytracing See in Glossary shader files. For more information, refer to Introduction to shaders.	`.raytrace`
ShaderImporter	Imports shader files. For more information, refer to Introduction to shaders and `ShaderImporter`.	`.cg` `.cginc` `.glslinc` `.hlsl` `.shader`

Text and arbitrary data importers

Importer	Description	Supported file formats
LocalizationImporter	Imports localization files.	`.po`
TextScriptImporter	Imports text and script files. For more information, refer to Text assets.	`.boo` `.bytes` `.csv` `.fnt` `.htm` `.html` `.js` `.json` `.manifest` `.md` `.rsp` `.txt` `.xml` `.yaml`
TrueTypeFontImporter	Imports font files. For more information, refer to Font assets and `TrueTypeFontImporter`.	`.dfont` `.otf` `.ttc` `.ttf`

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.

Importer	Description	File formats
SpeedTree9Importer	Imports SpeedTree 9 files. For more information, refer to `SpeedTree9Importer`.	`.st9`
StyleSheetImporter	Imports Unity style sheet files. For more information, refer to Introduction to USS.	`.uss`
UIElementsViewImporter	Imports Unity XML files. For more information, refer to Structure UI with UXML.	`.uxml`

Additional resources

Text assets

Caching assets

Unity Manual