To instantiate a 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 at runtime, your code needs a reference to the prefab. To make this reference, you can create a public field of type GameObject
in your code, then assign the prefab you want to use to this field in 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.
The script example below has a single public variable, myPrefab
, which is a reference to a prefab. It creates an instance of that prefab in the Start
method.
using UnityEngine;
public class InstantiationExample : MonoBehaviour
{
// Reference to the Prefab. Drag a Prefab into this field in the Inspector.
public GameObject myPrefab;
// This script will simply instantiate the Prefab when the game starts.
void Start()
{
// Instantiate at position (0, 0, 0) and zero rotation.
Instantiate(myPrefab, new Vector3(0, 0, 0), Quaternion.identity);
}
}
To use this example:
InstantiationExample
.Assets
folder (Project tab) More infoWhen you enter Play mode, you should see your prefab instantiate at position (0, 0, 0) in the SceneA Scene contains the environments and menus of your game. Think of each unique Scene file as a unique level. In each Scene, you place your environments, obstacles, and decorations, essentially designing and building your game in pieces. More info
See in Glossary.
You can drag a different prefab into the My Prefab field in the Inspector window to change which prefab is instantiated, without having to change the script.
Because this first example is very simple, it may not seem to provide any advantage over just placing a prefab into the Scene yourself. However, being able to instantiate prefabs using code provides you with powerful abilities to dynamically create complex configurations of GameObjects while your game or app is running, as shown in the other examples in this section.
Instantiating prefabs at runtime is useful in the following common scenarios:
Building a structure out of a single prefab by replicating it multiple times in different positions, for example in a grid or circle formation.
Firing a projectile prefab from a launcher. The projectile prefab could be a complex configuration containing a MeshThe main graphics primitive of Unity. Meshes make up a large part of your 3D worlds. Unity supports triangulated or Quadrangulated polygon meshes. Nurbs, Nurms, Subdiv surfaces must be converted to polygons. More info
See in Glossary, RigidbodyA component that allows a GameObject to be affected by simulated gravity and other forces. More info
See in Glossary, ColliderAn invisible shape that is used to handle physical collisions for an object. A collider doesn’t need to be exactly the same shape as the object’s mesh - a rough approximation is often more efficient and indistinguishable in gameplay. More info
See in Glossary, AudioSource, Dynamic Light, and a child GameObject with its own trail Particle SystemA component that simulates fluid entities such as liquids, clouds and flames by generating and animating large numbers of small 2D images in the scene. More info
See in Glossary.
A vehicle, building, or character, for example a robot, breaking apart into many pieces. In this scenario, the example script deletes and replaces the complete, operational robot prefab with a wrecked robot prefab. This wrecked prefab consists of separate broken parts of the robot, each set up with Rigidbodies and Particle Systems of their own. This technique allows you to blow up a robot into many pieces, with just one line of code, which replaces the original GameObject with a wrecked prefab.
The following sections show you how to implement these scenarios.
Did you find this page useful? Please give it a rating:
Thanks for rating this page!
What kind of problem would you like to report?
Thanks for letting us know! This page has been marked for review based on your feedback.
If you have time, you can provide more information to help us fix the problem faster.
Provide more information
You've told us this page needs code samples. If you'd like to help us further, you could provide a code sample, or tell us about what kind of code sample you'd like to see:
You've told us there are code samples on this page which don't work. If you know how to fix it, or have something better we could use instead, please let us know:
You've told us there is information missing from this page. Please tell us more about what's missing:
You've told us there is incorrect information on this page. If you know what we should change to make it correct, please tell us:
You've told us this page has unclear or confusing information. Please tell us more about what you found unclear or confusing, or let us know how we could make it clearer:
You've told us there is a spelling or grammar error on this page. Please tell us what's wrong:
You've told us this page has a problem. Please tell us more about what's wrong:
Thank you for helping to make the Unity documentation better!
Your feedback has been submitted as a ticket for our documentation team to review.
We are not able to reply to every ticket submitted.