Prefab Variants are useful when you want to have a set of predefined variations of 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.
For example, you might want to have several different types of GermSlimeTargets in your game, which are all based on the same basic GermSlimeTarget Prefab. However you may want some GermSlimeTargets to carry items, some to move at different speeds, or some to emit extra sound effects.
To do this, you could set up your initial GermSlimeTarget Prefab to perform all the basic actions you want all GermSlimeTarget to share, then you could create several Prefab Variants to:
Make a GermSlimeTarget move faster by using a property override on a script to change its speed.
Make a GermSlimeTarget carry an item by attaching an additional GameObjectThe fundamental object in Unity scenes, which can represent characters, props, scenery, cameras, waypoints, and more. A GameObject’s functionality is defined by the Components attached to it. More info
See in Glossary to its arm.
Give GermSlimeTarget a slug-like squelch by adding an AudioSource component that plays a squelching sound.
A Prefab Variant inherits the properties of another Prefab, called the base. Overrides made to the Prefab Variant take precedent over the base Prefab’s values. A Prefab Variant can have any other Prefab as its base, including Model Prefabs or other Prefab Variants.
There are multiple ways to create a Prefab Variant based on another Prefab.
You can right-click on a Prefab in the Project view and select Create > Prefab Variant. This creates a variant of the selected Prefab, which initially doesn’t have any overrides. You can open the Prefab Variant in Prefab Mode to begin adding overrides to it.
You can also drag a Prefab instance in the Hierarchy into the Project windowA window that shows the contents of your Assets
folder (Project tab) More info
See in Glossary. When you do this, a dialog asks if you want to create a new Original Prefab or a Prefab Variant. If you choose Prefab Variant you get a new Prefab Variant based on the Prefab instance you dragged. Any overrides you had on that instance are now inside the new Prefab Variant. You can open it in Prefab Mode to add additional overrides or edit or remove overrides.
Prefab Variants are shown with the blue Prefab icon decorated with arrows.
When a Prefab Variant is opened in Prefab Mode, the root appears as a Prefab instance with the blue Prefab icon. This Prefab instance represents the base Prefab that the Prefab Variant inherits from; it doesn’t represent the Prefab Variant itself. Any edits you make to the Prefab Variant become overrides to this base that exists in the Variant.
In the screenshot above, if you were to select the GermSlimeTarget With GermOBlaster root GameObject and click the Select button 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, it will select the base Prefab GermSlimeTarget and not the Variant GermSlimeTarget With GermOBlaster because the Prefab instance is an instance of the base Prefab GermSlimeTarget and the Select button always selects the Prefab Asset that an instance comes from.
As with any Prefab instance, you can use prefab overrides in a Prefab Variant, such as modified property values, added components, removed components, and added child GameObjects. There are also the same limitations: you cannot reparent GameObjects in the Prefab Variant which come from its base Prefab. You also cannot remove a GameObject from a Prefab Variant which exists in its base Prefab. You can, however, deactivate GameObjects (as a property override) to achieve the same effect as removing a GameObject.
Note: When editing a Prefab Variant in Prefab Mode, you should understand that applying these overrides (via the Overrides drop-down window or context menus) will cause your variant’s variations to be applied to the base Prefab Asset. This is often not what you want. The point of a Prefab Variant is to provide a convenient way to store a meaningful and reusable collection of overrides, which is why they should normally remain as overrides and not get applied to the base Prefab Asset. To illustrate this point, if you were to apply the additional GermOBlaster GameObject to the base Prefab Asset (the “GermSlimeTarget”), then the Prefab Asset would also have the GermOBlaster. The whole point of the GermSlimeTarget With GermOBlaster variant is that only this variation carries an GermOBlaster, so the added GermOBlaster GameObject should be left as an override inside the Prefab Variant.
When you open the Overrides drop-down window, you can always see in its header which object the overrides are to, and in which context the overrides exist. For a Prefab Variant, the header will say that the overrides are to the base Prefab and exist in the Prefab Variant. To make it extra clear, the Apply All button also says Apply All to Base.
2018–07–31 Page published
Nested Prefabs and Prefab Variants added in 2018.3
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.
When you visit any website, it may store or retrieve information on your browser, mostly in the form of cookies. This information might be about you, your preferences or your device and is mostly used to make the site work as you expect it to. The information does not usually directly identify you, but it can give you a more personalized web experience. Because we respect your right to privacy, you can choose not to allow some types of cookies. Click on the different category headings to find out more and change our default settings. However, blocking some types of cookies may impact your experience of the site and the services we are able to offer.
More information
These cookies enable the website to provide enhanced functionality and personalisation. They may be set by us or by third party providers whose services we have added to our pages. If you do not allow these cookies then some or all of these services may not function properly.
These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our site. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. If you do not allow these cookies we will not know when you have visited our site, and will not be able to monitor its performance.
These cookies may be set through our site by our advertising partners. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising. Some 3rd party video providers do not allow video views without targeting cookies. If you are experiencing difficulty viewing a video, you will need to set your cookie preferences for targeting to yes if you wish to view videos from these providers. Unity does not control this.
These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site will not then work. These cookies do not store any personally identifiable information.