Introduction to asset references
To reference Addressable assets in your code, use the AssetReference type in a MonoBehaviour or ScriptableObject script. When you add a serializable AssetReference field to one of these classes, you can assign a value to the field in an Inspector window. You can optionally restrict the field to only accept certain asset types or labels.
An Inspector window displaying a Referenced Prefab AssetReferenceGameObject field. The object picker displays Addressable prefabs to choose from.
To assign a value, drag an asset to the field or select the object picker icon to open a dialog that lets you choose an Addressable asset.
If you drag a non-Addressable asset to an AssetReference field, Unity automatically makes the asset Addressable and adds it to the default Addressables group. Sprite and SpriteAtlas assets can have sub objects and display an additional object picker that you can use to specify which sub object to reference.
Important
To assign assets from a group to an AssetReference field, you must enable the Include GUIDs in Catalog property in the group's Advanced Options. The Include GUIDs in Catalog option is enabled by default. For more information, refer to Group Inspector settings reference.
AssetReference types
The Addressables API provides AssetReference subclasses for common types of assets. You can use the generic subclass, AssetReferenceT<TObject>, to restrict an AssetReference field to other asset types.
The types of AssetReference include:
| AssetReference type | Description |
|---|---|
AssetReference |
Can reference any asset type |
AssetReferenceT<TObject> |
Can reference assets that are the same type as TObject |
AssetReferenceTexture |
Can reference a Texture asset. |
AssetReferenceTexture2D |
Can reference a Texture2D asset. |
AssetReferenceTexture3D |
Can reference a Texture3D asset. |
AssetReferenceGameObject |
Can reference a Prefab asset. |
AssetReferenceAtlasedSprite |
Can reference a SpriteAtlas asset. |
AssetReferenceSprite |
Can reference a single Sprite asset. |
Note
If you want to use a CustomPropertyDrawer with a generic AssetReferenceT, or are using a version of Unity earlier than 2020.1, you must make a concrete subclass to support custom AssetReference types.