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[Vector Graphics] Referencing SVG Assets via C# Scripts

Solution

graphicsasset managementrendering

Unity 2019.3.x - Unity 6.3.x

Published 22 days ago

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Reviewed by _architect

Chief Editor

80 posts
Issue

 After upgrading to Unity 6 and transitioning from raster formats to vector graphics, developers encounter errors when attempting to assign SVG assets to Texture2D fields in the Inspector, as the types are no longer directly compatible without specific importer configurations or the VectorImage class.

Explanation

To directly reference vector assets in your script, the VectorImage type should be utilized. This class is part of the Unity.VectorGraphics package and is the standard for resolution-independent graphics in the UI Toolkit.

  1. Open the Package Manager and install the Vector Graphics package.
  2. In your script, add the using Unity.VectorGraphics; namespace.
  3. Declare a public VectorImage field to hold the reference.
  4. Drag the SVG asset into the Inspector slot for your script.

If you prefer to maintain compatibility with Texture2D fields, you must modify the asset’s import settings:

  1. Select the SVG asset in the Project window.
  2. In the Inspector, locate the SVG Importer component.
  3. Change the Generated Asset Type from Vector to Texture2D.
  4. Click Apply to re-import the asset as a rasterized texture.

Additional Tips

  • Using VectorImage is highly recommended for UI Toolkit projects as it prevents pixelation at varying screen resolutions.

  • When converting to Texture2D, keep in mind that the resulting asset is no longer resolution-independent and will use more memory than the raw VectorImage.

  • If you need to manipulate the vector data at runtime, you must use VectorImage as it provides access to the Scene data via the VectorUtils helper class.

TL;DR

To reference SVG assets in C#, utilize the VectorImage type from the Vector Graphics package or configure the asset importer to output a Texture2D compatible with legacy scripts.


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