Well, when i export a package as an asset then i usually just want to export the content of this package, means the meshes and graphics plus its dependencies like attached scripts. Unfortunately this doesn`t work in Unity. Export package exports usually lots and lots more of the project. Be it connected to the asset or not. I have a simple asset that has with its real dependencies a few kilobyte. The exported package is half the project size then. Including a ton of scripts, other meshes and textures that are not connected to the asset in any way besides that they are in the same project.
Example: i have made a ring menu with NGui. In the asset i find scripts for my character, enemies, lots of other things, the Transformutility scripts, iTween scripts (not the ones from Ngui, i have iTween in the project for other needs), The Terrain Toolkit, and so on. What should be a handful of objects and scripts is again half of the project already.
Export asset is broken that way since several point versions. The unmodified export is useless in most cases. And filtering the really connected pieces is very cumbersome. This one becomes really nasty up to impossible when you want to isolate a single frame out of your project. And the exported asset is as nearly as big as the whole project then. Because nearly the whole project gots exported.
The funny part, is when i click at my asset an choose select dependencies, then just the really connected parts gets selected. But when i click at export then the whole other stuff is on board again.
I don`t expect that this will ever be fixed. I´ve reported this behaviour before. And it gots declined. What i am looking for is a useful way how to transfer an asset, be it a simple cube with a texture and a script or a whole frame, between two projects. With just the really connected pieces to this asset. Obviously export package doesn´t work.
What are my alternatives? Is there a working solution? A plugin maybe?
As usual, five minutes after posting my question i find the solution
The solution is: Select asset, right click, choose select dependencies, right click again, choose export package, and UNtick include dependencies. Somehow crazy, but works.
What i still miss is a way to export the package with just the involved dependencies without this workaround here.
In our projects we also use some “common library”. But for now, we cannot find “best” solution only as “copy scripts from existing project”.
So, we created a project, where we can test our sources, shaders, extension, plugins etc. Let’s name this project PA_Common (I work at Program-Ace).
Also we commit PA_Common to unity3d asset server, and each developer and artist can in any time update this project, and get latest sources.
During development, we can find some bugs in our common project, or find better solution of something. After some changes are done, we just commit it to our PA_Common project, and notify each developer and artist, that assets are changed.
So, others can just download from asset server an updated sources, and continue to use it.
It’s maybe not the best solution, but it’s not comfortable for us to use unity3d packages. Asset server provides more flexibility of using sources.
But maybe in your way, you should just create a project in asset server, add user to this project, and provide access to people you want to get assets.
Thats of course a good idea too. But for me its not about having several people to have access to the projecct. I´m the only one who has access to the project. For me its a thing of development. I develop some parts outside of the main build, like the mentioned ring menu, and merge the stuff into the main build when i am satisfied with the result. Keeps the file smaller, and that way theres not so much in the way.
My problem is the pipeline between all those small development projects and the main build. And here the asset server is not of much use
But as told, i found the soluion already. I wonder a bit why this cannot be done from within the export dialogue. Something like a “select first level dependencies” checkbox besides a “select all dependencies” would be nice to have
