Updating 3d text causing framerate drop

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1

I have a basic script attached to a 3D text prefab. Here is the script.

int speed = 10;

	void Update () {
		
		counter++;
		
		if( counter == 0 )
			{	
				GetComponent<TextMesh>().text = "  <";
			}
		if (counter == speed )
			{	
				GetComponent<TextMesh>().text = " < ";
			}	
		if (counter == (speed*2) )
			{	
				GetComponent<TextMesh>().text = "<  ";
			}		
		if (counter == (speed*3))
			{
				counter = 0;
			}
	}

The problem I’m having is that if this script is active, the game hitches every time the 3d text objects are updated. Is there something inherently wrong with this script? Or is 3D text just slow and impossible to update in realtime with any expectation of performance?

The only other thing I’m doing here is a modification to the default 3d text shader so 3d text objects are occluded by other geometry.

Shader below:

Shader "Custom/3dtext" { Properties { 
_MainTex ("Font Texture", 2D) = "white" {} 
_Color ("Text Color", Color) = (1,1,1,1) 
} 

SubShader { 
  Tags { "Queue"="Transparent" "IgnoreProjector"="True" "RenderType"="Transparent" }
  Lighting Off Cull Off ZWrite Off Fog { Mode Off } 
  Blend SrcAlpha OneMinusSrcAlpha 
  Pass { 
    Color [_Color] 
    SetTexture [_MainTex] { 
    combine primary, texture * primary }}}}

Anything with this shader that would be causing a slowdown?

Thanks in advance!

1 Answer

1
2

Cache the component, instead of using GetComponent every frame.

private TextMesh text;
void Start()
{
    text = GetComponent<TextMesh>();
}