Unity Icon Generation From Models

The creation of this tool was performed with support from various AI tools.

A Unity Editor tool for generating transparent icons from 3D model prefabs with customizable rendering environments, featuring visual scene mockups, real-time preview capabilities, and professional lighting presets.

Features

• Multiple Export Formats: Generate icons in PNG or TGA format
• Size Variants: Create multiple icon sizes simultaneously (16x16 to 4096x4096)
• Professional Lighting Presets: Built-in presets (Studio, Dramatic, Soft, Product Shot, Cinematic, Technical)
• Complete Configuration Management: Save and load entire tool configurations as reusable presets
• Batch Processing: Generate icons for multiple prefabs at once
• Visual Scene Mockup: Create and adjust lighting setups directly in the scene view
• Real-time Preview: Capture and preview icons before batch generation
• Advanced Lighting System: Main light + fill light + unlimited point lights with individual controls
• Customizable Rendering: Configure camera angle, lighting, and object positioning
• Transparent Backgrounds: Generates PNG/TGA icons with transparency
• Auto-fit and Auto-center: Automatically position and scale objects for optimal framing
• Scene Management: Preserves your current scene and handles unsaved changes intelligently
• Unity 6 Compatible: Built with Unity's UI Toolkit for modern editor integration
• Persistent Settings: Remembers your configuration between sessions
• Quick Access Links: Title and version are hyperlinked to GitHub repository and changelog

Installation

Via Git URL (Recommended)

1. Open Unity Package Manager (Window > Package Manager)
2. Click the + button and select "Add package from git URL"
3. Enter: https://github.com/razluta/UnityIconGenerationFromModels.git
4. Click "Add"

Manual Installation

1. Download or clone this repository
2. Copy the entire folder to your project's Packages directory
3. Unity will automatically detect and import the package

Usage

Opening the Tool

1. Go to Tools > Razluta > Unity Icon Generation From Models in the Unity menu bar
2. The Unity Icon Generation window will open

Quick Start Workflow

1. Basic Setup:

   • Select your prefabs folder (e.g., Assets/Prefabs)
   • Enter the prefix your prefabs start with (e.g., Item_)
   • Select or create an output folder for generated icons

2. Configure Output:

   • Icon Size: Choose main size from dropdown (16x16 to 4096x4096, default 512x512)
   • Export Format: Select PNG or TGA format
   • Additional Sizes: Optionally add more size variants for complete icon sets

3. Choose Lighting Style:

   • Quick Start: Select a lighting preset from the dropdown (Studio, Dramatic, etc.)
   • Custom Setup: Manually configure main light, fill light, and point lights
   • Professional Workflow: Use scene mockup for visual adjustment

4. Visual Configuration (Optional but Recommended):

   • Click "Setup Scene Mockup" to create a visual preview in your scene
   • Manually adjust camera position, lighting, and settings using Unity's normal tools
   • Click "Capture Preview" to see exactly what your icon will look like
   • Click "Collect Scene Configuration" to save your adjustments back to the tool

5. Save Your Setup (Optional):

   • Click "Save Configuration" to save your entire setup as a reusable preset
   • Perfect for different object types (weapons, armor, consumables, etc.)

6. Generate Icons:

   • Click "Generate Icons" to batch process all matching prefabs
   • Your original scene will be preserved and restored automatically

Advanced Configuration

Camera Settings

• Position: Where the camera is positioned relative to the object
• Rotation: Camera angle (Euler angles)
• Field of View: Camera FOV in degrees
• Background Color: Usually set to transparent (alpha = 0)

Lighting System

Professional Lighting Presets

Choose from built-in lighting configurations optimized for different scenarios:

• Studio: Balanced professional lighting with warm key and cool fill
• Dramatic: High contrast with strong shadows and cinematic feel
• Soft: Even, diffused lighting perfect for delicate objects
• Product Shot: Clean, minimal shadows with 360° coverage
• Cinematic: Moody atmospheric lighting with warm/cool contrast
• Technical: Flat, even documentation lighting for technical drawings
• Custom: Your own manual lighting configuration

Advanced Lighting Controls

• Main Light: Primary directional light (key light)
• Fill Light: Secondary directional light to reduce harsh shadows
• Point Lights: Add unlimited point lights for accent lighting, rim lighting, etc.
  • Each point light has position, color, intensity, range, and enabled settings
  • Use "Add Point Light" button to create new lights
  • Individual remove buttons for each light
• Smart Preset Detection: Automatically switches to "Custom" when you manually adjust any lighting

Complete Configuration Management

• Save Configuration: Export your entire tool setup (lighting, camera, all settings) as a JSON file
• Load Configuration: Import previously saved configurations
• Team Sharing: Share configuration files with team members for consistent results
• Project-Specific Setups: Create different configurations for different asset types

Output Settings

• Icon Size: Single dropdown with power-of-2 sizes from 16x16 to 4096x4096
• Export Format: Choose between PNG (recommended) or TGA format
• Size Variants: Generate multiple sizes simultaneously for complete icon sets
  • Main size gets clean filename: Sword_Icon.png
  • Additional sizes get size suffix: Sword_Icon_256x256.png
• Smart Workflow: Add/remove additional sizes with simple UI controls

Advanced Object Settings

• Object Scale: Global scale multiplier for all objects
• Object Position/Rotation: Override positioning for all objects
• Auto Center: Automatically center objects in view
• Auto Fit: Automatically scale objects to fit nicely in frame

Scene Management

• Smart Scene Handling: Automatically detects unsaved changes
• Save Prompts: Asks user to save before proceeding (optional)
• Scene Restoration: Returns to original scene after processing
• Temporary Scene Creation: All rendering happens in isolated temporary scenes

Preview & Configuration Tools

Professional Lighting Presets

Select from professionally designed lighting setups:

• Quick Selection: Choose from dropdown in Lighting Settings
• Instant Application: All lights (main, fill, point) automatically configured
• Smart Detection: Tool automatically switches to "Custom" when you manually adjust lighting
• Optimized for Different Needs: Each preset designed for specific object types and styles

Setup Scene Mockup

Creates a complete visual mockup of your icon generation setup in the current scene:

• Camera positioned with your exact settings
• All lights (main, fill, point) created and positioned
• Objects organized under "IconGen_MockupRoot" for easy management
• Allows manual fine-tuning using Unity's familiar scene tools

Capture Preview

Takes a snapshot using your current configuration:

• Renders at exact icon dimensions
• Shows preview in dedicated window with save option
• Perfect for testing before batch generation
• Instant visual feedback on lighting and positioning

Collect Scene Configuration

Reads your manual adjustments back into the tool:

• Automatically detects all mockup objects in scene
• Updates UI with collected settings
• Saves configuration for future use
• Enables iterative refinement workflow

Multiple Export Formats

Generate icons in your preferred format:

• PNG Format: Lossless compression, excellent for UI and web use
• TGA Format: Uncompressed, perfect for game engines and professional pipelines
• Transparency Support: Both formats maintain alpha channel for transparent backgrounds

Size Variants System

Create complete icon sets with multiple sizes:

• Power-of-2 Sizes: From 16x16 to 4096x4096 pixels
• Professional Standards: Default 512x512 with common variants (64x64, 128x128, 256x256, 1024x1024)
• Batch Generation: All sizes generated simultaneously for each prefab
• Smart Naming: Main size gets clean name, variants include size suffix
• Easy Management: Add/remove additional sizes with simple UI controls

Configuration Management

Save and load complete tool configurations:

• Export Setup: Save entire configuration as JSON file
• Import Setup: Load previously saved configurations
• Team Collaboration: Share configuration files with team members
• Project Organization: Create different setups for different asset types

File Structure

com.razluta.unity-icon-generation-from-models/
├── package.json                                    # Package manifest
├── README.md                                       # This file
├── CHANGELOG.md                                    # Version history
├── Runtime/
│   └── UnityIconGenerationFromModels.Runtime.asmdef # Runtime assembly definition
├── Editor/
│   ├── UnityIconGenerationFromModels.Editor.asmdef  # Editor assembly definition
│   ├── Scripts/
│   │   ├── UnityIconGenerationWindow.cs             # Main UI window
│   │   ├── UnityIconGenerationTool.cs               # Core generation logic
│   │   ├── SceneMockupTool.cs                       # Scene mockup and preview system
│   │   ├── LightingPresets.cs                       # Professional lighting presets
│   │   ├── ConfigurationPresets.cs                  # Configuration save/load system
│   │   └── IconGeneratorSettings.cs                 # Settings management
│   └── Resources/
│       └── IconGeneratorWindow.uxml                 # UI layout definition
└── Samples/
    ├── ExamplePrefabs/                              # Sample prefabs for testing
    └── SampleUi.png                                 # Tool interface screenshot

Technical Details

Rendering Process

1. Scene Management: Preserves current scene and handles unsaved changes
2. Temporary Scene Creation: Creates isolated scene with configured lighting and camera
3. Individual Processing: Instantiates each prefab individually
4. Auto-adjustment: Applies auto-centering and auto-fitting if enabled
5. High-Quality Rendering: Renders to RenderTexture with transparency support and 8x MSAA
6. PNG Export: Converts to PNG and saves to output directory
7. Cleanup & Restoration: Cleans up temporary objects and restores original scene

Advanced Lighting System

• Main Directional Light: Primary key lighting
• Fill Directional Light: Secondary shadow fill lighting
• Unlimited Point Lights: Dynamic point light system with individual controls
• Real-time Mockup: Visual scene representation for manual adjustment
• Configuration Round-trip: UI → Scene → Manual Adjustment → UI → Generation

Performance Considerations

• Uses anti-aliasing (8x MSAA) for high-quality results
• Processes prefabs one at a time to avoid memory issues
• Cleans up resources after each render
• Shows progress bar during batch processing
• Temporary scene isolation prevents interference with main project

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"No prefabs found" message

• Check that your input folder path is correct
• Verify your prefab name prefix matches your actual prefab names
• Make sure prefabs are actually in the specified folder (not subfolders)

"Generate Icons" button disabled

• Ensure input folder is selected and valid
• Verify output folder is selected
• Check that prefab name prefix is not empty
• Look at Console for debug messages

Icons generated in wrong format

• Check Export Format dropdown in Output Settings
• PNG recommended for most use cases
• TGA for professional/engine pipelines

Missing size variants

• Verify additional sizes are added in Output Settings
• Check output folder for files with size suffixes
• Ensure sufficient disk space for multiple large files

Black icons instead of transparent

• Ensure background color alpha is set to 0
• Check that your materials support transparency
• Verify render texture format supports alpha channel

Scene mockup not working

• Ensure you have an active scene open
• Check Console for error messages
• Try closing and reopening the tool window

Objects appear too small/large

• Enable "Auto Fit" for automatic scaling
• Adjust "Object Scale" manually
• Use scene mockup to visually adjust camera position/FOV
• Modify point light positions for better illumination

Poor lighting/shadows

• Use "Setup Scene Mockup" to visually adjust lighting
• Add point lights for accent lighting
• Adjust main light and fill light directions and intensities
• Use "Capture Preview" to test lighting before batch generation

Performance Tips

• Process prefabs in smaller batches if you have memory constraints
• Close other Unity windows during generation to free up resources
• Use lower icon resolutions (128x128) for faster processing during testing
• Use scene mockup and preview to perfect settings before batch processing

Workflow Tips

Lighting & Visual Setup:

• Start with lighting presets - Choose Studio, Dramatic, or Product Shot for instant professional results
• Use scene mockup extensively to get visual feedback on your setup
• Use capture preview extensively to test different lighting configurations
• Iterate quickly with the preset → mockup → preview → adjust cycle
• Combine presets with manual adjustments - Start with a preset, then fine-tune manually

Output & Format Management:

• Start with size planning - Choose main size and variants based on your target platforms
• Use PNG for most projects - Better compression and wider compatibility
• Consider TGA for game engines - Uncompressed format preferred by many engines
• Generate complete icon sets - Add common variants (64x64, 128x128, 256x256, 512x512, 1024x1024)
• Test file sizes - Large variants (2048x2048+) create substantial files
• Organize output by format - Consider separate folders for PNG vs TGA exports

Project Organization:

• Save configurations for different asset types - Create "WeaponIcons.json", "ArmorIcons.json", etc.
• Share configurations with your team for consistent visual style across projects
• Test with one prefab first before running full batch generation

Version History

See CHANGELOG.md for detailed version history.

Support

For issues, feature requests, or contributions, please visit the GitHub repository.

License

This tool is provided as-is for educational and commercial use. See the repository for specific license terms.