Prefabs Workflow - Changing models in a 3D app after they have been used in a prefab

Question

Hi, I'd like to know what's the right workflow and how to use Prefabs for writing Unity games where its used meshes get updated by modelers (using Maya) while the game is developed in Unity.

I've got the following problem:

I build a model in Maya
I import the .mb file in Unity
I drag it from Project pane into Hierarchy pane
Create in the Project pane a Prefab
Drag the top level object from Hierarchy pane onto prefab in Project Pane
I (or any modeler) change the model in Maya and overwrite the model in the Asset folder

Now in the Project pane are two models: the one I originally imported and the prefab. After updating the model in Maya, the original model in the project pane changes (I can see the changes made to the model in the small preview window), but the prefab doesn't get updated, nor does the object in the Scene View (in the Hierarchy pane respectively).

How can we change geometries already in use by the Unity project afterwards?

Answer 1

Answer by sigsom · Oct 25, 2012 at 10:32 AM

Bump as I also have to spend hours rebuilding prefabs

Add comment · Share

Answer 2

Answer by agenda · Apr 16, 2013 at 08:31 PM

i have been searching for a solution to this, and only following workaround satisfied me. do not use prefabs, or limit use as much as posible.

fix: i place a imported unaltered model in the scene and set behavior at runtime by script, when loading game! this "saves" the connection between the model in the 3dprogram, and the model in scene! so when i add a bumper to my car in the 3dprogram, it updates in unity on every instance of the model in a scene.

Add comment · Share

Answer 3

Answer by alxqs · Jun 03, 2013 at 02:13 AM

This is some awful pipeline mess we got here.

Add comment · Share

Answer 4

Answer by ayanpike · Jun 24, 2016 at 05:06 AM

How DARE these horrible people release such a terrible, unusable program and TRICK PEOPLE into paying for it.

Add comment · Share

Prefabs Workflow - Changing models in a 3D app after they have been used in a prefab

9 Replies

Your answer

Welcome to Unity Answers

Follow this Question

Related Questions