ScriptableObject Singleton Setup

2025-05-27 13:36 UTC o4-mini-high Open in ChatGPT ↗

You

I want to create some sort of scriptable object singleton in Unity, for permanently storing crucial resources (compute shaders) that I need my script to fetch by reference, without relying on asset names etc.

Kind of like what Unity does with HDRP resources.

What’s the best way to implement it? Is there a better way maybe ?

ChatGPT

[Unsupported Content]

ChatGPT

[Unsupported Content]

ChatGPT

You can solve this quite cleanly by combining a tiny “generic ScriptableObject‐singleton” pattern with either the built-in Resources system (for simplicity) or the Addressables system (for true GUID-based referencing). Below are two approaches:

---

1. The “Resources + ScriptableObject Singleton” Pattern

1. Define your SO class

   using UnityEngine;
   
   public class ComputeShaderDatabase : ScriptableObject
   {
       private static ComputeShaderDatabase _instance;
   
       // 1) All your compute shaders as inspector fields:
       [Header("Your Compute Shaders")]
       public ComputeShader blitShader;
       public ComputeShader particleSim;
       public ComputeShader sdfGenerate;
       // …etc…
   
       /// <summary>
       /// Lazily loads the one-and-only instance from Resources/ComputeShaderDatabase.asset
       /// </summary>
       public static ComputeShaderDatabase Instance
       {
           get
           {
               if (_instance == null)
                   _instance = Resources.Load<ComputeShaderDatabase>("ComputeShaderDatabase");
               return _instance;
           }
       }
   }

2. Create the asset

   • In your Editor, right-click in a Resources folder → Create → Compute Shader Database (you can add a [CreateAssetMenu] attribute if you like).
   • Fill in all your shader references in the inspector.

3. Fetch anywhere

   var cs = ComputeShaderDatabase.Instance.particleSim;

Pros / Cons

• Pros: super simple; no async; direct references → no typos.
• Cons: you still have to call Resources.Load with the exact SO path; if you rename or move the asset you’ll need to update that string.

---

2. The “Addressables + ScriptableObject” Pattern

If you want zero string-based lookups (and true GUID-based assets), Addressables are the way to go:

1. Mark your SO as Addressable

   • Put your ComputeShaderDatabase.asset anywhere in your project.
   • In the Addressables window give it a unique address (e.g. "ComputeShaderDB").

2. Change your singleton to use Addressables

   using UnityEngine;
   using UnityEngine.AddressableAssets;
   using UnityEngine.ResourceManagement.AsyncOperations;
   using System.Threading.Tasks;
   
   public class ComputeShaderDatabase : ScriptableObject
   {
       private static ComputeShaderDatabase _instance;
   
       public static async Task<ComputeShaderDatabase> GetAsync()
       {
           if (_instance != null)
               return _instance;
   
           var handle = Addressables.LoadAssetAsync<ComputeShaderDatabase>("ComputeShaderDB");
           await handle.Task;
           _instance = handle.Result;
           return _instance;
       }
   
       // … your ComputeShader fields here …
   }

3. Usage

   async void Start()
   {
       var db = await ComputeShaderDatabase.GetAsync();
       var cs = db.sdfGenerate;
       // … use it …
   }

Pros / Cons

• Pros: you never type asset names or paths; Addressables uses the asset’s GUID under the hood → renaming or moving in your project won’t break anything.
• Cons: async pattern; slight Addressables overhead (though trivial for a single small SO).

---

Is there an even “better” way?

• If you already use a DI framework (Zenject, VContainer, etc.) you can bind your ComputeShaderDatabase as a singleton and inject it into any class that needs it—still using one of the above loading strategies under the hood.
• If you only ever need these shaders on start-up, you can preload the SO in a tiny bootstrapper scene/monobehaviour (so your gameplay code never sees any Load calls at all).
• For ultra-advanced workflows you can write an Editor post-processor that scans your project for any ComputeShaderDatabase assets, grabs its GUID, and auto‐generates a tiny static C# class with that GUID baked in—so your runtime code can do:

  AssetReference reference = new AssetReference(ComputeShaderDbGuidHolder.Guid);

  But Addressables already does exactly this for you.

---

Bottom line

– For 80% of projects, stick a [CreateAssetMenu] SO in a Resources folder and use the generic singleton above.
– If you hate any string‐based lookups and want proper GUID resolution, switch to Addressables and use an SO as your “database.”

Both patterns get you a single, reliable place to keep references to all your compute shaders, exactly like HDRP does with its defaultResources asset.