The more I create C# scripts in Unity the more I learn about optimising those scripts. With code there are 100s of ways to solve a problem, not all of them efficient, so learning to check your codes performance seems like a must.

Things to look for

So far I’ve come across a few simple things to look out for on the projects I’ve been coding. I’ll post more as I come across them in future.

• Anything that’s called every frame creates consistent load on the CPU, GPU or both. If what’s called is inefficient or large it will have a negative effect on frame rate. In VR this is particular bad given low frame rates can make your user physically sick. Be sure to look at what’s in the Update and FixedUpdate methods and do your best to optimise the code as much as possible.
• Working on mobile we will almost always be maxing out the graphics capability of the device. This effects the performance of the Update method. On the other hand FixedUpdated runs in sync with Unity’s physics engine. This will make sure your physics will be the most accurate and consistent. FixedUpdate is called every “physics step”, so is regularly used for adjusting physics (rigid body) objects. Make sure you always put your physics code in FixedUpdate.
• Avoid using GameObject.Find. It basically requires the system to cycle through all of the GameObjects in the game to find the right one, which obviously is expensive for the CPU. If you know what object we are using ahead of time, define the object at the top of the script and reference it that way. GameObject.Find is useful for testing out ideas, but that’s about it.