AssetCollection

AssetCollection loads assets from AssetBundles embedded in your mod assembly.

Namespace:

using StellarModdingAPI.Assets;

Creating an AssetCollection

Rather than listing asset names manually, mark each asset key as a constant with the [AssetKey] attribute, then load them all at once with AssetCollection.LoadFrom<T>():

public sealed class Mod : StellarMelonMod
{
    public static AssetCollection? Assets { get; private set; }

    [AssetKey] public const string PottedPlantKey = "PottedPlant";
    [AssetKey] public const string PottedPlantThumbnailKey = "PottedPlantThumbnail";

    public override void LoadAssets()
    {
        Assets = AssetCollection.LoadFrom<Mod>(logger: LoggerInstance);
    }
}

LoadFrom<T>() scans T for members marked with [AssetKey], pulls their string values as the asset names to load, and infers the assembly from T automatically — no need to pass MelonAssembly.Assembly or build the key array yourself.

In this example:

• PottedPlant is a GameObject prefab.
• PottedPlantThumbnail is a Texture2D image.

A logger isn't required. If you don't provide one, AssetCollection simply won't log anything, but it will still load assets normally.

Note

LoadAssets() is called by the framework at the appropriate point in the mod lifecycle, so you don't need to worry about ordering it after OnLateInitializeMelon yourself — just do your asset loading inside the LoadAssets() override, not in the constructor or OnInitializeMelon.

Manual loading

If your asset keys aren't declared on the type you're loading from (for example, loading assets defined in a different class, or assembling the key list dynamically), you can call the explicit overload instead:

Assets = AssetCollection.LoadFrom(
    assembly: MelonAssembly.Assembly,
    assetKeys: AssetUtilities.ExtractKeysFrom<Mod>(),
    logger: LoggerInstance
);

This is equivalent to LoadFrom<Mod>(logger: LoggerInstance) and mainly useful for these edge cases — for a typical mod, prefer the generic shorthand above.

Loading Assets

After creating an AssetCollection, assets can be retrieved using:

Assets.GetAsset<T>("AssetName")

Example:

GameObject prefab = Assets.GetAsset<GameObject>(Mod.PottedPlantKey);

Texture2D thumbnail = Assets.GetAsset<Texture2D>(Mod.PottedPlantThumbnailKey);

The generic type should match the Unity asset type being loaded. Referencing the [AssetKey] constant (rather than retyping the string) avoids typos and keeps the key defined in one place.

Asset Requirements

Assets must:

• Be included in an AssetBundle
• Have a unique asset name
• Be marked with [AssetKey] on the type passed to LoadFrom<T>() (or included in the assetKeys collection, for manual loading)

If an asset cannot be found, AssetCollection will log an error and return null.

Supported Asset Types

AssetCollection can load any Unity Object stored in an AssetBundle.

Examples:

Type	Usage
GameObject	Part prefabs and models
Texture2D	Build menu thumbnails and textures
Material	Custom materials
AudioClip	Custom audio

Note

As said before, those are examples, not every supported asset type!