What is the "GetComponent" method in Unity?

In Unity, the GetComponent method is used to access and interact with the components attached to a GameObjects. Understanding how to use the GetComponent method is essential for changing different aspects of a GameObject.

GameObjects are the foundational objects that represent characters, props, and all objects inside a scene – every object in your game is a GameObject. 

Components are the modular pieces of functionality that can be added or removed from the GameObjects. These components define the behavior, appearance, and other aspects of the GameObjects.

How to use the GetComponent method

The GetComponent method requires specifying the type of the component you want to retrieve.

For example, if you want to access a Rigidbody component attached to the GameObject, the code will look like this. 

public Rigidbody rigidObject;
rigidObject = GetComponent<Rigidbody>();

Here,

  • Line 1: It declares a public variable named rigidObject of type Rigidbody.

  • Line 2: It assigns rigidObject the value returned by the GetComponent method, which retrieves the Rigidbody component from the current gameObject.

canvasAnimation-image

Benefits of using GetComponent method

The GetComponent method provides several advantages in Unity development, some of them are explained below.

  • Modularity and reusability: By utilizing components, Unity promotes a modular approach to game development. Components can be reused across different GameObjects which enables you to develop complex systems with ease.

  • Dynamic interaction: Since GetComponent is used during runtime, you can interact with the components based on conditions, user inputs, or other dynamic factors. It allows responsive and interactive game experiences.

  • Encapsulation and organization: Components allow developers to encapsulate specific functionality within separate units, making the codebase more organized and manageable.

  • Facilitates communication: Components enable communication between different GameObjects through C# scripts, allowing for collaborative and interactive game experiences to the users.

Sample project

A sample project is demonstrated here which uses GetComponent method to access the Renderer and Transform components of the GameObject. The values of these components are then changed whenever a GameObject is clicked.

Note: Click on each of the GameObject to see its color, angle, size, and position changing over time.

  • The project uses the C# script given below. 

using System.Collections;
using System.Collections.Generic;
using UnityEngine;
public class Controllers : MonoBehaviour
{
    public Renderer objectRenderer;
    public Transform objectTransform;
    void Start()
    {
      objectRenderer = GetComponent<Renderer>();
      objectTransform = GetComponent<Transform>();
    }
    void OnMouseDown()
    {
      // Change the color of the GameObject to a random color
      Color newColor = new Color(Random.value, Random.value, Random.value);
      objectRenderer.material.color = newColor;
      // Rotate the object by a random angle around the Y-axis
      float randomAngle = Random.Range(30f, 90f);
      objectTransform.Rotate(Vector3.up, randomAngle, Space.World);
      // Change the scale of the object to a random size
      float randomScale = Random.Range(0.5f, 2f);
      objectTransform.localScale = new Vector3(randomScale, randomScale, randomScale);
    }
}

Explanation

  • Lines 1–3: These lines make all the necessary imports.

  • Line 5: A class is declared named Controllers. It inherits methods from the class MonoBehaviour, a base class in Unity for scripts attached to the specific GameObjects.

  • Lines 7–8: These lines declare a public Renderer variable named objectRenderer and a public Transform variable named objectTransform.

  • Lines 9–13: The Start() function is called once when the specific event starts. The objectRenderer variable is assigned the Renderer component of the GameObject by using GetComponent<Renderer>(). Similarly, the objectTransform variable is assigned the Transform component of the GameObject using GetComponent<Transform>(). These lines access the required components.

  • Line 15: The OnMouseDown() function is triggered when the GameObject is clicked by the mouse.

  • Lines 18–19: The color of the GameObject material is changed to a random color which is generated using the Random.value function for each basic color (red, green, blue). The new color is then applied to the material using objectRenderer.material.color.

    • Random.value generates a random float value between 00 and 11. It is used here to create new color with RGB components.

  • Lines 22–23: The object is rotated around the y-axis by a random angle between 30∘30^\circand 90∘90^\circ
    using Random.Range(30f, 90f) and objectTransform.Rotate(Vector3.up, randomAngle, Space.World).

  • Lines 26–27: The scale of the object is changed to a random size between 0.50.5 and 22 using Random.Range(0.5f, 2f) and objectTransform.localScale.

import React from 'react';
require('./style.css');

import ReactDOM from 'react-dom';
import App from './app.js';

ReactDOM.render(
  <App />, 
  document.getElementById('root')
);
Sample project in which the GameObjects change size, color, position, and scale when clicked.
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