baker-depends-on

Baker DependsOn — Dependency Registration

Intent

Register all data sources a Baker reads via Baker API methods so the baking system reruns the Baker when any of those sources change, enabling correct incremental live-baking.

Use When

Any Baker that reads assets, sibling components, referenced GameObjects, ScriptableObjects, or nested asset data beyond the primary authoring MonoBehaviour.

Avoid When

There is no "avoid when" — if you read it, register it. Unregistered reads produce stale baked data that is silent and hard to diagnose.

Senior Pattern

• Use GetComponent<T>(gameObject) instead of authoring.GetComponent<T>() — Baker API method registers the dependency implicitly.
• Use DependsOn(asset) for any asset reference (Mesh, Texture, ScriptableObject, etc.) read in the Baker.
• Register DependsOn BEFORE the null check — a null asset may mean "deleted from disk"; the dependency must be registered so the Baker reruns when it is restored.
• Chain DependsOn for nested asset references: DependsOn(authoring.Info); DependsOn(authoring.Info.Mesh);
• Do NOT call DependsOn in a BakingSystem — not supported and silently ignored.

Code Template

public override void Bake(MeshConfigAuthoring authoring)
{
    // Register BEFORE null check
    DependsOn(authoring.SourceMesh);
    DependsOn(authoring.Config);
    if (authoring.Config != null)
        DependsOn(authoring.Config.Material);  // nested dependency

    if (authoring.SourceMesh == null || authoring.Config == null)
        return;

    // GetComponent registers transform dependency implicitly
    var parentTransform = GetComponent<Transform>(authoring.ReferenceGO);

    var entity = GetEntity(TransformUsageFlags.None);
    AddComponent(entity, new MeshConfig
    {
        Scale = authoring.Config.Scale,
        Offset = parentTransform.localPosition
    });
}

Anti-Patterns

• Reading authoring.transform directly instead of GetComponent<Transform>() — dependency bypassed, Baker won't rerun on transform change.
• Calling DependsOn after a null-guard early return — if the asset is currently null, the dependency is never registered and won't trigger rebaking when the asset is restored.
• Accessing authoring.someScriptableObject.Field without DependsOn(authoring.someScriptableObject) — SO changes are invisible to the baking system.