Scriptable Factory

The Scriptable Factory system is a ScriptableObject-based factory and object pooling framework for Unity. It provides a centralized pattern for defining, registering, spawning, despawning, and pooling game objects with support for data-driven variants and field-level overrides.

Architecture

Data Flow

Key Concepts

Concept	Description
ScriptableFactoryRegistry	Singleton ScriptableObject that auto-discovers and stores all ScriptableFactory assets in the project. Central lookup point.
ScriptableFactoryManager	Singleton MonoBehaviour that initializes all factories at runtime, creates monitors, and manages lifecycle.
ScriptableFactoryMonitor	MonoBehaviour attached to each factory's runtime GameObject, enabling Inspector inspection of factory state.
ScriptableFactoryDatabase	Generic singleton for game-specific factory lookups by hash code. Subclass per factory type.
FactorableData	Abstract record base class for serializable data attached to factory objects. Supports deep/shallow copying.
FactorableDataUtility	Internal utility for creating deep and shallow copies of FactorableData using Odin serialization.

System Lifecycle

1. Editor time: ScriptableFactoryRegistry.Initialize() runs via [InitializeOnLoadMethod], scanning all ScriptableFactory assets and populating the registry.

2. Runtime startup: ScriptableFactoryManager.Start() initializes all registered factories (creates GameObjects, parents them), creates ScriptableFactoryMonitor components, then calls Start() on each factory.

3. Runtime usage: Game code spawns/despawns objects through factory instances retrieved from the registry or a ScriptableFactoryDatabase.

4. Application quit: ScriptableFactoryManager.OnApplicationQuit() calls OnQuit() on all factories for cleanup.

Quick Start

Retrieving a Factory

// Via registry (by type)
var factories = ScriptableFactoryRegistry.GetAllFactoriesOfType<MyFactory>();

// Via database (by hash)
var factory = MyDatabase.GetFactory(factoryHashCode);

Creating a Custom Database

[SingletonSettings(AssetPath = "My Factory Database")]
public class MyDatabase : ScriptableFactoryDatabase<MyDatabase, MyFactory>
{
}

Classes

Class	Description
ScriptableFactoryRegistry	Central registry of all factory assets
ScriptableFactoryManager	Runtime lifecycle manager for factories
ScriptableFactoryMonitor	Inspector monitor component for factories
ScriptableFactoryDatabase	Generic hash-based factory lookup
FactorableData	Abstract record base for factory object data
FactorableDataUtility	Deep/shallow copy utility for data records