Dependency Detective

Location: Tools -> Nexus Graph -> Visualizers -> Dependency Detective

The Dependency Detective is a forensic analysis tool designed to answer one specific question:

“Why is this asset being included in my build?”

The Problem

You spot HugeTexture.png in your specific build log, but you aren’t sure which Scene or Prefab is actually referencing it. It might be referenced by a Material, which is referenced by a Prefab, which is referenced by a ScriptableObject, which is in a “Resources” folder.

Validating the Chain

The Detective finds the Shortest Path from a “Root” to your target.

Usage

  1. Open Dependency Detective.
  2. Drag the suspicious asset (e.g., HugeTexture) into the “Target Field”.
  3. The tool calculates the dependency chain backwards.

Interpretation

Result: MainMenu.unity -> UI_Logo_Prefab -> LogoMaterial -> HugeTexture

This confirms that HugeTexture is loaded because MainMenu.unity is included in the build settings. To remove the texture, you must break the link at LogoMaterial or UI_Logo_Prefab.

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