Quick Start Guide

This guide will help you get up and running with Nexus Graph - Unity Architecture Guard in minutes.

1. Installation

1. Import the Nexus Graph package into your Unity project.
2. The tool will automatically check for required dependencies (e.g., Addressables).
   • If missing, a “Install Dependencies” option may appear or check the Console/Tools menu.
   • You can manually verify via Tools > Nexus Graph > Install Dependencies.

2. Launching the Tool

To open the main visualization window:

1. Go to the top menu bar in Unity.
2. Select Tools > Nexus Graph > Open Architect Guard.
3. The Nexus Graph window will appear. Dock it anywhere in your layout (recommended: a large area or full screen for complex graphs).

3. Scanning Your Project

When the window opens, the graph might be empty. To generate the dependency graph:

1. Click the Refresh Graph button in the window’s toolbar.
2. The tool will scan your Assets folder, detecting scripts, prefabs, scenes, and assemblies.
3. Nodes will appear, connected by lines representing dependencies (references).

Note: The scan ignores Editor folders and Resources by default to focus on runtime architecture, though this may vary based on configuration.

4. Visualizing the Graph

Navigation

• Zoom: Use the Scroll Wheel.
• Pan: Middle Mouse Button or Alt + Drag.
• Select: Click a node to view details in the bottom-left panel.

Understanding the Nodes

Different asset types are visualized distinctively:

• Scripts: Standard nodes.
• Assemblies (.asmdef): Visualized to show module boundaries.
• Scenes: distinct style.
• Prefabs: distinct style.
• Addressables: Nodes marked as Addressable have a Cyan border.

Analysis Modes

The toolbar offers several modes to analyze your architecture:

• Show Cycles: Highlights circular dependencies (e.g., A -> B -> A) with a Red border.
• Toggle Heatmap: Thickens node borders based on usage (Reference Count).
  • Yellow Border: “Hot” nodes with high fan-in (>10 references).
• Check Rules: Runs the Architecture Guard validation (see Architecture Guard).

5. Cleaning Up

Use Find Unused Assets (if available in your version) to identify assets that are not referenced by any scenes or other assets in the graph score.