Guides Assets & Media Import Assets and Configure Import Settings

Assets & Media 1 min read Updated Apr 2026

Import Assets and Configure Import Settings

This guide covers the asset import workflow in the Lenga editor.

Use it when you want to:

  • bring files into your project from Finder or your file system
  • control how imported textures should render
  • choose whether an audio file should behave like music or a sound effect
  • set default playback settings for imported 3D model assets

What Lenga Imports

Lenga imports these asset categories into the Assets panel:

  • textures and sprite sheets
  • audio clips
  • 3D model files
  • fonts
  • shaders
  • video files

Lenga metadata assets such as scenes, prefabs, tilesets, materials, skyboxes, and SDF fonts are authored inside the editor and stored as project files.

Import a File

There are two common ways to import:

  1. open the destination folder in the Assets panel, then click the Import button
  2. drag files from Finder and drop them onto a folder in the Assets panel

When a folder is a valid drop target, the editor highlights it so you can see where the file will land.

After import, the asset appears in the Assets panel and can be selected in the Inspector.

What Import Settings Are

Some raw assets have import settings. These are editor-managed settings that tell Lenga how to treat the original file.

Lenga provides import settings for:

  • texture assets
  • audio assets
  • 3D model assets

These settings are stored next to the imported asset in a hidden sidecar file and survive editor restarts.

On macOS, Linux, and other Unix-like systems, the sidecar filename starts with . so it stays hidden in normal file listings.

Lenga also maintains these sidecars for you:

  • renaming or moving an imported asset moves its sidecar with it
  • renaming or moving an asset also updates project asset references in supported authored asset files
  • deleting an imported asset deletes its sidecar too
  • refreshing or reopening a project cleans up orphaned sidecars and regenerates missing ones when possible

Open an Asset's Import Settings

  1. Select the imported asset in the Assets panel.
  2. Look at the Inspector.
  3. If the asset type supports import settings, you will see an Import Settings section.

Texture Import Settings

Texture assets support one important import choice:

  • Filter

Use:

  • Bilinear for smoother scaling
  • Point for crisp pixel-art style rendering

This affects how the texture is loaded in common sprite, UI, particle, and editor preview workflows.

Audio Import Settings

Audio assets support:

  • Usage

Choose:

  • Sound Effect
  • Music

This setting is used when the clip is first assigned to a fresh Audio Source.

Default behavior:

  • Sound Effect defaults to a non-looping clip
  • Music defaults to a looping clip that starts on awake

That gives new audio sources more useful starting values without forcing you to set the same properties repeatedly.

3D Model Import Settings

3D model assets support default animation playback values:

  • Play On Awake
  • Loop
  • Playback FPS
  • Speed

These defaults are applied when you assign the model to a fresh Model Renderer.

This is useful when you have imported model assets that should usually start playing immediately, loop by default, or run at a known playback speed.

Set Project-Wide Import Defaults

You can also define project defaults so newly imported assets start from a consistent baseline.

Open:

Project -> Project Settings...

Then use the Import Defaults section to configure:

  • the default 2D texture filter
  • the default audio usage
  • the default 3D model playback settings

These defaults are used when Lenga creates import settings for a newly imported asset.

Reimport an Asset

If you want Lenga to refresh an asset from disk:

  1. right-click the asset in the Assets panel
  2. choose Reimport

Reimport refreshes the asset database, clears editor-side caches, and reloads the asset from disk.

Limits to Keep in Mind

  • Import settings exist only for textures, audio, and 3D models.
  • Fonts, shaders, and video files import correctly, but they do not expose dedicated import settings.
  • If an asset is already in use in a scene, reimport is the safest way to refresh editor-side caches after changing its import settings.

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