Hello! If you're here, you are either a current user of SAM - The Streamable Assets Manager or a prospective user. Either way, welcome!
While this documentation is primarily intended for existing users, prospective users are free to peruse it at their leisure. If you cannot find the information you are looking for, please don't hesitate to reach out to us via one of the methods listed on our Contact page (though we recommend our Discord server above all else).
For existing users, we encourage you to read through the introductory Getting Started Tutorial Chapter of this Guide, as it will provide step by step instructions for getting the Streamable Assets Manager up and running.
There is also a Scene Conversion Tutorial Chapter, however we suggest taking a look at this Chapter after reading through the Getting Started Tutorial Chapter.
Both of these Chapters are intended to be used with your existing scene(s), however if you currently don't have a scene to work through the Tutorials with, you can download the Sample Package from the Sample Packages Page, which includes an example scene that you can use while working through the tutorials. This example scene is called 5_Pre_SAM_Example_Scene and can be found in the Assets/Deep Space Labs/SAM/Samples/SampleScenes/BasicConcepts folder after importing the package.
For existing users, do keep in mind that we have provided a tremendous amount of knowledge in the Inspectors themselves for various components/assets, via Tooltips.
Simply look out for an asterisk symbol (*) at the end of a Settings Label and hover over that label for detailed information about the Setting. Because this information is already located in a convenient location, we have endeavored not to repeat that information in this documentation in order to avoid redundancy.
This Documentation is primarily focused on Setup and Concepts rather than on detailing every setting that exist, as overviews of most settings are provided in the Tooltips. However, if you cannot find the information you need within the Tooltips, this is your next best resource! In fact, if you see a button with a ? in the inspector, it will typically open this documentation to the Chapter/Section detailing information related to a component or setting.
Keep in mind that this documentation was recently generated from the previously used In-Editor Guide, so it may currently be lacking images and other visual aids (because those were not supported by the Editor Guide). We will be slowly adding these as time goes on, so please bear with us. If you believe that some piece of information is confusing and a visual aid is needed, please don't hesitate to reach out and tell us!
Most Sections within each Chapter contain a convenient button at the top titled Open API For Section Content In Browser. This button will take you to the API page that best matches the Section you are viewing, though you may also find additional links to specific classes/methods.
Our library of YouTube videos is currently quite small, containing just a single General Overview Video and a Getting Started Tutorial video. Unfortunately, tutorial videos get outpaced by development quickly, so we will likely be removing the Getting Started Tutorial Video soon and directing users to the Documentation instead. As such, we really only recommend the Getting Started Tutorial Video for prospective users who want to get a feel for how SAM functions.
In the future, YouTube Videos will focus on highlighting/discussing specific features. We hope to start adding these types of videos soon!
If you are someone that learns better by following pre-made sample scenes, we implore you to check out the ever growing library of Sample Scenes found in the Sample Packages Page. These Sample Scenes currently cover some of the more basic SAM concepts, but more will be added in the future!
The Samples Package also contains an example scene that you can use while working through the Getting Started and Scene Conversion Tutorials, for users who do not have any existing scenes to work with. This example scene is called 5_Pre_SAM_Example_Scene and can be found in the Assets/Deep Space Labs/SAM/Samples/SampleScenes/BasicConcepts folder after importing the package.
In addition to this Documentation, we have a comprehensive Public API available for users who wish to interact with SAM using scripting or extend certain components and Scriptable Assets.
If you find a bug, have a suggestion, or simply feel that this Documentation is lacking, please don't hesitate to use the Feedback link at the top of each Documentation Page, which will take you to the Contact page with the Chapter and Section of the documentation pre-filled in the contact form.
The Contact Page also has additional ways of contact us us listed. Feel free to use any method that you prefer!
--Special Note--
For more in-depth aid, your Invoice Number is required, so it is suggested to include that with your support requests (on the forums and Discord, provide this number separate from your support requests via a private or direct message, so as not to share this info with other parties).
If you have purchased SAM, you can become a Beta Tester by requesting it via one of the Contact methods and sending your Invoice Number for verification (Invoice Number should be sent privately!).
While testing and providing feedback is extremely helpful, at this time we are not enforcing any sort of testing/feedback requirements, and the invitation to become a Beta Tester is open to all customers (this may change in the future). As such, this is a great way to get access to updates faster than non-Beta Testers, who have to wait for Asset Store updates.
Now that all of the fluff is out of the way, I think we are ready to begin! If you are new or just a curious human being, please continue on to the Product Description Section, where you can read up on what SAM is and what it's capable of. You might also like to check out the Product Reference Sheet Section, which contains a complete breakdown of all of the game objects, components, assets, and commands available with SAM. Otherwise, you can proceed to the Where To Begin Section!