Architecting a scene containing 500 rotating Quads

This is strictly speaking a code optimization related question. I have an array of 500 float values that is constantly updating in realtime. There are 500 quads corresponding to these float values. Each one of these float values should directly effect(change the rotation of) its corresponding quad.

My question is, from a code runtime efficiency point of view, what is the BEST way of architecting this?

Should I use an eventmanager that each quad object subscribes to? Or should a forget events and keep a reference to every quad in the same class where the float values are updated? or??

 

Optimization is a hard game. Are you optimizing for memory, computation time, heat and power usage?

Assuming that your desire is a high framerate, then, if each float values update every frame, and you want those values reflected in the transform of each quad every frame, then the best you can do is to iterate over each quad and update its transform every frame. Some micro-optimizations will help, such as re-using a Quaternion for your inner loop. Pre-sorting the array by predictable branching values can also provide a boost.

Using events and delegates creates a lot of unnecessary overhead in this case.

 

From a rendering standpoint I would use a particle system to render the 500 quads. Then use http://docs.unity3d.com/ScriptReference/ParticleSystem.GetParticles.html
To get the particles and set the rotation in an Update loop.

 

You would want to avoid getparticles and just set them instead if that was your goal for speed. But i'd look at a compute shader or geometry shader. With a geometry shader you can create a vertex shader which will read vertex streams from this meaning you only need to update a list of points for positions and use vertex attribute to control rotations. This would be faster than shuriken by miles.

 

Thanks for the great info. kru> computation time.

Noob question> If I have all 500 Quads on my stage what is the easiest way of adding them to an array?
There is

Code (csharp):

1.  GameObject[] objects =GameObject.FindGameObjectsWithTag("myTag");

but I need these Quads to be in sequential order.
hippocoder, I'm a shader noob, any chance you could point me to examples using the compute or geometry shader solution you suggested?

 

maybe http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/po...based-geometry-shader-on-a-point-mesh.165446/ ?