Understanding Unity’s ECS Architecture
Document Type
Conference Proceeding
Publication Date
1-10-2026
Abstract
Previous research has shown that the data-oriented programming paradigm offers a multitude of performance benefits over the traditional object-oriented paradigm. In particular, the entity component system (ECS) design pattern provides multi-threading capabilities, optimal memory utilization, and a means of separating data from logic from a data-oriented approach. This research is focused on the implementation of a flight simulator that uses a simple flight dynamic model (FDM) using Unity’s new Data-Oriented Technology Stack (DOTS) package. In this simulation, we implement a flight simulator using the ECS design pattern, but also make use of some of the more traditional, object-oriented approaches native to the Unity development platform.
Source Publication
CCIS Volume 2723: AI Revolution: Research, Ethics and Society (AI-RES 2025)
Recommended Citation
Martin, B., Hodson, D., Merkle, L. (2026). Understanding Unity’s ECS Architecture. In: Arabnia, H.R., Deligiannidis, L., Amirian, S., Ghareh Mohammadi, F., Shenavarmasouleh, F. (eds) AI Revolution: Research, Ethics and Society. AIR-RES 2025. Communications in Computer and Information Science, vol 2723. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-032-13056-3_39
Comments
© The Authors, under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2026.
This conference paper was presented at AI-RES 25 in April 2025.
The full paper is accessible from Springer by subscription or purchase using the DOI link below.
Co-author B. Martin was an AFIT graduate student at the time of the conference.