scroll background

 Here's how to make a scrolling background/plane in Unity:

Method 1: Scrolling Texture (Material UV Offset) — Best for 2D backgrounds

using UnityEngine;

public class ScrollingBackground : MonoBehaviour
{
    public float scrollSpeedX = 0.5f;
    public float scrollSpeedY = 0f;

    private Renderer rend;

    void Start()
    {
        rend = GetComponent<Renderer>();
    }

    void Update()
    {
        float offsetX = Time.time * scrollSpeedX;
        float offsetY = Time.time * scrollSpeedY;
        rend.material.mainTextureOffset = new Vector2(offsetX, offsetY);
    }
}

Setup: Attach this script to your Plane/Quad. Make sure the material's texture Wrap Mode is set to Repeat in the texture import settings.

---

Method 2: Moving the Object (Looping Plane) — Good for 3D ground scrolling

using UnityEngine;

public class LoopingGround : MonoBehaviour
{
    public float speed = 5f;
    public float resetPositionZ = -20f;  // when to reset
    public float startPositionZ = 20f;   // where to reset to

    void Update()
    {
        transform.Translate(Vector3.back * speed * Time.deltaTime);

        if (transform.position.z <= resetPositionZ)
        {
            Vector3 pos = transform.position;
            pos.z = startPositionZ;
            transform.position = pos;
        }
    }
}

Tip: Use two planes side by side so there's no visible gap when one resets.

---

Method 3: Parallax Scrolling (2D Camera-Based)

using UnityEngine;

public class ParallaxBackground : MonoBehaviour
{
    public float parallaxFactor = 0.5f; // 0 = moves with camera, 1 = fixed
    private Transform cam;
    private Vector3 lastCamPos;

    void Start()
    {
        cam = Camera.main.transform;
        lastCamPos = cam.position;
    }

    void Update()
    {
        Vector3 delta = cam.position - lastCamPos;
        transform.position += new Vector3(delta.x * parallaxFactor, delta.y * parallaxFactor, 0);
        lastCamPos = cam.position;
    }
}

---

Quick Summary

Method	Best For	Notes
UV Offset	2D/3D textured scroll	Seamless, very performant
Moving Object	3D endless runner	Needs 2+ planes to loop
Parallax	2D side-scrollers	Creates depth effect

For most cases, Method 1 (UV Offset) is the simplest and most performant option. Just make sure your texture's Wrap Mode is set to Repeat.