A Unity app that visualizes sorting algorithms as a row of 3D bars. It cycles through each algorithm in turn, showing the name of the current sort along with running comparison and swap counts and elapsed time.
Built with Unity 2019.2.8f1.
Written in 2020. Archived to GitHub in 2026.
The algorithms don't animate anything directly. Each one sorts a plain int[] to completion first
and records what it did, and the scene replays that recording afterwards.
A SortingInterface subclass sorts the array, calling CompareGT, CompareLT and AddSwap as it
goes. Each of those appends a SortingStatsEntry holding the operation type, the indices involved,
the resulting values, and a Stopwatch reading in milliseconds. Once the sort finishes, SortManager
walks that list one entry per frame, recoloring the bars involved and applying any swapped values.
Splitting it this way keeps each sort readable as ordinary code, with no coroutines or yields mixed into the logic. It also means the reported timings measure the sort itself rather than the frame rate it gets drawn at.
During playback a comparison flashes the bars cyan and a swap flashes them red, after which they fade back to the default color. When the array is fully sorted it sweeps green before the next algorithm starts.
Bars are cube instances whose Y scale comes from their value (see Element.SetValue), laid out along
the X axis. CameraHelper frames the whole array by encapsulating the bounds of every child renderer,
so the view adjusts to whatever element count is set.
Quick, Bubble, Bubble (optimized), Shell, Insertion, Selection, Sleep, and Bogo.
SleepSort is a working implementation of the joke algorithm. It starts one coroutine per element,
each waiting a number of frames proportional to its value before writing itself back to the array.
Bogo Sort is implemented and can be selected, but the auto-cycling queue skips it, since it would stall the demo indefinitely.
These use the same interface as the sorts, so the scramble is animated too.
| Mode | Effect |
|---|---|
Shuffle |
Randomly permutes an already-ordered array |
InverseRamp |
Reverses the array, which is the worst case for most of these sorts |
Randomize |
Assigns each slot a fresh random value |
- Space: skip to the next algorithm
- Dropdown: choose the starting arrangement, which restarts the current sort
On the SortManager component:
| Field | Default | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
m_ElementCount |
100 | Number of bars |
m_MaxHeight |
10 | World-space height of the largest bar |
m_ValuesType |
LinearShuffled |
Starting arrangement |
m_DefaultElementColor |
n/a | Color bars fade back to after a highlight |