Tilemap
The Tilemap component is a system which stores and handles Tile Assets for creating 2D levels. It transfers the required information from the Tiles placed on it to other related components such as the Tilemap Renderer and the Tilemap Collider 2D.
Use this component with the Grid component, or a parent Grid GameObject, to lay out Tiles on the associated Grid. When creating a Tilemap (menu: GameObject > 2D Object > Tilemap), Unity automatically creates a Grid GameObject and sets it as the parent of a child Tilemap GameObject.
To modify and place Tiles onto a Tilemap, open the Tile Palette (menu: Window > 2D > Tile Palette). Refer to the documentation on Tile Palette and Painting Tilemaps for more information.
| Property | Function |
|---|---|
| Animation Frame Rate | The rate at which Unity plays Tile animations. Increasing or decreasing this changes the speed by the equivalent factor (for example, if you set this to 2, Unity plays Tile animations at double the speed). |
| Color | Tints the Tiles on this Tilemap with the selected Color. When set to white, Unity renders the Tiles with no tint. |
| Tile Anchor | The anchoring offset of a Tile on this Tilemap. Adjust the position values to offset the cell position of the Tile on the associated Grid. |
| Orientation | The orientation of Tiles on the Tilemap. Use this if you need to orientate Tiles on a specific plane (particularly in a 3D view). |
| XY | Unity orients tiles on the XY plane. |
| XZ | Unity orients tiles on the XZ plane. |
| YX | Unity orients tiles on the YX plane. |
| YZ | Unity orients tiles on the YZ plane. |
| ZX | Unity orients tiles on the ZX plane. |
| ZY | Unity orients tiles on the ZY plane. |
| Custom | Unity lays out tiles based on the custom orientation matrix settings set by the parameters below, which become editable when you select this option. |
| Position | Displays the position offset of the current orientation matrix. You can only edit this property when the Tilemap’s Orientation is set to Custom. |
| Rotation | Rotation of the current orientation matrix. You can only edit this property when the Tilemap’s Orientation is set to Custom. |
| Scale | Scale of the current orientation matrix. You can only edit this property when the Tilemap’s Orientation is set to Custom. |
Tilemap Workflow
Below is the general workflow to create and paint a Tilemap:
- Create a Tilemap GameObjectThe fundamental object in Unity scenes, which can represent characters, props, scenery, cameras, waypoints, and more. A GameObject’s functionality is defined by the Components attached to it. More info
See in Glossary. A Grid GameObject is also created automatically in the process. - Create Tile Assets directly, or generate Tiles from SpritesA 2D graphic objects. If you are used to working in 3D, Sprites are essentially just standard textures but there are special techniques for combining and managing sprite textures for efficiency and convenience during development. More info
See in Glossary. - Create a Tile Palette with selected Tile Assets.
- Paint on a Tilemap with your Tile Palette.
- Optionally, attach the Tilemap Collider component to your Tilemaps to have them interact with Physics2D.
Unity also supports specialized types of Tilemaps such as Hexagonal and Isometric Tilemaps. Refer to the documentation on their respective pages for their specific workflows.
2D extras in GitHub
You can download examples of scripted TilesA simple class that allows a sprite to be rendered on a Tilemap. More info
See in Glossary and Brushes from the 2D Extra GitHub repository. Example projects with these scripted GameObjects are availalbe in the 2D Techdemos Github repository. For descriptions of the different scriptsA piece of code that allows you to create your own Components, trigger game events, modify Component properties over time and respond to user input in any way you like. More info
See in Glossary and usage information, refer to the README.md for each repository.
- Isometric Tilemap functionality added in Unity 2018.3 NewIn20183
- Hexagonal Tilemap functionality added in Unity 2018.2 NewIn20182
- Tilemaps added in 2017.2 NewIn20172
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