Paint GameObjects as tiles

To paint GameObjects instead of tiles onto a tilemap grid, use the GameObject brush in the Tile Palette window.

Follow these steps:

  1. Open the Tile Palette window.

  2. In the Brush Inspector section at the bottom, set the brush to GameObject Brush.

  3. Open the Cells dropdown, then open the Element 0 dropdown.

  4. Drag the GameObject you want to paint with from the Hierarchy window to the Game Object field.

    Note: The GameObject must be a child of the active grid.

  5. Select the Paint with Active Brush () tool.

  6. Paint onto the Scene view. Unity creates a new instance of the GameObject in the Hierarchy window for each cell you draw.

To add GameObjects to the top level of the Hierarchy window instead of making them children of the active grid, in the Tile Palette window, set the active tilemap to (Paint on Scene Root).

GameObject brush Inspector window properties

Cells

The Cells section lists the GameObjects the brush paints with.

Each GameObject has its own Element section. The number of GameObjects depends on the Size property.

Property Sub-property Description
Number N/A The number of the GameObject, for example Element 0.
N/A Game Object Sets the GameObject the brush paints with. To select a GameObject, drag it from the Hierarchy window, or select the picker (⊙).
N/A Offset Sets the position the brush paints the GameObject, relative to its element position. For example, (0.5, 0.5, 0) paints the GameObject half a cell to the right and up.
N/A Scale Sets the scale of the GameObject. The default is (1, 1, 1), which is the size of one tilemap cell.
N/A Orientation Sets the rotation of the GameObject.
Add (+) N/A Adds a new Element.
Remove (-) N/A Clears an Element. Select the element, then select Remove.

Other properties

Property Description
Size Sets the size of the grid of GameObjects to draw. For example, if you set X to 2 and Y to 3, Unity paints with a 2 × 3 grid of GameObjects. Each GameObject has its own Element field.
Pivot Sets which GameObject in the grid Unity centers where you click to draw.
Anchor Sets the position of the GameObjects relative to the bottom-left of the tilemap cell. The default is (0.5, 0.5, 0), which is the center of the cell.
Lock Z Position Locks all the GameObjects you paint to the z position of the GameObject.
Scene View Z Position Paints the GameObject at this z position. This property is available only if you disable Lock Z Position.
Palette Z Position Paints the GameObject at this z position in the tile palette. This property is available only if you disable Lock Z Position.

Scene Root Grid

The properties in this section are available only if you set the active tilemap to (Paint on Scene Root).

Property Description
Cell Size Sets the size of the cells in the grid.
Cell Gap Sets the gap between cells.
Cell Layout Sets the layout of the cells. The options are:
  • Rectangle: Lays out the cells as a rectangular grid.
  • Hexagon: Lays out the cells as a hexagonal grid.
  • Isometric: Lays out the cells as an isometric grid.
  • Isometric Z as Y: Lays out the cells as an isometric grid, where each tile has a z value that represents its 3D height.
Cell Swizzle Changes the orientation of the grid. The options are:
  • XYZ: Leaves the x, y, and z values unchanged.
  • XZY: Swaps the y and z values. This usually means the grid lies on the ground.
  • YXZ: Swaps the x and y values.
  • YZX: Shuffles all three values. This usually means the grid lies flat.
  • ZXY: Shuffles all three values. This usually means the grid faces to the right.
  • ZYX: Reverses the values.

Additional resources