Problem when flipping a 2D sprite in Unity

Question

I have a 2D character that can move left and right and jump. the character's original sprite is from left to right (head in the right direction). when the character moves backwards, it turns the sprite to the left, but when this happens, the Box collider (green box) responsible for collisions becomes misaligned from the character. I need that when the sprite is flipped, it stays in the same place without leaving the Box collider. How to fix this? note: I am using the SpriteRenderer.flipX property to flip the sprite.

Normal sprite

Flipped sprite

(note that the green box, the collider, is a little bit misaligned from the sprite)

I already tried multiplying transform.localScale.x by -1, but that created another problem.

Answer 1

To fix the issue, you need to adjust the Pivot point of your sprite. The Pivot point is the point around which the sprite rotates or flips.

Here's how to do it:

1. Select your sprite in the Hierarchy panel.
2. In the Inspector window, find the Sprite Renderer component.
3. Click on the Sprite Editor button next to the Sprite field.
4. In the Sprite Editor window, you'll see a white circle representing the Pivot point.
5. Drag the Pivot point to the center of your sprite (or the point where you want the sprite to flip around).
6. Click Apply to save the changes.

Now, when you flip the sprite using SpriteRenderer.flipX, the sprite should flip around the Pivot point, and the Box Collider should stay aligned with the sprite.

Alternatively, you can also adjust the Pivot point programmatically by setting the SpriteRenderer.pivot property. However, using the Sprite Editor is a more visual and intuitive approach.

As for multiplying transform.localScale.x by -1, it's not the recommended approach in this case, as it can cause other issues with your sprite's rotation and positioning.