Unity flipping a sprite

Question

I'm really new to using unity and C# so excuse me if this is a dumb question but I really haven't been able to figure it out..

I just want to flip my sprite in my 2D game but when I do that using localScale the location of the sprite changes too.

It's like this:

flipped right: | [sprite facing right]

flipped left: [sprite facing left] |

the "|" sign stays in one location in the game. Wow this is so hard to describe without pictures but I hope you can understand me. I can't post images because I'm new to the forum.

So the issue is: When I change the localScale the whole sprite moves and I don't understand why. Could someone please help me? Thanks in advance!

My code:

    private void HandleInput()
{
    if (Input.GetKey(KeyCode.D))
    {
        _normalizedHorizontalSpeed = 1;
        if (!_isFacingRight)
            Flip();
    }
    else if (Input.GetKey(KeyCode.A))
    {
        _normalizedHorizontalSpeed = -1;
        if (_isFacingRight)
            Flip();
    }
    else
    {
        _normalizedHorizontalSpeed = 0;
    }

    if(_controller.CanJump && Input.GetKeyDown(KeyCode.Space))
    {
        _controller.Jump();
    }
}
    private void Flip()
    {
        transform.localScale = new Vector3(-transform.localScale.x, transform.localScale.y, transform.localScale.z);
        _isFacingRight = transform.localScale.x > 0;
    }

}

possible duplicate of [Flipping a 2D Sprite Animation in Unity 2D](http://stackoverflow.com/questions/26568542/flipping-a-2d-sprite-animation-in-unity-2d) — emartel, Mar 03 '15 at 15:47
Sorry this is not a duplicate. I have tried that code but the sprite moves for some reason instead of just flipping. I want the sprite to flip and stay put. So hard to explain without pictures. — mxmmix, Mar 03 '15 at 15:50
Are you sure this component is attached to the sprite itself and not to the parent GameObject? — Max Yankov, Mar 03 '15 at 17:25

score 3 · Accepted Answer · answered Mar 03 '15 at 15:53

3

Make sure the origin of your sprite is configured correctly. In most cases, the origin of the sprite should be in the very middle, which would make a negative transform flip it around the center. If however the origin is in a corner, that position stays the same at any scale, meaning it'll be in the same place and your sprite will appear to move when flipping. This can also happen if your sprite only occupies a portion of the image used for the sprite - it's not actually moving, but since you can't see the rest of the image, it appears to be.

answered Mar 03 '15 at 15:53

David

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Thank you for the quick reply! My character is a object with sprites as childs so it consists of multiple sprites. (All those sprites have a pivot point in the center) Is there any way this could be a mistake with the settings of the parent object? And how can I fix this? – mxmmix Mar 03 '15 at 15:57
In parenting scenarios, you should make sure the transform your adjusting the the one you think it is - and usually it's better to transform the root object so that any subsequent objects such as sprites, colliders, or other effects, go with it – David Mar 03 '15 at 17:02
Ah I fixed it! The prefab was indeed not made in the origin of the gameworld. Such a stupid mistake >.< Thanks for the help :) – mxmmix Mar 06 '15 at 19:21
can you explain how to edit the origin of the sprite? Thanks to your answer, I know what's happening but not how to fix it. – marts May 10 '20 at 13:00

Unity flipping a sprite

1 Answers1