Layers can help to organize the GameObjectsThe 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 in your sceneA Scene contains the environments and menus of your game. Think of each unique Scene file as a unique level. In each Scene, you place your environments, obstacles, and decorations, essentially designing and building your game in pieces. More info
See in Glossary. If you create a layer and assign GameObjects to it, you can edit how your GameObjects interact with other GameObjects, dependent on the layer.
There are two ways you can create a new layer:
To remember the intended function for a layer, give it a descriptive name.
Warning: Layer 31 is used internally by the Editor’s Preview window mechanics. To prevent clashes, do not use this layer.
When you open the layer menu, you can see that some layers are already named. Except for Default and Ignore Raycast, Unity no longer uses these built-in layers for many dedicated purposes; they exist mainly for backward compatibility:
| Layer number | Layer name | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | TransparentFX | Unity uses this layer in the flare system. |
| 2 | Ignore Raycast | Physics ray cast APIs ignore this layer by default. |
| 3 | Water | Unity’s Standard Assets for Unity 2018.4 use this layer |
| 4 | UI(User Interface) Allows a user to interact with your application. More info See in Glossary |
The Unity UI uses this as the default layer for UI elements. |
You can still use these layers, but you can’t rename or delete them.
To assign a GameObject to a layer, select the GameObject, go to the Inspector window and select the dropdown next to Layer. This menu shows the layers that have names so you can select which one works best for your GameObject.
You can only assign each GameObject to one layer, but you can add multiple GameObjects to one layer.