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Unity Wall Transparency Detection: How to Make Walls Transparent When Blocking the Player
Learn how to dynamically make walls transparent in Unity when they block the player's view using raycasting and material changes.
Indie Impulse
2/5/20252 min read
Introduction
When developing a third-person or top-down game in Unity, a common problem is when the camera view is blocked by walls. This can make it difficult for players to see their character, reducing gameplay clarity. A simple and effective solution is to make walls transparent when they obstruct the view.
In this tutorial, we will write a Unity C# script that detects when a wall is between the camera and the player and dynamically applies transparency to it.
Understanding the Logic
Raycasting: We will use a raycast from the camera to the player to detect any walls in between.
Material Change: If a wall is detected, we will change its material to a transparent one.
Reset Transparency: When the wall is no longer blocking the view, we will restore its original material.
Setting Up the Wall Layer
Before using the script, you need to set up a Wall Layer to optimize raycasting:
Select all objects that should be considered walls.
In the Inspector, find the Layer dropdown at the top right.
Click Add Layer and create a new layer called WallLayer.
Assign this layer to all wall objects.
Writing the Unity C# Script
Create a new C# script in Unity and name it DetectWall. Attach this script to the Main Camera in your scene.
How to Use the Script in Unity
Attach the Script: Add the DetectWall script to your Main Camera.
Assign References: Drag the player object and camera object into the respective fields in the Inspector.
Set Layer Mask: Make sure your walls are in the WallLayer you created and assign this layer in the wallLayer property of the script.