Map Editor (Scene View)

The Map Editor is MCE's built-in tile painting tool, inspired by RPG Maker XP's map editor but integrated directly into Unity's Scene View. It lets you paint maps using your imported tilesets without leaving the Unity editor.

Available in Basic tier and above.

Overview

The Map Editor auto-activates whenever you open a scene that contains a map (GridController or tilemap root). When active, a custom overlay appears on top of the Scene View with a toolbar, tileset palette, and status bar -- giving you an RPG Maker-style workflow inside Unity.

When you navigate away from a map scene or close the overlay, the editor deactivates automatically and returns the Scene View to its normal state.

No Manual Activation

You do not need to open a separate window or menu. Simply open a map scene and the Map Editor overlay appears. If it does not, ensure your scene has a valid GridController component on a root GameObject.

Toolbar

The toolbar sits at the top of the overlay and provides two groups of controls:

Layer Tabs

Map layers correspond to the tilemap layers in your scene (Layer 1, Layer 2, Layer 3, etc.). Click a tab to switch the active painting layer. The selected layer is highlighted and all drawing operations target that layer.

Tool Buttons

Button	Shortcut	Description
Pencil	B	Draw tiles onto the map at the current layer
Eraser	E	Remove tiles from the current layer

The active tool is visually highlighted in the toolbar.

Tileset Palette

The palette panel displays all available tiles for the selected tileset. It is divided into two sections:

Autotiles

Autotiles appear at the top of the palette. These are special tiles that automatically connect to adjacent tiles of the same type (e.g., water edges, cliff borders, path intersections). When you paint with an autotile, MCE calculates the correct sub-tile variant based on the tile's neighbors.

Animated autotiles display a looping preview directly in the palette so you can identify water, lava, and other animated terrain at a glance.

Regular Tiles

Below the autotiles, regular tileset tiles are displayed in a grid matching the tileset's column layout. These are static tiles that paint exactly as shown.

Selection and Hover

• Hover: Moving the mouse over a tile in the palette shows a highlight outline and displays the tile's index in the status bar.
• Click: Clicking a tile selects it as the active brush. The selected tile is outlined with a distinct selection color.
• The active tile is used by the Pencil tool when painting on the map.

Drawing Tools

Pencil (B)

The Pencil tool paints the currently selected tile onto the map at the mouse position. Click to place a single tile, or click-and-drag to paint continuously.

• Works on the active layer only.
• For autotiles, adjacent tiles are automatically recalculated as you paint.
• The cursor shows a preview of the tile that will be placed.

Eraser (E)

The Eraser tool removes tiles from the active layer at the mouse position. Click to erase a single tile, or click-and-drag to erase continuously.

• Only affects the active layer.
• Autotile neighbors are recalculated after erasing.

Grid Overlay

When the Map Editor is active, a grid overlay is drawn on the Scene View matching the tilemap's cell size. This helps you align tiles precisely and see cell boundaries while painting.

The grid respects the tilemap's cell size and offset settings.

Quick Actions

The toolbar includes quick-action buttons for common operations:

Action	Shortcut	Description
Undo	Ctrl+Z	Undo the last paint or erase operation
Redo	Ctrl+Y	Redo the last undone operation
Save	Ctrl+S	Save the current scene

Undo and Redo integrate with Unity's built-in Undo system, so all map edits are fully reversible and appear in the Edit menu's undo history.

Status Bar

The status bar sits at the bottom of the overlay and shows contextual information:

• Current layer name and index.
• Active tool (Pencil or Eraser).
• Hovered tile index and coordinates when hovering over the palette.
• Cursor position in tilemap cell coordinates when hovering over the map.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
B	Select Pencil tool
E	Select Eraser tool
Ctrl+Z	Undo
Ctrl+Y	Redo
Ctrl+S	Save scene
1-9	Switch to layer 1-9

Tips

1. Paint large areas with drag. Click-and-drag with the Pencil tool to paint swaths of terrain quickly.
2. Use autotiles for natural borders. Water, cliffs, and paths look best when using autotiles -- the engine handles edge transitions automatically.
3. Work layer by layer. Paint ground terrain on Layer 1, then overlay details (flowers, rocks) on Layer 2, and above-player elements (tree canopies, rooftops) on Layer 3.
4. Undo freely. Every stroke is tracked by Unity's Undo system. Do not worry about mistakes.
5. Check the status bar. If tiles are not appearing, verify you are on the correct layer via the status bar.

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
Map Editor overlay does not appear	Ensure the scene has a GameObject with GridController. Re-open the scene.
Tiles paint on the wrong layer	Check the active layer tab in the toolbar.
Autotile edges look incorrect	Ensure adjacent tiles are the same autotile type. Repaint the area.
Grid overlay is misaligned	Verify the tilemap's cell size matches your tile pixel size.
Palette is empty	Ensure the map's tileset reference is assigned on the GridController.