raycast layermask

[WanderingCreep]

Hello. I am having an issue with a layermask and a raycast. I have used this method many times before but this time I am having an issue that I cant figure out. I have a raycast and I would like it to only interact with one layer. I have only one object assigned to that layer. The layer that is set in the layer section of the drop down tab in the inspector is layer number 13. The layer is assigned in the inspector using the [serialiedField] as shown below. Ive tried numerous different numbers just in case I miscalculated the bit shift, and they all just return objects which is not assigned to the layer I am wanting it to interact with. Does anyone know what my issue may be?

    [SerializeField] int deadLayerMask;
    void Start()
    {
        deadLayerMask = ~deadLayerMask;
    }

in update I have

if (Physics.Raycast(ray, out hitData, 1000, deadLayerMask))
{
Debug.Log(hitData.transform.gameObject.name);
}

[Kurt-Dekker]

Layers vs Masks:

Raycast "layermask" parameter

The layer is a number from 0 to 31. It corresponds to each of those named layers. A layer MASK is a 32-bit bitfield that says which of these you want to ignore. This enables you to ignore (mask) multiple layers, each one represented by a single bit in the 32-bit integer. In your code above, 9 (Collision) is a layer, NOT a mask. Raycast takes a layermask. If you want to turn a layer name into a LayerMask, here's the utility you want: https://docs.unity3d.com/ScriptReference/LayerMask.GetM…

[WanderingCreep]

@Kurt-Dekker

Layers vs Masks:

https://discussions.unity.com/t/802897/2

I tried bit shifting and assigning the layermask that way and it was still not only interacting with the correct layer. Like this

    int layer = 13;
int deadLayerMask;


    void Start()
    {
        deadLayerMask = 1 << layer;
        deadLayerMask = ~deadLayerMask;
    }

[Kurt-Dekker]

Well we know it works… keep fiddling with it and print out stuff with Debug.Log(): names of items you hit, layers of things you hit, etc. Make a blank scene, put a single cube with the desired layer, test, etc.

You must find a way to get the information you need in order to reason about what the problem is.

What is often happening in these cases is one of the following:

• the code you think is executing is not actually executing at all
• the code is executing far EARLIER or LATER than you think
• the code is executing far LESS OFTEN than you think
• the code is executing far MORE OFTEN than you think
• the code is executing on another GameObject than you think it is
• you’re getting an error or warning and you haven’t noticed it in the console window

To help gain more insight into your problem, I recommend liberally sprinkling Debug.Log() statements through your code to display information in realtime.

Doing this should help you answer these types of questions:

• is this code even running? which parts are running? how often does it run? what order does it run in?
• what are the values of the variables involved? Are they initialized? Are the values reasonable?
• are you meeting ALL the requirements to receive callbacks such as triggers / colliders (review the documentation)

Knowing this information will help you reason about the behavior you are seeing.

If your problem would benefit from in-scene or in-game visualization, Debug.DrawRay() or Debug.DrawLine() can help you visualize things like rays (used in raycasting) or distances.

You can also call Debug.Break() to pause the Editor when certain interesting pieces of code run, and then study the scene manually, looking for all the parts, where they are, what scripts are on them, etc.

You can also call GameObject.CreatePrimitive() to emplace debug-marker-ish objects in the scene at runtime.

You could also just display various important quantities in UI Text elements to watch them change as you play the game.

If you are running a mobile device you can also view the console output. Google for how on your particular mobile target.

Another useful approach is to temporarily strip out everything besides what is necessary to prove your issue. This can simplify and isolate compounding effects of other items in your scene or prefab.

Here’s an example of putting in a laser-focused Debug.Log() and how that can save you a TON of time wallowing around speculating what might be going wrong:

Coroutine missing hint and error

This is so unnecessary. Use the beauty and power of instantly and immediately putting a Debug.Log() statement into the very start of the coroutine, right at the top. Do this always at the very first sign of trouble or question in your mind. The instant you did this you would see “Oh man, this code is simply not getting run!” And you could LASER-FOCUS 100% your efforts on studying what you expect to run it, eg., the call location, and isolate why it is not running. You would look at literall…

[PraetorBlue]

Why are you doing this?

deadLayerMask = ~deadLayerMask;

This inverts the mask and means that your raycast will now interact with all layers except for the layer(s) chosen in the inspector. That sounds like the opposite of what you want.

[MelvMay]

Try using the LayerMask type. You can then also modify the mask(s) in the inspector visually.