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From godot-prompter
Provides GDScript and C# examples for Godot 4.3+ 2D systems including canvas layers, draw order, TileMapLayer, parallax, 2D lights/shadows, particles, custom drawing, and meshes.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/godot-prompter:2d-essentialsThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
All examples target Godot 4.3+ with no deprecated APIs. GDScript is shown first, then C#.
All examples target Godot 4.3+ with no deprecated APIs. GDScript is shown first, then C#.
Related skills: player-controller for CharacterBody2D movement patterns, animation-system for AnimatedSprite2D and sprite animation, physics-system for collision shapes and raycasting, camera-system for Camera2D follow and shake, shader-basics for 2D shaders and post-processing, godot-optimization for rendering and draw call tuning.
Within a single canvas layer, nodes draw in scene tree order — nodes listed lower in the Scene panel draw on top. Use z_index to override without rearranging the tree.
# Draw this node above siblings (default z_index is 0)
z_index = 10
# Make z_index relative to parent (default: false = global)
z_as_relative = true
CanvasLayer creates a separate rendering layer with its own transform, independent of the camera. Higher layer values draw on top.
| Layer | Typical Use |
|---|---|
| -1 | Parallax backgrounds |
| 0 | Default game layer (all Node2D without CanvasLayer) |
| 1 | HUD / UI overlay |
| 2 | Pause menu, screen transitions |
# Scene tree example
Main
├── ParallaxBackground (CanvasLayer, layer = -1)
│ └── Parallax2D
├── World (Node2D — default layer 0)
│ ├── TileMapLayer
│ └── Player
└── HUD (CanvasLayer, layer = 1)
└── Control
Note: CanvasLayers are NOT required to control draw order. For objects within the same game world, use
z_indexor scene tree ordering. CanvasLayers are for elements that should be independent of the camera (HUD, parallax, transitions).
Camera2D works by modifying the viewport's canvas_transform. For manual control:
# Scroll the canvas directly (equivalent to camera movement)
get_viewport().canvas_transform = Transform2D(0, Vector2(-200, 0))
# Local to canvas (world) coordinates
var world_pos: Vector2 = get_global_transform() * local_pos
var local_pos: Vector2 = get_global_transform().affine_inverse() * world_pos
# Local to screen coordinates (accounts for camera, stretch, window)
var screen_pos: Vector2 = get_viewport().get_screen_transform() * get_global_transform_with_canvas() * local_pos
// Local to canvas (world) coordinates
Vector2 worldPos = GetGlobalTransform() * localPos;
Vector2 localFromWorld = GetGlobalTransform().AffineInverse() * worldPos;
// Local to screen coordinates
Vector2 screenPos = GetViewport().GetScreenTransform() * GetGlobalTransformWithCanvas() * localPos;
TileMapLayer (Godot 4.5+) is the modern API — one tilemap = one node = one layer. Drive painting with a TileSet resource (atlas + properties + physics + custom data). Use terrain autotiling for biome-aware tile selection, scene collection tiles for placing scene instances on tiles.
See references/tilemap.md for full TileSet setup, atlas / physics / terrain configuration, custom data on tiles, scene collection tiles, and the 4.5+ tile-collision-bump auto-merge fix.
Parallax2D (Godot 4.4+) replaces the older ParallaxBackground/ParallaxLayer pair. Set scroll_scale per layer (0 = static, 1 = follows camera 1:1, fractional values for depth). Add repeat_size for infinite tiling.
See references/parallax.md for
Parallax2Dsetup, side-scroller layer example, infinite repeat, split-screen parallax, common mistakes.
PointLight2D and DirectionalLight2D cast lighting onto sprites — pair with a normal map for 3D-style shading or use additive-blend illumination on flat sprites. Cast shadows with LightOccluder2D.
See references/lights-and-shadows.md for node overview, PointLight2D properties, shadow settings, cull masks, occluders, 2D normal maps, pixel-art lighting tips, and additive-sprite fake-light tricks.
GPUParticles2D for high counts (≥ 50 particles, GPU-driven), CPUParticles2D for low counts or platforms without GPU support. Both share the same ParticleProcessMaterial interface; differences are mainly performance.
See references/2d-particles.md for the GPU-vs-CPU distinguishing choices, basic setup, ParticleProcessMaterial 2D properties, emission from textures, flipbook, visibility rect, common 2D recipes.
Override _draw() on any CanvasItem to draw lines, polygons, text, or arbitrary shapes. Call queue_redraw() to trigger a re-render (never call _draw() directly).
See references/custom-drawing.md for the
_draw()method, redrawing patterns, full drawing-methods reference, default font usage,@tooleditor preview, line-width gotchas.
MeshInstance2D replaces Sprite2D when large transparent areas waste GPU fill rate. The GPU draws the entire texture quad including fully transparent pixels — a mesh eliminates those.
Sprite2DBest candidates:
Many drawing methods support an antialiased parameter:
draw_line(Vector2.ZERO, Vector2(100, 50), Color.WHITE, 2.0, true) # antialiased = true
// Equivalent in a CanvasItem subclass (e.g., a custom Control or Node2D):
public override void _Draw()
{
DrawLine(new Vector2(0, 0), new Vector2(100, 50), Colors.White, width: 2.0f, antialiased: true);
}
Line2D has an Antialiased property in the inspector — set it via line2D.Antialiased = true in C# or as an Inspector toggle in the editor. This works by generating additional geometry — no MSAA needed.
Available in Forward+ and Mobile renderers only (NOT Compatibility).
Project Settings → Rendering → Anti Aliasing → Quality → MSAA 2D
Levels: 2x, 4x, 8x.
| MSAA affects | MSAA does NOT affect |
|---|---|
| Geometry edges (lines, polygons) | Aliasing within nearest-neighbor textures |
| Sprite edges touching texture edges | Custom 2D shader output |
| Font rendering | |
| Specular aliasing with Light2D |
For pixel art: Do NOT enable MSAA 2D — it blurs intentionally sharp edges. Use the per-node
antialiasedparameter selectively.
Three-dot menu in the 2D toolbar:
For pixel-art games, enable pixel snapping to prevent subpixel jitter:
Snap 2D Transforms to PixelSnap 2D Vertices to PixelSnap Controls to Pixels.tres resource for reuse across levelsUse Texture Padding enabled to prevent texture bleedingrepeat_size matches actual texture dimensionsrepeat_times is increased if the camera can zoom outqueue_redraw() is called when custom drawing state changesnpx claudepluginhub jame581/godotprompter --plugin godot-prompterUnity 6 2D game development guide. Use when building 2D games, working with sprites, sprite atlas, SpriteRenderer, tilemaps, 2D physics (Rigidbody2D, Collider2D), 2D lighting, sorting layers, or sorting groups. Based on Unity 6.3 LTS documentation.
Implements Godot 4.3+ shaders: canvas_item for 2D effects, spatial for 3D materials, particles, sky, fog; covers GLSL-like language basics, creation, and visual recipes.
Writes Godot 4.x shaders (.gdshader files) for 2D canvas_item effects, 3D spatial materials, particles, sky, fog, and post-processing. Covers uniforms, hints, structure, and built-in variables.