Expose sorting layer in MeshRenderer inspector, for rendering on top of sprites

MeshRendererSortingEditor.cs

using UnityEngine;
using UnityEditor;
using System.Linq;

/// This just exposes the Sorting Layer / Order in MeshRenderer since it's there
/// but not displayed in the inspector. Getting MeshRenderer to render in front
/// of a SpriteRenderer is pretty hard without this.
[CustomEditor(typeof(MeshRenderer))]
public class MeshRendererSortingEditor : Editor
{

    public override void OnInspectorGUI()
    {
        base.OnInspectorGUI();

        MeshRenderer renderer = target as MeshRenderer;


        var layers = SortingLayer.layers;

        EditorGUILayout.BeginHorizontal();
        EditorGUI.BeginChangeCheck();
        int newId = DrawSortingLayersPopup(renderer.sortingLayerID);
        if(EditorGUI.EndChangeCheck()) {
            renderer.sortingLayerID = newId;
        }
        EditorGUILayout.EndHorizontal();

        EditorGUILayout.BeginHorizontal();
        EditorGUI.BeginChangeCheck();
        int order = EditorGUILayout.IntField("Sorting Order", renderer.sortingOrder);
        if(EditorGUI.EndChangeCheck()) {
            renderer.sortingOrder = order;
        }
        EditorGUILayout.EndHorizontal();

    }

    int DrawSortingLayersPopup(int layerID) {
        var layers = SortingLayer.layers;
        var names = layers.Select(l => l.name).ToArray();
        if (!SortingLayer.IsValid(layerID))
        {
            layerID = layers[0].id;
        }
        var layerValue = SortingLayer.GetLayerValueFromID(layerID);
        var newLayerValue = EditorGUILayout.Popup("Sorting Layer", layerValue, names);
        return layers[newLayerValue].id;
    }

}

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// 
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// distribute this software, either in source code form or as a compiled
// binary, for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, and by any
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// 
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// of this software dedicate any and all copyright interest in the
// software to the public domain. We make this dedication for the benefit
// of the public at large and to the detriment of our heirs and
// successors. We intend this dedication to be an overt act of
// relinquishment in perpetuity of all present and future rights to this
// software under copyright law.
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If you sort the layers such that there are layers beneath "Default" then their value is < 0 which makes this line offering an incorrect result. You could write
var newLayerValue = EditorGUILayout.Popup("Sorting Layer", layers.ToList().FindIndex(l => l.id == layerID), names); instead

This script is a life saver! Thanks!

This definitely needs to be built into Unity. Thanks for sharing! 😄

Thanks! :D

Hi could you add a license notice to the code? I really want to use it in our game project but I can't use it if it doesn't have a license free for commercial use.

Hi could you add a license notice to the code? I really want to use it in our game project but I can't use it if it doesn't have a license free for commercial use.

OK, I've added Unlicense.org's text to the bottom.

Awesome work! Thank you!

Thanks 👍 It really should be there by default though 😆

This script breaks the visibility of Lighting and Lightmapping settings.

Thank you so much! This is amazing and script works flawlessly for me 👍

This script breaks the visibility of Lighting and Lightmapping settings.

Fixed these here: https://gist.github.com/Zurigan/1f8484d7ac60f059e2f8ba49640c6d0e

Your script is a fucking lifesaver! i have to register to comment that i love you!

Having a sorting layer before the default one will produce a negative SortingLayer.value. I fixed that and also added persistence to the foldout here: https://gist.github.com/Steffenvy/c15daa426046e0df3193fcc5e0f63996

Change OnInspectorGUI in the following way to allow Prefab editing too:

public override void OnInspectorGUI()
    {
        base.OnInspectorGUI();

        MeshRenderer renderer = target as MeshRenderer;

        EditorGUILayout.BeginHorizontal();
        EditorGUI.BeginChangeCheck();
        int newId = DrawSortingLayersPopup(renderer.sortingLayerID);
        if (EditorGUI.EndChangeCheck())
        {
            Undo.RecordObject(target, "Sorting Layer change");
            renderer.sortingLayerID = newId;
            EditorUtility.SetDirty(target);
        }
        EditorGUILayout.EndHorizontal();

        EditorGUILayout.BeginHorizontal();
        EditorGUI.BeginChangeCheck();
        int order = EditorGUILayout.IntField("Sorting Order", renderer.sortingOrder);
        if (EditorGUI.EndChangeCheck())
        {
            Undo.RecordObject(target, "Sorting Order change");
            renderer.sortingOrder = order;
            EditorUtility.SetDirty(target);
        }
        EditorGUILayout.EndHorizontal();
    }

And fix the bug with layers beneath Default as @Ratatoeskr proposed above.

First time in 5 months that I tried to modify prefab instance values, and I noticed there wasn't any overrides created, so I fixed that:
https://gist.github.com/Steffenvy/c15daa426046e0df3193fcc5e0f63996

All I can say is that you for this. And thank you to everyone who added on top of this.

thank you!

Big thank you for this. I was used to doing it via script, but this really is a much more reliable method if you are relying on non-coders setting up parts of a game, like I am.

A hero rises to our aid!

Still comes in handy with 2022 LTS branch of Unity. I tried everything to get my water mesh to render over the majority of my sprites, and nothing worked except this.

I remade it by inheriting the internal class MeshRendererEditor to keep the default functionality and compability with prefab, multi-edit, and undo/redo. Also I added support for SkinnedMeshRenderer and included installation as a UPM package.
https://github.com/qwe321qwe321qwe321/Unity-ExposeSortingLayerEditor