Easy outline + layer swapping [Game Maker | Basics]

This basics video tutorial shows you how to create an easy outline on all instances on one layer with the fx outline effect attached.

The idea is quite simple. You want to highlight a certain things like enemies, items or anything else by drawing a solid outline around the thing in question. GameMaker's fx feature allows you with the help of the inspector to have one layer that has this effect attached to it. So everything that you want with an outline is placed on this layer and everything else on other layers. That's it!

But what if you want to outline only when you need it? In that case you can swap the instance's layer dynamically via the layer_add_instance function. The wording is a bit misleading because you remove the instance from the old layer and set it ot the new one assigned. That doesn't work with depth because the depth system is a new temporary layer and the other ones (the regular layers) are fixed which allows them to have a fx effect attached to them.

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CHAPTERS

0:00 What we will do 0:52 Subscribe 1:05 Using the fx layer to outline all on this layer 2:05 Optional - layer swapping to move in and out the instance to the layer with the outline fx and without ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=29PnNHYA0ww