Case file 005 · Unity editor tool

2D ANIMATION PREVIEW

Check sliced sprite sheets where you import them

An inline playback preview for Unity's Texture Importer Inspector. It lets artists and developers check frame order, timing, and pivots without creating an Animation Clip or leaving the import workflow.

Released · v1.0.0Editor-onlyUnity 2022.3.40f1+

2D Animation Preview in Unity

Scroll to open the file ↓

My roleDesigner & developer

ScopeUnity Editor

CompatibilityUnity 2022.3.40f1+

Releasev1.0.0 package

01 · The problem

A quick animation check should be quick.

After slicing a sprite sheet, I often need to see whether its sequence actually moves correctly. Creating an Animation Clip or switching windows adds work to a simple check of timing, order, and alignment.

I put that check directly below Unity's normal Texture Importer header, where the texture and its slicing settings are already visible.

Select the sheet, inspect the movement, and get back to the import workflow.

02 · My contribution

A small preview with the controls that matter.

Inline Inspector UI

Added an expandable preview to Unity's existing Texture Importer Inspector without replacing the importer or duplicating its settings.

Frame control

Implemented play and pause, frame stepping and scrubbing, looping, and adjustable playback from 1 to 60 FPS.

Accurate ordering

Used numeric-aware sprite-name ordering and pivot-aligned rendering to make sequence and alignment problems easier to spot.

03 · The design

Keep the tool inside its useful boundary.

Native workflow

The preview appears for one selected texture imported as Sprite (2D and UI) with Sprite Mode set to Multiple, after its slices are applied.

Editor-only state

Playback and refresh logic stay in the editor assembly. The package adds no runtime dependency to a game's build.

Honest limits

The UI stays hidden for single sprites, non-sprite textures, and multi-selection. Tightly packed sprites cannot be previewed inline because Unity does not expose the needed source texture rectangles.

04 · Released package

Ready to import and try.

Version 1.0.0 includes the editor tool, documentation, and a CC0 Goose sample with Idle, Walk, Run, and Flap sprite sheets. The public repository contains the customer package and an importable Unity package.

The preview works independently of the Built-in Render Pipeline, URP, and HDRP. Its documented minimum editor version is Unity 2022.3.40f1.

C#Unity Editor APITexture ImporterSprite SheetsEditor-only Assembly

GitHub & package ↗Development write-up →