Hitbox

A hitbox is a shape, usually invisible, that’s used in video games to detect collisions in real time. In 2D games, it’s usually a rectangle, whereas in 3D games it is usually a cuboid. There are, however, circular or spheroidal shapes as well. These shapes and cuboid are attached together to form subjects such as a game’s characters. To make sure that there is accuracy in situations when there’s a collision, animated objects often have hitboxes attached to every moving part they have.

How does a Hitbox  work?

When you have a character in a video game, the hitbox is used to detect when there is a one-way collision. Examples of that would be said character being hit by a punch, or maybe by a bullet. The hitbox is basically the area where such a collision impacts the character. Based on the type of collision, a certain action such as damage calculation or health increase occurs as a result of that specific collision.

What kind of Hitboxes are there?

In the world of video games, you will find three common types of hitboxes. There’s the hitbox, the hurtbox, and the collision box. All of these types of hitboxes are used in different ways when they’re implemented in video games.

A hitbox is the entire area in which you can hit an object or a character. In video game development, these boxes are either blue or green. The hurtbox is known as the area in which the aforementioned hit or attack can cause damage to the hitbox. In fighting games, or in shooting games, these boxes are usually mentioned as just the “hitbox”. In development, they are usually red. Last but not least, there is a collision box. This is the area in which you can have the object, or character, collide with another object that has a collision box, or with a solid wall.