History of Sprite Tool (No. 6)

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Sprite Tool†

This tool allows you to create "sprites" that are animated by combining multiple images.
Sprites can be used to create moving effects on the title screen and menu screen, or to change the facial expressions of the cast in conversation scenes.
Please also refer to Resources > Sprites.

Description of Each Function†

Sprite List†

A list of registered sprite sets and motions is displayed.

• Sprite Set Add button
• Motion Add button
  A "sprite set" is like a folder that contains multiple "motions".
  "Motion" is that which is displayed in a sprite composed of images and sounds.
  When a "sprite set" is added, one "motion" is automatically created.

• Context Menu
  Select an entry and right-click to display a context menu.
  You can copy, delete, or duplicate entries.

Sprite Preview†

This is the area where the animation being created will be played.
Selecting a motion in the sprite list displays a preview.
The various preview settings are grouped together at the top of the preview field.
Note that the center coordinates of the preview are (0,0).

• Scale
  Changing the scale of the preview. It can also be operated with the center wheel of the mouse.

• Screen Marker
  A frame with the same ratio as the screen size specified in Game Definition > Project Settings > Run-Time Resolution will be displayed.

• Layer Marker
  A marker indicating the layer number appears.
  By dragging a layer marker on the preview, you can change the display position of that layer.

• Target Image
  An image can be displayed on the preview as a guide to determine the position of the sprite.
  For example, when displaying a sprite over a cast, proper positioning can be achieved by placing an image of the cast as the target.

• Background
  An image can be displayed in the background of the preview.

• Position from Target
  You can change where the sprite origin is placed in relation to the image you have assigned as the target.

• Position Shift
  You can shift the position of all layers together, up, down, left, or right.

Timeline†

• Timeline Top Menu
  • Layer Add button
    Add a layer.

• Mask Layer Add button
  Add a mask layer.

• Frame Add button
  Add an empty keyframe to the very end of the timeline.

• Copy button
  Copy the selected layer/keyframe/cell.
  Click on the top row (seconds) field of the timeline to select the entire keyframe.

• Paste button
  Paste what you have copied.

• Delete button
  Delete the selected layer/keyframe/cell.

• Play button
  The animation specified on the timeline is played back on the preview.

• Stop button
  Stop the animation preview.

• Loop button
  When turned on, the animation is played in a loop.

• Slider
  By dragging the thumb (knob), the playback position of the animation can be changed.

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• Context Menu
  The content of the context menu changes depending on where in the timeline is selected.
  • Layer Name Cell
    You can copy, paste, and insert layers.
    The order of layers can also be rearranged using the +/- buttons.

• Select Keyframe (sec) Cell
  You can copy, paste, and insert keyframes.

• Other Cells
  You can copy and paste cell contents.

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• Timeline
  Specify the timing of the sprite's movement and the image to be displayed.
  Specify the state of the image set on the layer at the timing of the animation keyframes (columns).
  • (sec)
    This line displays the keyframe timing converted to seconds.

• Start Frame
  This row assigns the timing of the start of the key frame in frames (1/60 second).

• Number of Frames
  This is the number of frames that will be displayed.
  When the number of frames is changed, the start frame of keyframes after the changed keyframe is also automatically changed.

• Screen Flash
  Flash the entire screen with the color and transparency you assign.

• Target Flash
  When displaying this sprite in the "Display Effect" and the "Display Emoticon" panels, the target assigned by "Display Position" is flashed with the assigned color and transparency.
  When this sprite is assigned to the effect of a skill, the target is the user of the skill, and when the sprite is assigned to the effect of an item, the target is the destination of the item.

• Sound Effect
  Specify the sound effect to be played during animation.

• Layer
  • Lock button
    Once locked, dragging the layer marker on the preview will not move its position.
    However, changes to values in properties are reflected.

• Show/Hide button
  You can toggle the visibility of layers on the preview by showing/hiding/transparency.

• Masked/Unmasked button
  It is displayed only when a mask layer exists.
  You can toggle whether the layer is affected by the mask.

• Mask Layer
  A mask layer is a layer that crops the layers in its influence.
  See the Mask section for more information.

Information on Cell Changes†

In the Timeline, select a cell under "Screen Flash" to display it on the right side of the Sprite Tool.
You can specify what the layer shows at the keyframe where the selected cell exists.

• Color
  Specify the color hue and transparency change information for the set image.
  The assigned color is multiplied by the original color of the image to be displayed.
  Color information cannot be changed in the mask layer.

• Position
  Specify where the image will be displayed and how it will change.
  (!) The Z position indicates the display priority.
  For example, a layer with Z-position "1" will be rendered forward of all Z-position "0" layers.
  Interpolation does not work for Z-position changes.

• Scale
  Specify the scale of the image and how it will change.
  A minus sign in the scale flips the image.

• Rotation
  Specify the angle of the image and how it will change.

• Interpolation Method Selection Dialog
  This dialog box opens when assigning how to change color/position/scale/rotation.
  You can assign how to interpolate the movement from the value specified in the previous keyframe to the value in the current keyframe.
  If "Maintain" is selected, it has no effect on the movement of that element.
  When "No Interpolation" is selected, the image switches instantly without any connecting movement.
  (!) Note that if there are two keyframes, you are specifying how the keyframe changes from the first keyframe to the next.
  Therefore, the interpolation method should be assigned to the keyframe at the end of the movement.
   
  
   

• Image
  Specify the image to be used and the coordinates of the slice to be assigned.
  • Slice X / Slice Y
    If the image specified is set to "CountSlice," assigns which of the slices in the image will be used.
    The image slicing method can be set in Resources > Images.
    You can also click on the image preview to directly assign a slice.

• Invert Alpha Value
  Invert the alpha value of the image assigned to the mask.
  This option can be set only on the mask layers.

• Other
  You can specify a sound effect.
  Only sound effects can be set in the sound effect layer.

Mask†

Mask is a function that crops and displays layers under the influence of an image registered in a mask layer.
Images of shapes that are easy to use for masks, such as a square or circle, can be found in the reserved folder > Primitive.

• Mask Layer Influence Range
  Layers specified in the "row above the mask layer" on the timeline will be affected by the mask.
  If there are two mask layers, the layer specified on the row above each is affected by the mask.
  Note that the mask layer is only valid for the "layer under influence".

• Example of Multiple Mask Layers
  
   
  • Layer 2, which specifies a rectangle (Screen_1280) as the image covering the green screen, is affected by mask layer 1, which specifies a circular image (Circle) as the image.

• Layer 4, which specifies a rectangle (Screen_1280) as the image covering the blue screen, is affected by mask layer 3, which specifies a triangle (Triangle) as the image.

• Invert Alpha Value
  When "Invert Alpha Value" is turned on, the layer of influence is cropped with the image assigned to the mask layer.

• Use in Layout Tool
  If a sprite with a mask layer is assigned in the Layout Tool's Rendering Container and Other Properties > "Effects," not only the sprite's movement but also its mask information will be utilized.
  Please read the layout parts for more information.

How to Create Animation Data†

In this section, we will explain how to create animation data, taking as an example how to create a character's eye blink and lip-sync animation.

1. Open "Resource Management" from the master menu.

2. Select 2D Stamps -> Images.

3. Click "Add" and select the desired images to complete the import. In this section, we will import the character body, eye parts, and mouth parts.

　　
For the image to be animated, set "Slice" to CountSlice in "Texture Settings," and divide the height and width into the number of animated patterns.

In this case, set the number of horizontal divisions to 2 and the number of vertical divisions to 7. For data used in conversation scenes, please turn off the SRGB switch in the texture settings.

5. Select "2D Stamps" -> "Sprites".

6. Click "Add" to open the image selection window, and select a base image.

7. Once the base image is loaded, click "Edit" in the upper right corner of the screen to launch the animation tool.

8. Once the animation tool is activated, move the base image to the position where you want it to appear. (The border will be the size of your screen.)

9. Add a layer and assign the image of the part you want to animate. Here, we will assign "mouth" to layer 2 and "eyes" to layer 3.

When the image appears on the screen, use the mouse or cursor keys to position it where you want it to animate.

The preview image can be zoomed in and out by scrolling the center of the mouse. Click on the eye icon next to the layer name to make the selected layer semi-transparent.

10. Click on the "Add Frame" button to add two frames, and copy the "Eyes" and "Mouth" layers set to frame 0 to the side.

11. Focus on the "eyes" and "mouth" layers of the middle frame, and change the frame to the desired expression.

12. Set the playback time (frames). In this example, the middle frame is set to 1 and the last frame to 30. When you play it back, you will get an animation like the one below.