Sprite Sheets?

Started by PortableItPLZ, October 18, 2013, 12:35:55 am

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PortableItPLZ

Question... say you find a sprite sheet online (and obviously whoever created it didn't do it correctly 100% ya know), how do you use this sprite sheet for RPG Maker VX Ace or really RPG Maker in general?

Like, am I supposed to resize it to 96x128 or 384x256? Or like... what the heck do I do to make the sprites USABLE...?

Cause like, it is a full sheet and everything; the sprites are set up to look and match the movement of the game setup... but it seems the program doesn't read the images like it would read the game's character creation images.

So... like, uhm... help please?

Let me give you an example of a sprite sheet I plan on using and then you can tell me what I may need to do...

http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2013/117/b/b/unknown___creepypasta_oc_sprites__request__by_lagoon_sadnes-d639qfm.png
http://www.deviantart.com/art/Unknown-Creepypasta-OC-Sprites-Request-368290066

(both are the same thing, just viewed differently)

So, like... how do I make it work; what changes need to be made to make it so the program reads it as a USABLE sprite?
Bleeding Cross (by Lagoon-Sadnes) on Deviantart

Zexion

October 18, 2013, 12:59:00 am #1 Last Edit: October 18, 2013, 01:03:37 am by Zexion
I don't really know the rules for vx or vxa, but for XP just set the charset up in 4x4 rows.
Width/4 = the width of each sprite in the set
Height/4 = the height of each sprite in the set

Edit:
For example, say you have a charset that is 80x100.
80 = width
100 = height

So each individual sprite would be 20(width)x25(height).

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PortableItPLZ

Quote from: Zexion on October 18, 2013, 12:59:00 am
I don't really know the rules for vx or vxa, but for XP just set the charset up in 4x4 rows.
Width/4 = the width of each sprite in the set
Height/4 = the height of each sprite in the set


Yeah, uhm... da f***?

A better explanation would be nice... like, from what you see in those sprite sheets; what seems to be the issue, cause every time I use the sprite sheets at all (full standard 384x256 and then 96x128; either I get half a sprite, or two halves of two different sprites.

Like basically, let me show you...

Bleeding Cross (by Lagoon-Sadnes) on Deviantart

PortableItPLZ

Quote from: PortableItPLZ on October 18, 2013, 01:12:04 am
Quote from: Zexion on October 18, 2013, 12:59:00 am
I don't really know the rules for vx or vxa, but for XP just set the charset up in 4x4 rows.
Width/4 = the width of each sprite in the set
Height/4 = the height of each sprite in the set


Yeah, uhm... da f***?

A better explanation would be nice... like, from what you see in those sprite sheets; what seems to be the issue, cause every time I use the sprite sheets at all (full standard 384x256 and then 96x128; either I get half a sprite, or two halves of two different sprites.

Like basically, let me show you...




Here is the 3 sprite sheets I managed to resize or whatever... and like, I am just lost.

How do I make it so that the characters are actually animated sprites... since they are full sprite sheets and everything, but I can't seem to get it to show up correctly (yet they do animate even when they show up incorrectly).

https://unsee.cc/wuzapo/
Bleeding Cross (by Lagoon-Sadnes) on Deviantart

PortableItPLZ

In case the other link doesn't work:

http://cdn.img42.com/e04137e1d99e875446b86196471a2175.jpeg


So, like... how do I make the sprites appear normally so I can proceed with using them and designing my game?
Bleeding Cross (by Lagoon-Sadnes) on Deviantart

R.A.V.S.O

I believe what you need is a VXA empty character template so you can resize sprites accordingly...

Basically what Zexion tried to say was, in Rpg Maker XP charsets are handled in a 4 x 4 sprite sheet,
in order to change ANY sprite you might get online, you first need to know the exact width/height of ONE single character sprite,
in XP you simply took your sprite-sheet, took it's height divided it by 4... then take the width, also divide it by 4, and this gives you
an individual sprite's width and height,

now basically you do the same with your custom sprite... take the sheet's width and height and divide them by 4 (on RPG-XP that is)
then you basically take that single sprite and adjust it to the other single sprite's size, and repeat the process with the rest of them
(yes its tedious but better results happen when you dedicate effort into these things)

now since you're using VXA If I recall correctly... you'd have to divide the height into 4 BUT the width into 3 since VXA removed one
extra column from the sprite-sheets. but still overall same process...

btw... your sprites look broken because I think you got an extra column in there, try removing one and see if it gets better.
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PortableItPLZ

My laziness is getting the best of me... XD

Oh well, I shall continue this tomorrow; it's 10:27PM where I'm at right now and all this thinking is making me sleepy.
Bleeding Cross (by Lagoon-Sadnes) on Deviantart

Blizzard

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Heretic86

First things first.

First Character Image I tried appears to work correctly.  The one from DeviantArt.

Next thing.  VX / Ace use THREE rows, not FOUR.  Your screenshot of having your Filename start with a $ is correct.  The $ tells the engine that there are FOUR columns instead of THREE so VX can use XP Sprites with $Aluxes.png.  Both XP and VX have UP, DOWN, LEFT, and RIGHT so you'll still have FOUR ROWS (one for each Up, Down, etc) in both RPG Makers, but in VX, there are THREE Columns, not FOUR Columns.  The $ is an OVERRIDE for that.  One of the Columns ended up being a Full Duplication and wasted file space.  Doesnt matter that much, but low end very old systems, it might.

Upload the Spritesheet itself you are having problems with and I or someone else here can fix it.  Or at least point me to the one that is giving you the issue and we'll make it work.
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Shek

November 21, 2013, 04:36:23 am #9 Last Edit: November 21, 2013, 04:41:29 am by Shek
@Op

How to make a sprite work:

RPGMaker XP interprets sprite source images the following way:

 >>it takes "blah.png", slices it up into 16 equally sized pieces. [4x4]

RPGMaker VX interprets sprite source images the following way (methinks):

 >>it takes "blah.png", slices it up into 12 equally sized pieces. [3x4]


So... for XP...

Take any source image, open it in photoshop, go to:

       Image>Canvas Size>(set the dimensions to pixels)

Now you know the canvas size, if it's not a perfect square you'll have to crop/resize it.
Once you've found the desirable dimensions, the best way to edit each frame of the sprite without accidentally having the frames bleed into each other is to:

        Open up your calculator app, divide the height and width by of your canvas by 4, then in Photoshop go to:

  View>New Guide>(Make vertical and horizontal guides at 25%, 50%, and 75% of your canvas size) e.g. (Canvas size is 200px height, 200px width, so you'd make guides at 50px, 100px, 150px)

now that you've rigged your image with guides, you are ready to paint your sprite from scratch

       BUT SHEK! I just want to convert a sprite I found online!

Then cut and paste the different sprite frames you found online into the rigged/measured sections of the image you just created.  It is already divided into 4x4 for you.

or


Using the rectangular marquee tool, select one of the frames of the spriteset you want to use, CUT it.  Go to File>New; make an image in the recommended dimensions.

Go to Canvas Size and increase it by (in XP: 400% horizontal, 400% vertical) .. (in VX: 300% horizontal, 400% vertical) .. [Make sure that you anchor yourself to the top left before increasing canvas size]

Make markers to be safe, then cut and paste the remaining frames into the cells you've created.


--Hope this helps

Cheers,
Shek