GameMaker Import Texture Atlas from Spriter Pro

[deathclaude]

Hey all,

recently started working with GMS2, lots of fun compared to other engines, but already encountered a problem I can't solve on my own. Hope for some good advise

I want to select animations and modify skeletons of my sprites in the engine. Apparently GMS supports importing a JSON linked to a Texture Atlas. However, it seems to be tailored to the software Spine. (I read the guide for it.)

I checked the export options of Spriter and it can export an spritesheet with a SCON file, which (according to the Spriter Dev and what it looks like in text editor) is just a JSON file with a different name.

So, I figured that GMS might be able to import it if I change file format to JSON. No luck, however. Needs .ATLAS file apparently. Changed the spritesheet.png to atlas. Keep getting the "Failed to Import" error message. No details.

Did any of you ever managed to import an atlas from Spriter? I got this program with lots of assets for a bargain and I'm committed to using it

My theory, and I might be absolutely wrong, is that there is just some syntax issues with the SCON aka JSON. I might be able to manually edit a few lines of text so GMS might recognize it. I've also heard of workarounds converting to flash and then to spine, but this seems an awful lot of effort for each animation.

Any help appreciated

 

[rIKmAN]

Hey all,

recently started working with GMS2, lots of fun compared to other engines, but already encountered a problem I can't solve on my own. Hope for some good advise

I want to select animations and modify skeletons of my sprites in the engine. Apparently GMS supports importing a JSON linked to a Texture Atlas. However, it seems to be tailored to the software Spine. (I read the guide for it.)

I checked the export options of Spriter and it can export an spritesheet with a SCON file, which (according to the Spriter Dev and what it looks like in text editor) is just a JSON file with a different name.

So, I figured that GMS might be able to import it if I change file format to JSON. No luck, however. Needs .ATLAS file apparently. Changed the spritesheet.png to atlas. Keep getting the "Failed to Import" error message. No details.

Did any of you ever managed to import an atlas from Spriter? I got this program with lots of assets for a bargain and I'm committed to using it

My theory, and I might be absolutely wrong, is that there is just some syntax issues with the SCON aka JSON. I might be able to manually edit a few lines of text so GMS might recognize it. I've also heard of workarounds converting to flash and then to spine, but this seems an awful lot of effort for each animation.

Any help appreciated

Spriter json files won't work regardless of editing as GMS2 uses the Spine runtimes which require files exported from Spine, as well as the person using those runtimes (ie. you) to own a Spine licence to allow you to use them. Doing otherwise breaks the EULA.

There were some attempts at Spriter extensions but I believe they have since ceased development, although @Nux did some work on an animation system which supports Spriter files which may be worth looking at here: https://forum.yoyogames.com/index.php?threads/2d-skeletal-animation-animation-states.44898/ although I'm not sure of the status of it.

As it doesn't use the Spine runtimes at all it doesn't require a Spine licence and it says it support Spriter, Spine and DragonBones files.

 

[deathclaude]

Thanks man, already saved me from lots of more random renaming and editing! :-D

Will check out the link. Let's see!

EDIT: Do you know if the basic license of Spine is enough to create, export and work properly with GMS?

 

[rIKmAN]

Thanks man, already saved me from lots of more random renaming and editing! :-D

Will check out the link. Let's see!

EDIT: Do you know if the basic license of Spine is enough to create, export and work properly with GMS?

Both versions are fully supported upto v3.7.94 currently, but depending on whether you own Spine Essentials or Spine Pro certain tools won't be available to use in the Spine Editor.

You can see the feature comparison chart here: https://esotericsoftware.com/spine-purchase

Just to add in case you aren't aware - you could use Spriter or DragonBones to create animations and export them as regular .png sprites which you could use in GMS2 without any issue.

It depends whether you need the realtime skeletal animation functionality as to whether that may be a viable route for you to go down.

 

[Nux]

My skeletal animation project is unusable because of negligence and the game-breaking change YYG made to the real function. I wanted to fix it when the GML updates came out, but we know where that's going...

If you want to see how I import SCON files, have a look here: https://github.com/NuxiiGit/gms2d-s...scon_context/sk_atlas_create_scon_context.gml

It's a pretty basic format.

 

[deathclaude]

It depends whether you need the realtime skeletal animation functionality as to whether that may be a viable route for you to go down.

What I want to do is be able to dynamically move separate bones in GMS, so I can rotate the arm or head of a character in the mouse direction or direction of an enemy. I also would like to be able to change skins without changing the sprite each time.

The way I implemented it now is making separate objects with separate sprites for each body part I want to control. It works, but feels hacky and doesn't look very good, because the arm isn't connected to the root animation. Maybe there is another solution?

If I would be able to separately target sprite layers, that would already go a long way. But this seems to be not supported, either.

 

[rIKmAN]

What I want to do is be able to dynamically move separate bones in GMS, so I can rotate the arm or head of a character in the mouse direction or direction of an enemy. I also would like to be able to change skins without changing the sprite each time.

Then yeah you need the skeletal animation functionality provided by the runtimes.

If I would be able to separately target sprite layers, that would already go a long way. But this seems to be not supported, either.

I'm not sure what you mean with this sentence.