graphics utillities

lcm · Post by **lcm** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 11:35 am

I've been studying snes development for about 4 months now, and I have been able to get bg tiles and sprites working just fine. I am getting ready to make a real demo, and my problem is finding tools for creating tiles, sprites, tile maps ect. without having to hand code it all. Can anyone shed some light? Thanks...

Shiru · Post by **Shiru** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 11:59 am

Since SNES uses 16 colors per pixel graphics for the most part, and the palette is RGB555, normal graphics editors combined with a simple converter tool works very well. A converter tool is available in the Christmas Craze sources, it is called snesbmp.

For tilemaps, there are general purpose map editors around, such as Mappy and TilED. I personally used my NES Screen Tool for single screen levels.

Hamtaro126 · Post by **Hamtaro126** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 12:16 pm

If you need a Tilemap Editor for SNES, You need to make your own!

You can base it off of any of the NES tilemap editors, Tepples has one, But it is really best to make your own.

Shiru · Post by **Shiru** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 12:28 pm

Why learn PC GUI programming and make a complex tool when you could just make an export plugin for Tiled?

lcm · Post by **lcm** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 1:23 pm

I just checked out Tiled and it seems like it would make life so much easier than the way I was doing things IF it could export to SNES specs. Is it possible to use this with the SNES or would a plugin be needed? In the past I played with GBA DEV and it was much easier, but there is somthing about the SNES that just gets me. maybe because when I first played one at a friends house (back when it came out) I thought it couldn't get ant better

Shiru · Post by **Shiru** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 1:28 pm

SNES does not have any special specs for maps, it is purely software thing - i.e. SNES does not handle large level maps automatically. So a plugin would be needed, to export the data into format of your map engine.

lcm · Post by **lcm** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 1:47 pm

let's say I would use Tiled to make a 32x32 map using 16x16 tiles could a converter be used to put that into a format the SNES could use? becuase I have to be honest I do not know how to go about making a plugin, but I think I could handle a converter

Shiru · Post by **Shiru** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 1:52 pm

You can't get data of a special format like SNES nametables without a plugin. Tiled plugins are written in Java, read this - shouldn't be too difficult.

I personally don't use general purpose map editors, I prefer to edit large maps as bitmaps with a general purpose graphics editors, then convert it into a tileset and map data with a custom tool (it searches for matching tiles, packs data as needed etc).

lcm · Post by **lcm** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 2:16 pm

Oh ok I think I get the idea of how your'e doing it. I knew there had to be a better way other then hand coding the images. I'm going to follow the link about plugins though. Let me ask this. Do ya think the SNES dev. scene would benefit from somthing like this and if so how much impact could it have? Also I apoligize for my lack of skill in this area. Everytime I make headway I only open more questions for myself

Shiru · Post by **Shiru** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 2:34 pm

SNES dev scene is very small, as I can see - one of smallest retro console scenes. Lack of tools or underdeveloped tools are certainly one of the reasons, but I think that even if there would be great tools, it wouldn't change the situation radically. I mentioned another reason that I consider a very major one in a recent post, and I think there are other factors too - because despite the Genesis/SCD/32x dev scene has better tools, I wouldn't say it is any larger.

thefox · Post by **thefox** » Sun Jun 10, 2012 11:27 pm

You don't need to use Java to write Tiled plugins (in fact I'd assume those only work with the old Java version of Tiled). Tiled uses XML based file format for its maps so you can parse them using pretty much any language. The format is documented online.

Shiru · Post by **Shiru** » Mon Jun 11, 2012 3:41 am

Sorry for the inaccurate information then. XML is even better, I think.

psycopathicteen · Post by **psycopathicteen** » Sat Jun 30, 2012 4:58 pm

Is there any SNES tile editing program that uses 32 step RGB sliders for color palette choosing, and also stores the palette in the ROM itself (at a selected address) as you edit the sprite?