Sprite Reader

The Sprite Reader process extracts individual sprites from sprite sheets, enabling retro-style animations and efficient texture usage. Perfect for game development aesthetics, pixel art animations, and nostalgic visual effects.

Overview

Sprite Reader enables:

Sprite sheet parsing - Extract individual frames from grid-based sprite sheets
Animation control - Navigate through sprites with percentage-based control
Retro gaming aesthetics - Perfect for 8-bit and 16-bit style visuals
Efficient texture usage - Pack multiple sprites into single texture files
Real-time animation - Drive sprite selection with automations or external controls

Parameters

Image

Type: File input
Supported formats: PNG, JPEG, GIF, BMP Description: The sprite sheet image file containing the grid of sprites

Sprite Size

Type: XY Spinboxes (integers)
Default: 32x32
Range: 1-1024 pixels

Sets the dimensions of each individual sprite in the sheet. All sprites must be the same size and arranged in a regular grid.

Image Count

Type: Horizontal slider (0.0 - 1.0)
Default: 0.0

Controls which sprite to display as a percentage through the total sprite count:

0.0 = First sprite (top-left)
0.5 = Middle sprite
1.0 = Last sprite (bottom-right)

Output

Out

Type: Texture output
Content: Current selected sprite as GPU texture

Provides the extracted sprite as a texture ready for use in the graphics pipeline.

How It Works

The Sprite Reader automatically calculates the sprite grid layout:

Grid Detection: Divides the image by sprite size to determine rows and columns
Sprite Indexing: Numbers sprites from left-to-right, top-to-bottom
Percentage Mapping: Maps the 0.0-1.0 input range to sprite indices
Extraction: Copies the selected sprite region to output texture

Example Grid Layout

Sprite Sheet (128x64, 32x32 sprites):
┌──────┬──────┬──────┬──────┐
│  0   │  1   │  2   │  3   │  
├──────┼──────┼──────┼──────┤
│  4   │  5   │  6   │  7   │  
└──────┴──────┴──────┴──────┘

Percentage → Sprite:
0.0 → 0, 0.125 → 1, 0.25 → 2, etc.

For instance, you can create tempo-synchronized pixel art animations for music visualization.

Sprite Sheet Preparation

Best Practices

Uniform sizing: All sprites must be exactly the same dimensions
Grid alignment: Sprites should align perfectly to a regular grid
No spacing: Avoid gaps between sprites (0-pixel spacing)
Power-of-2 dimensions: Use 32x32, 64x64, 128x128 for optimal GPU performance
Consistent style: Maintain visual consistency across all sprites

Common Sprite Sizes

8x8: Tiny icons, simple pixel art
16x16: Classic retro game sprites
32x32: Standard indie game characters
64x64: Detailed character sprites
128x128: High-resolution sprites

File Format Tips

PNG: Best for pixel art with transparency
JPEG: Acceptable for photos but avoid for pixel art
Use transparency: PNG alpha channel for transparent backgrounds

Try it!

Try it by downloading this simple example!

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