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2D NPC sprites/animations question

Joined
Dec 17, 2013
Messages
5,072
What's the best way to get 2D NPC sprites and animations? For example, let's say in an isometric RPG, you need to display and animate various NPCs.

If it has 8 different directions for display, you are talking 8 sprites just for stationary display per person, then you need variations for animations (walking, combat, etc), and also variations for other NPCs.

What's the best way to get these? Pixel art seems like it would take forever, and some of us aren't very artistic either. Plus, it seems like there ought to be some automatic way of obtaining these from some baseline sprites, since many are just variations.

Are they available for purchase on marketplaces? How much do they run for?

Is there software that makes their generation easier?
 

Mustawd

Guest
If it has 8 different directions for display, you are talking 8 sprites just for stationary display per person
What's the best way to get these?

1. You can use blender to render the angles you need of your model. For example this Diablo 2 sprite: https://www.spriters-resource.com/pc_computer/diablo2diablo2lordofdestruction/sheet/54287/

It's a 3D model rendered to 2D sprites.


then you need variations for animations (walking, combat, etc), and also variations for other NPCs.

2a. This is definitely more difficult. Your options IMO are to either find sprites online or the animated models and make sprites from it.

https://opengameart.org/content/isometric-hero-and-heroine

2b. Another option you can do is find an animated model online somewhere, and find a way to copy the animation and skeleton and apply it to your specific 3D model.

https://blender.stackexchange.com/q...ce=google_rich_qa&utm_campaign=google_rich_qa


2c. Finally, if you have an unanimated 3D model then you can animate it yourself via rotoscoping, which is not always going to give you great results.


3. Anyhow, once you have the animation done you can decide how many frames you want your sprite to have and then decide on the key frames to render it.

Here is a very basic tutorial:


Here is another one except it's from the side, but process I imagine is the same (i know it's not blender but it's an example of how you pick frames within an animation loop):




Are they available for purchase on marketplaces? How much do they run for?

I'm sure there are sprites out there for purchase, but IMO you're better off finding 3D models and doing the rendering yourself. But if money isn't an object then you can commission them. For example, Vogel is using this guy: https://remusprites.carbonmade.com/projects/4970379

Is there software that makes their generation easier?

Blender is a good starting point.
 
Last edited by a moderator:

levgre

Novice
Joined
Sep 27, 2017
Messages
55
Pixel art doesn't necessarily take forever. With image editing software like Photoshop you can have limbs, weapons, etc. set to different layers and easily recombine the character in different positions. You'll have to redo some of the character art for each frame probably, unless your changes in limb positions are simple enough that you could do bone-based animations anyways.
 

Aiff((AimpliesA)ImpliesA)

Artist Formerly Known as Prosper
Übermensch
Joined
Oct 21, 2016
Messages
287
animations are very simple in blender. auto generating your weights almost always works if your armature is sane. when rendering out your frames try to get your gpu to do it.

edit: also use spritify plugin
 

J1M

Arcane
Joined
May 14, 2008
Messages
14,606
For most sprites you can mirror them to reduce the number of directions by half. Another technique is palette swaps.
 

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