Retro Graphics Toolkit

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sega16
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Retro Graphics Toolkit

Post by sega16 » Thu Mar 07, 2013 2:27 am

Retro Graphics Toolkit is a GPLv3 or later licensed open source graphics editor that stores truecolor information in addition to regular tiles. This allows for non destructive editing of palettes. When the palette is changed the tiles can be dithered to fit the new palette.

With Retro Graphics Toolkit you can save palettes, tiles, tilemaps, sprites and levels for the Sega Genesis, NES, Master System and Game Gear. Support for more systems is planed for future versions.

The best way to get started With Retro Graphics Toolkit is to read the wiki
https://github.com/ComputerNerd/Retro-G ... olkit/wiki

Although there is nothing special about the format outputted by Retro Graphics Toolkit (complying with existing formats for the system is one of my goals). I do provide examples currently for the Sega Genesis, NES, Master System and Game Gear.
https://github.com/ComputerNerd/Retro-G ... r/examples
Screenshots:
Image
The plane editor is what you will be using when importing an image and displaying on the game system. You don't even have to worry about making sure your image's dimension are a multiple of the tile width and tile height for the system. Retro Graphics Toolkit can center images to conform to tile size. This makes it very easy to directly import an image. Also a selection of color quantization algorithms and ways to pick which tile uses what row allows for quick and easy high quality images.
Image
Retro Graphics Toolkit features an advanced sprite editor capable on creating groups making alignment much easier, even including buttons to do very easy alignment and Retro Graphics Toolkit can import an image creating a sprite group large images are divided up using as few sprites as possible.

Another feature that goes in hand with Retro Graphics Toolkit's philosophy of easy importing is the sprite sheet importer. Typically sprite sheets have many sprites on it that are spaced in a non-uniform way with a background color that is not used anywhere on the sprite or uses an alpha channel. This means that simply dividing up the image into even rectangles will not work. Retro Graphics Toolkit solves this problem by first identifying the background color
Image

If a background color was used that is treated as transparent. Next line segments are created and those line segments are merged to create rectangles. The longest line segment determines the width and height of the rectangle that is created.
Image

Image
The level editor is a new feature starting in version 0.8 RC1. Sprites from the sprite editor can be displayed on the level editor as well.

Image
The easy to use palette editor is great for viewing the entire palette at once making changes a breeze.
Image
Levels are constructed with chunks. This shows Green Hill zone's graphics converted to the NES. And it looks much better than Somari. This shows the power of Retro Graphics Toolkit.

Source code: https://github.com/ComputerNerd/Retro-Graphics-Toolkit
Windows binary:
https://github.com/ComputerNerd/Retro-G ... kit.exe.7z
To download the windows binary click "View Raw" (without the quotes).

If you have any bug reports, feature requests, pull requests or patches I would like to hear about them. With Lua scripting it should be much easier to get Retro Graphics Toolkit to do what you need as opposed to writing your own tool. If you made any useful Lua scripts be sure to post them.
Last edited by sega16 on Thu Jul 09, 2015 5:01 pm, edited 10 times in total.

sega16
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Post by sega16 » Thu Mar 07, 2013 3:54 am

Sorry for the double post but I now have a windoze binary up
https://github.com/ComputerNerd/Retro-G ... kit.exe.7z
Click View Raw to download
Edit new link now hosted at github expect update to date binaries now.
Last edited by sega16 on Tue Jun 04, 2013 11:22 pm, edited 3 times in total.

Stef
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Post by Stef » Thu Mar 07, 2013 9:30 am

Awesome ! I will try it asap !
It looks like it can do exactly what i was looking for the last time ;)

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Post by Ti_ » Thu Mar 07, 2013 10:21 am

Windows version wants libgcc_s_dw2-1.dll and libstdc++-6.dll.
I have dowload them but it still doesn't work, crashes at start. I've tried two different versions of .dll.

... I've found working dlls.. but program still not work.
It opens pal and map, but can open tiles.
msg: File cannot be loaded.

If try to import image , it create correct size of map, and can generate palette ('generate palette with 1 row'), but never show image... only artifacts (what image type needed - png, bmp?)

Also (bug or feature?) if resize program window, program just scale up all UI ... viewable area not increases.
ohh... wait it's increases both view scale and view area... very bugged :wink:

sega16
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Post by sega16 » Thu Mar 07, 2013 11:43 pm

The Dll errors are caused by me not statically linking libgcc and libgccstd++ I will fix that shortly once it is fixed I will make another reply.
After you hit generate optimal palette from row you must hit dither tilemap as image. As for the tiles they are only supposed to scale to what you set them to with the tile zoom factor slider.

sega16
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Post by sega16 » Fri Mar 08, 2013 12:35 am

If you had DLL errors with the windows binary please re-download.
https://github.com/ComputerNerd/Retro-G ... kit.exe.7z
Click View Raw to download
Last edited by sega16 on Tue Jun 04, 2013 11:22 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Ti_
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Post by Ti_ » Fri Mar 08, 2013 7:37 am

Okay.
Still one problem exists cant open tiles "file cannot be loaded". (but can save tiles)

As I see option 4 rows palette is not work yet.
But if load palette manually, and then press dither, and Image [s]will use four palettes.[/s]
Ohh.. no can't use; it happens just because I loaded map that already used 4 palettes.


About tile editor.
Compare with other editors like YY-chr: you edit tile - you see result on screen.
In you program you see only that tile. (how can I edit image, if I not seeing it?)

So my suggestion to make pal+map+tiles editor on single screen, like in most tile editors.

sega16
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Post by sega16 » Sat Mar 09, 2013 1:29 am

Ti_ I fixed the open tiles glitch but no new windows binary yet. I am going to set up gentoo to build the windows binary instead of me having to reboot into windows (Mingw is for GNU/Linux too not just windows). If you cannot wait the change is in github.
https://github.com/ComputerNerd/Retro-Graphics-Toolkit
You can select which row you want the tile to use in the tilemap editor by clicking on the row radio buttons. Then left click on the tilemap view area to place it. Right clicking on the tilemap will give you more information about the tile your mouse is over. Also in the tilemap editor you can click on the tile and it will draw the currently selected color to the tile.

Matej
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Post by Matej » Sun Mar 10, 2013 4:06 pm

This is nice tool. Thanks!

sega16
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Post by sega16 » Sun Mar 10, 2013 7:07 pm

Thank you glad you liked it.

Ti_
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Post by Ti_ » Sun Apr 07, 2013 2:32 pm

sega16 wrote:Ti_ I fixed the open tiles glitch but no new windows binary yet. I am going to set up gentoo to build the windows binary instead of me having to reboot into windows (Mingw is for GNU/Linux too not just windows).
Will be updated version for WIN? or can you explain how to compile it.

sega16
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Post by sega16 » Wed May 29, 2013 3:09 am

Just to let you guys know I added support for automatic 4 row palette generation and more awesome features check it out at github https://github.com/ComputerNerd/Retro-Graphics-Toolkit
Image

Ti_
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Post by Ti_ » Sun Jun 02, 2013 11:38 am

sega16 wrote:Just to let you guys know I added support for automatic 4 row palette generation and more awesome features
Cool. :) I want to see it. Will you release win32 version?

sega16
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Post by sega16 » Mon Jun 03, 2013 7:48 pm

Here is the windows version
https://github.com/ComputerNerd/Retro-G ... kit.exe.7z
Click View Raw to download
Last edited by sega16 on Tue Jun 04, 2013 11:23 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Ti_
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Post by Ti_ » Tue Jun 04, 2013 8:46 pm

Tested: only 2 palletes generated, not 4. Wrong colors on image.
Palettes not saved to tilemap.

In 16-colors mode, it provides different picture, than previous version of retrogfx. If you have changed algorithm, why u not kept old, or it's a bug too.

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