Exporting a Game Character as a Rigged Sprite Sheets

The Export to Sprite Sheets dialog allows you to export your rig into a sprite sheet and its animation into animation metadata, in a package that can be directly imported into Unity using the Harmony package for Unity.

If you created the different animation clips in the same scene and separated with scene markers, all you need to do is open the Export to Sprite Sheet dialog and export your sprite sheet and animations once.

However, if you separated your animation clips by saving them in different scene versions, you will need to start by exporting the sprite sheet from your base scene, then open each scene version and export their animation clip one by one.

NOTEWhen exporting a sprite sheet, a Display node must be connected under your scene's main composite, and this display node must be selected as the current display. All scenes are created with a Display node by default, which is named Display. To make sure it is the current display, select Scene > Default Display > Display from the top menu. If the current display is set to Display All, the sprite sheets will not be exported.
  1. If the Game toolbar is not already in your workspace, do one of the following to add it:
    • In the top menu, select Windows > Toolbars > Game.
    • Right-click on any existing toolbar and select Game.

    The Game toolbar is added to your workspace.

  1. In the Display toolbar, make sure your scene's main display (typically named Display) is selected, and not Display All.

  1. In the Game toolbar, click on the Export to Sprite Sheets button.

    The Export to Sprite Sheets dialog appears.

  1. Right of the Asset Path field, click on the ... button.

    A folder select dialog opens.

  1. Browse to and select the directory in which you want to create your asset directory.

    NOTEYou do not need to create a directory specifically for your exported assets. One will be created with the name in the Asset Name field.
  1. In the Asset Name field, type in the name of the directory in which to export your assets. This will also be the name of the GameObject in Unity.
  1. Under Existing Clips, make sure the Use Scene Markers to Export Clips option is checked.

  1. Select the Sprite Resolutions tab.

    This tab contains a list of all the resolutions in which your sprite sheets will be exported.

  1. Do the following to export in the resolutions you want your game support:
    • To add a resolution, click on the Add Resolution button. A row will be added to the list. Double-click on each field in the new row to type in its name, its width and its height, in that order from left to right.
    • To remove a resolution, select it in the list, then click on the Remove Resolution button.
  1. For most usages, the other default parameters in the dialog should be fine. To learn more about the parameters in the Export to Sprite Sheet dialog, refer to Export to Sprite Sheet Dialog Box.

  2. Click on Export.

    Harmony will export the sprite sheet for your rig and the animation for all of the clips in your scene.

  1. If the Game toolbar is not already in your workspace, do one of the following to add it:
    • In the top menu, select Windows > Toolbars > Game.
    • Right-click on any existing toolbar and select Game.

    The Game toolbar is added to your workspace.

  1. Open the base scene version for your character, that is: the scene version in which you built your character rig.
  1. Make sure every drawing used by every scene version of your character is exposed at least once in this scene version. To do this:
    1. Add as many frames to your scene as there are drawings in the layer with the most drawings.
    2. Leave the first frame with the drawings for your character's normal poses.
    3. In subsequent frames, expose the other drawings in each layer until every drawing used for all of your character's animation clips is exposed for at least one frame.
  1. In the Display toolbar, make sure your scene's main display (typically named Display) is selected, and not Display All.

  1. In the Game toolbar, click on the Export to Sprite Sheets button.

    The Export to Sprite Sheets dialog appears.

  1. Right of the Asset Path field, click on the ... button.

    A folder select dialog opens.

  1. Browse to and select the directory in which you want to create your asset directory.

    NOTEYou do not need to create a directory specifically for your exported assets. One will be created with the name in the Asset Name field.
  1. In the Asset Name field, type in the name of the directory in which to export your assets. This will also be the name of the GameObject in Unity.

  1. Under Existing Clips, make sure the Use Scene Markers to Export Clips option is unchecked.

  1. Select the Sprite Resolutions tab.

    This tab contains a list of all the resolutions in which your sprite sheets will be exported.

  1. Do the following to export in the resolutions you want your game support:
    • To add a resolution, click on the Add Resolution button. A row will be added to the list. Double-click on each field in the new row to type in its name, its width and its height, in that order from left to right.
    • To remove a resolution, select it in the list, then click on the Remove Resolution button.
  1. For most usages, the other default parameters in the dialog should be fine. To learn more about the parameters in the Export to Sprite Sheet dialog, refer to Export to Sprite Sheet Dialog Box.

  2. Click on Export.

    Harmony will export the sprite sheet for your base rig.

  3. Open the scene version for the first animation clip for your character.
  4. Repeat steps 5 to 14 to export the animation for this scene version. Make sure to export in the exact same directory in which you exported the sprite sheet for your base rig.
  5. Repeat for each scene version containing an animation clip for your character.