TOKYO (MacHouse) – A few weeks ago, I released TileObject. It’s one of the two applications that I intended to develop before I put myself deep into SpriteKit game development. TileObject is a desktop application that lets you create a large platform map by combining graphical objects. There is another desktop application that I need – an application that lets me combine body parts to create different frames of a game character. It’s been actually complete and already submitted to Mac App Store, though. This new release is called Puppet Motion.

If you are a person like me who uses a vector-based application to create body parts to form a game character, naturally, you want to move some of them little by little, resizing some of them little by little, rotating them little by little to create different frames. Puppet Motion lets you do just that. It’s used to combine body parts of a sprite character so that you can create different frames by moving some of them little by little, resizing them little by little, rotating them little by little. After creating several frames, you can animate your sprite character with those frames. Finally, let the application save all frames as image files so that you can use them as SKTexture objects with SpriteKit through Xcode.  

Tom Bluewater

Tom Bluewater

Features

1. Select and open any number of images representing body parts of a game character.
2. Reposition a part you select with your mouse.
3. Enter new coordinates of a sprite part you select manually to precisely reposition it.
4. Precisely resize a sprite part you select by manually give it a width and a height.
5. Rotate a sprite part you select.
6. Adjust the opacity level of a sprite part you select.
7. Right-click on a sprite part and choose Bring Part To Front, Bring Part Forward, Bring Part Backward, Bring Part To Back to change its place.
8. Save the current conditions of all sprite parts as a frame so that you can work on another frame.
9. Animate your sprite character with saved frames.
10. Set an existing frame underneath the sprite frame sheet so that you can better relocate and rotate body parts to design a new frame.
11. Save the selected frame as a picture.
12. Save all frames as image files so that you can use them as SKTexture objects with SpriteKit through Xcode.
13. Let the application generate an Objective-C code file so that you can read frame images with SpriteKit easily.
14. Save current progress as a project file. Double-click on a project file to resume your sprite development.
15. The application supports the retina screen. (tested with 2014 2.6 GHz 13″ MacBook Pro)
16. Languages: English.
17. Application file size: 20.2 MB.
18. The application comes with a built-in 20-page quick guide with graphics, showing you how to use the application. Choose Show Quick Tour under Puppet Motion whenever you need to see it.
19. A full user’s guide for this application is available online. Choose User’s Guide under Help to access it.

System requirements

1. 10.8 (tested with 10.8.5), 10.9 (tested with 10.9.5), 10.10 (tested with 10.10.3)
2. 64-bit system

Limitations

1. The width and the height of a sprite document must be at least 32 points, respectively.
2. An image of a sprite part must have a width and a height greater than or equal to 24 points. Either the width or the height of an image of a sprite part must have at least 24 points.

Version history

Version 1.1.0 (September 29, 2015)

1. Fix: Bring Part Forward was active when it was not supposed to be.
2. The user can now choose Insert All Parts under Part to lay all sprite parts over the sprite frame sheet.
3. Choosing Move All Parts By under Part, the user can now move all visible parts by some x value and by some y value.
4. The user can now revise the sprite frame sheet size by choosing Edit Sprite Sheet under Sprite.
5. The user can now select a different selection color other than sky blue. Choose Selection Color under Part.
6. The user can now put all parts together from a saved frame. Select a saved frame in the frames list and then choose Apply Frame Properties To Parts under Frame.
7. Change: Either the width or the height of an image of a sprite part must have at least 24 points.
8. Change: The composition of the project file has changed, and the user won’t be able to open files that were created under the previous version. We are sorry for the change. As a result, though, each project file is able to rebuild saved frames even when images of body parts no longer exist at their original locations.
9. Other numerous changes, fixes, improvements are made.

User’s guide

Application user’s guide is available (only in English). Click here to access it online.






Trial/Demo version

Click here to download a trial version. This trial version will remain fully functional for 7 days, starting from the very moment you first launch it.






Video tutorial

Click here to watch a QuickTime movie showing how to use the application. The file size is 134 MB, and the video dimensions are 1,440 px x 900 px. And there is no audio commentary. Note that the version used in the video is 1.1.0. If it’s not available yet, it will be by the first or second week of October, 2015.






Puppet Motion is a product of Tom Bluewater.
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