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Aseprite: cross-platform, open source sprite and pixel art tool

aseprite.org

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Re: Aseprite: cross-platform, open source sprite and pixel art tool

#11

Post by yoklov »

tony wrote: post #9
acron0 wrote: post #3

A quick glance at the source reveals a thing of beauty. Definitely a good reference for anyone looking for inspiration from a well-managed C++ project.

Yup. The codebase is extremely intuitive. For those who need a link the GitHub is at https://github.com/aseprite/aseprite . For those wondering how it's possible for it to look consistent across platforms and maintain that crisp, retro look, its' running Allegro 4 [1]. Libraries like SDL, Allegro, SFML, etc. are normally associated with games, but there are cases where it can used for creative tools as well. Schism T…

Not that I've used Asesprite, and since its completely possible to avoid this I might be just spreading FUD or something, but one reason to avoid using something like SDL, Allegro, SFML, GLFW, etc, for a desktop application is that the style you typically use to write those (update at 30 or 60fps always) has very poor power consumption.

When you don't care about this, it opens up a lot of possibilities for making your life easier though. Immediate mode UIs are an easy way of getting what is basically a poor man's reactive data binding, and while they don't necessitate this style, they work best with it (and avoiding it with them can be a little tricky).

But again, never used Aesprite so I can't say if it does this. My suspicion would be that it doesn't! It's worth keeping in mind as a tool though.

Re: Aseprite: cross-platform, open source sprite and pixel art tool

#12

Post by falcolas »

I think they drunk too much of their own Kool-ade. Pixel sprites can make for a great, retro aesthetic, but using them for a full UI (including fonts) is too much, IMO. Watching the video, looking at the pictures; it's a lot of strain on the eyes due to the poor anti-aliasing and having to parse out a font I haven't used in decades.

Re: Aseprite: cross-platform, open source sprite and pixel art tool

#13

Post by zamalek »

yoklov wrote: post #11
tony wrote: post #9

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yup. The codebase is extremely intuitive. For those who need a link the GitHub is at https://github.com/aseprite/aseprite . For those wondering how it's possible for it to look consistent across platforms and maintain that crisp, retro look, its' running Allegro 4 [1]. Libraries like SDL, Allegro, SFML, etc. are normally associated with games, but there are cases where it can used for creative tools as well. Schism T…

Not that I've used Asesprite, and since its completely possible to avoid this I might be just spreading FUD or something, but one reason to avoid using something like SDL, Allegro, SFML, GLFW, etc, for a desktop application is that the style you typically use to write those (update at 30 or 60fps always) has very poor power consumption. When you don't care about this, it opens up a lot of possibilities for making you…

> update at 30 or 60fps always

Actually neither OpenGL nor DirectX force you to do this - it's just what game loops set out to do. There isn't anything stopping you from calling Present as infrequently as you want (i.e. when something changes).

What you are saying might hold truth because most people don't think about power consumption and could thus end up using a normal game loop for their UI app.

Re: Aseprite: cross-platform, open source sprite and pixel art tool

#15

Post by degenerate »

LukeB_UK wrote: post #2

I LOVE Aseprite, I've been doing some artwork for games using it and it's been a great experience. Whilst it's open source and you can build it for yourself, you can pay $10 for it and get a built version. The lead dev, David Capello, has been working on this project full time since March 2015 so if you enjoy it, I'd encourage you to pay for it.

For anyone on Windows looking to give it a try without compiling, someone on DeviantArt compiled a Dev version (1.1.1): http://caencel.deviantart.com/art/Aseprite-1-1-1-dev-win-Dow...

Re: Aseprite: cross-platform, open source sprite and pixel art tool

#17

Post by anon4 »

LukeB_UK wrote: post #2

I LOVE Aseprite, I've been doing some artwork for games using it and it's been a great experience. Whilst it's open source and you can build it for yourself, you can pay $10 for it and get a built version. The lead dev, David Capello, has been working on this project full time since March 2015 so if you enjoy it, I'd encourage you to pay for it.

And people actually pay rather than download a compiled binary? I've sometimes advocated that this could be a viable business model for an open-source project, maybe even have the license forbid redistribution of binaries, but each person I've proposed it to basically said the expected outcome is for people to just download the (illegal) binaries and give you no money.
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