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AI Sprite Maker

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Unity package

Updated November 6, 2026
On this page
  1. Install
  2. Generate
  3. Slice a sheet you already have
  4. Driving the animations
  5. Troubleshooting
  6. Other ways in

The AI Sprite Maker package adds Window → AI Sprite Maker to the Unity Editor. It generates sprites, library animations, turnarounds and tilesets, then imports them the way pixel art should be imported, so you skip the half hour of import settings described in Sprite sheets in Unity:

  • the texture is set to Sprite (2D and UI), Sprite Mode Multiple, Point (no filter), no compression, no mip maps, clamp, non-power-of-two size kept;
  • it’s sliced from the sheet’s frame data, not guessed with Automatic slicing. Sprite IDs are kept by name when you re-import, so references in scenes and clips don’t break;
  • one AnimationClip per animation, with per-frame timing and loop settings;
  • an Animator Controller with one state per clip.

It also slices any PNG that has a sheet JSON next to it (ours, Aseprite or TexturePacker), with no API key needed.

Download

aispritemaker-unity.zip · Unity 2021.3 or newer · depends on com.unity.2d.sprite (installed automatically) · free, MIT licensed · generating needs an API key, included on every plan.

Install

  1. Download aispritemaker-unity.zip and unzip it outside your Assets/ folder. You get a folder named com.aispritemaker.unity. (Unzipping it into your project’s Packages/ folder instead embeds the package in the project, which is handy if you want it under version control.)
  2. In Unity open Window → Package Manager, click + → Add package from disk…, and select com.aispritemaker.unity/package.json.
  3. Unity installs the 2D Sprite dependency if it’s missing. Window → AI Sprite Maker is now available.

Every file ships with its .meta file, so GUIDs stay stable across machines and updates. To update, replace the folder with the new version; Unity picks up the change.

Generate

  1. Open Window → AI Sprite Maker. Paste your API key (asm_live_…, from Dashboard → API keys) and press Save. The key is stored in EditorPrefs on your machine, never in the project. If the ASM_API_KEY environment variable is set when Unity starts, it’s used as the default.
  2. Pick a Type: Sprite, Animation (choose a motion loaded live from the motion library), Turnaround (4 or 8 directions) or Tileset.
  3. Write a prompt and choose style, size, palette (0 = the style’s default) and view. Optionally drag a Reference texture in, or press Selected to use the texture selected in the Project window.
  4. Set the import options:
    • Save to: default Assets/Sprites/AISpriteMaker;
    • Pixels per unit: 0 uses the frame height, so a character is one world unit tall. Set it to your tile size if you use a tilemap, and keep it the same for every sprite in the game;
    • Pivot: default Bottom Center, which keeps feet planted when animations switch;
    • Create Animator Controller: on or off.
  5. Click Generate. Progress shows in the window; Cancel cancels the job and releases its credits.

For a fox knight with a 4-direction walk you get:

Assets/Sprites/AISpriteMaker/
  fox-knight_walk.png          sliced into fox-knight_walk_000 … _031
  fox-knight_walk.json         frame rects, durations, tags (Aseprite-compatible)
  fox-knight_walk_walk_down.anim
  fox-knight_walk_walk_left.anim
  fox-knight_walk_walk_right.anim
  fox-knight_walk_walk_up.anim
  fox-knight_walk.controller   one state per clip

Add a SpriteRenderer and an Animator that uses the controller to a GameObject, or drag a clip onto a sprite GameObject. The clips animate SpriteRenderer.sprite.

More → Import job downloads and imports a job by its ID, for example one started with the CLI using --no-wait, or one interrupted by a script reload.

Slice a sheet you already have

Put hero.png and hero.json next to each other under Assets/, select the PNG, and choose Assets → AI Sprite Maker → Slice Sheet From JSON. The pixels-per-unit, pivot and controller settings from the window are used. This works for our exports, Aseprite JSON and TexturePacker JSON, and doesn’t need an API key.

From an editor script:

var result = AISpriteMaker.Editor.SheetImporter.ImportWithSiblingJson("Assets/Sprites/hero.png");

Driving the animations

The generated controller has one state per clip but no transitions, because those depend on your game. For a top-down character, the usual setup is a 2D blend tree per motion with MoveX/MoveY parameters and the four direction clips at (0, -1), (-1, 0), (1, 0) and (0, 1). A complete walkthrough with a C# movement script is in Sprite sheets in Unity: slicing, pixel-perfect settings and animation.

For crisp rendering add a Pixel Perfect Camera to the main camera with Assets Pixels Per Unit set to the same PPU you imported with.

Troubleshooting

ProblemFix
Window → AI Sprite Maker is missingThe package didn’t install. Check the Package Manager for errors; it needs Unity 2021.3+ and the 2D Sprite package
Invalid or missing API keyPaste the key again and press Save. Keys are only shown once when created; make a new one if needed
insufficient_creditsWait for tomorrow’s 10 daily credits or top up on pricing
Sprites look blurry in the Game viewAdd a Pixel Perfect Camera, or check the Game view isn’t scaled to a non-integer zoom
Character is huge or tiny compared with other artPixels per unit differs. Re-import with the PPU the rest of your game uses
Clips play too fast or too slowTiming comes from the job’s frame data. Change the Animator state’s Speed rather than editing the clip

Other ways in

  • Prefer the browser? Export a Frames ZIP or PNG + JSON from the web app and use Slice Sheet From JSON. Export formats.
  • The CLI and the MCP server generate the same PNG + JSON files from your terminal or coding agent.
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Found a mistake or something out of date? Email hello@aispritemaker.com and we will fix it.