Godot: Re-add atlas packing option

[amkk]

Issue description:
Godot 2.0 has "image groups tab" and "atlas toggle button" in export settings.

I can't find it in Godot 3.0.
Is this removed or regret?
It's really useful feature for me.

[reduz]

It's gone, you can select multiple images and change settings at the same
time on import (using import tab)

On Sun, Dec 3, 2017 at 10:25 PM, amkk [e-mail] wrote:

Issue description:
Godot 2.0 has "image groups tab" and "atlas toggle button" in export
settings.
[image: 1]
https://user-images.githubusercontent.com/8508498/33532007-a8881dee-d8d8-11e7-9eaf-9fc2d55ecdf9.png
I can't find it in Godot 3.0.
Is this removed or regret?
It's really useful feature for me.

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[Zylann]

@reduz but how do we make atlases on export now?

[amkk]

@reduz I know that and thanks to new import system.
I like it.
but make atlas on export time is really useful.
It's allows flexible workflow.
so please don't remove it.

[reduz]

Atlas on export won't come back simply for the reason that Godot does no longer any work of that sort when exporting.

Still, it should be possible to do atlas on import, just no one hasn't voluntereed yet with a proposal.

[Zylann]

@reduz I think doing extra export steps like that is important to consider because one idea behind atlas baking is that it's part of transforming the assets from an editor-optimized workflow to a player-optimized experience (same idea behind binarizing scenes for example). If that is just gone without considering atlases it's a bit lame to need extra work by someone to re-add it :/

[reduz]

@Zylann Truth is that they are not that useful in this case nowadays, so It's a matter of focusing the effort on priorities, else nothing gets done.

In any case, an import workflow using atlases could work exactly the same, you would select to import the texture as "atlas" and select an atlas name. If it wasn't done it's because there really hasn't been a strong demand for it.

[tynrare]

@reduz i guess it's good to use another tools like texturepacker for optimize resources and workflow, but @Zylann has a point - autobatcher in export pipeline can make great job for beginners who don't know why we have to use atlases and for teams where smooth workflow without constant reimports very important

[jahd2602]

Please let's re-add the atlas option, for export or for import, this is especially useful when doing tilemaps.

[mhilbrunner]

Isn't on-import worse than on-export, as you likely want to work on separate images in your art pipeline?

So on each iteration, your workflow needs to be:
make change > make atlas > import > test

instead of:
make change > import> test

[xdeadmonkx]

The problem is when you add atlas on import it's not that easy to replace it to new generated atlas - all rects will be changed and you have to recreate all existing sprites.
But if you generate atlas on export then you just need to add new sprite)

[timoschwarzer]

make change > make atlas > import > test

My proposal:

• Put a.png, b.png and c.png into res://assets/
• Select these files in the editor and click "Create atlas" in the import tab
• The editor then:
  
  
  
  • Creates an atlas file in res://.import/ containing the whole atlas
  
  
  • Writes this association to the *.png.import files
  
  
  • Creates *.png.atex files next to the original *.png files
  
  

Upside:

• When one or more originals change, the editor would simply rebuild the atlas and *.png.atex files like any other imported file, too.

Downside:

• On export, the probably unused original *.png files would be exported, too, I guess.

[timoschwarzer]

@xdeadmonkx

you have to recreate all existing sprites.

That's not true if the editor creates the *.atex files.

[arkology]

If I understand correctly, with this https://github.com/godotengine/godot/commit/04847ef5f98d9a20a72286c44cc26302ec82dec5 commit the option of atlas packing is back!

[akien-mga]

Indeed, fixed by 04847ef.