Aseprite reader

The Aseprite reader opens .ase and .aseprite files, surfaces the metadata Aseprite stores inside (frames, layers, durations), and exports a horizontal-strip atlas with a JSON descriptor.

It’s read-only. There is no pixel editing here. For that, use Aseprite proper.

Open it

Title bar Tools menu, then Pipeline tools, then Aseprite reader. Or click an .ase / .aseprite file in the project explorer.

What it shows

The header has a file picker (Pick .ase file) and a stats grid:

• File size.
• Frame count.
• Layer count.
• Total duration (sum of all frame durations).

Below the stats:

• A frame preview with a slider. Drag to scrub through frames. Each frame’s duration in milliseconds is shown.
• A layers list with each layer’s name (read-only).

Export an atlas

If the file has at least one frame, the Export atlas (PNG + JSON) button is enabled. Click it to produce:

• PNG, a horizontal strip with all frames laid out left to right.
• JSON descriptor (Phaser-compatible shape) keyed by frame-N.

Both files save to <project>/.forge/generated/aseprite/<timestamp>/. The result card shows the atlas dimensions and frame count with reveal buttons for each file.

What this isn’t

• Not an editor. No pixel painting, no layer reordering, no animation timing changes. Edit in Aseprite, save, re-open in Forge to see the new metadata.
• Not a power-of-two packer. Frames are packed in a single horizontal row, so wide animations produce wide atlases. If you need a tightly packed atlas (especially for many frames), drop the rendered frames into the Sprite sheet packer, which uses MaxRects.
• Not yet bulletproof on edge cases. Frame palettes, complex blend modes, and layer groups are mostly handled, but if something looks off, fall back to Aseprite’s own export menu.