SPRITEchrome

Publisher : Quantum Graphics
Platform : Atari ST
Format : 90 mm Floppy Disk
Language : 68000 Assembler
Resolution : 320 x 200
Year : 1987

SPRITEchrome is a professional sprite drawing and animation tool for the Atari ST. The program enables multi-frame sprites to be drawn and fully animated, using a compact ergonomically designed palette of tools.

At the time of SPRITEchrome's development, the 2 main graphic editors available for the Atari ST were NEOchrome and Degas, neither of which included the ability to preview sprite animations. Consequently Martin set about developing a sprite tool for use in his own projects, and with a view to possibly selling it commercially.

SPRITEchrome was written in 68000 assembler, and features lightning fast machine-code flood fill, line draw, outline and frame manipulation algorithms.

The program features extensive colour palette manipulation tools, enabling the artist to easily switch inks. Sprites can be shifted in any direction, reflected, rotated or flipped. Frames can also be copied or swapped from one frame to any other frame. A choice of brush sizes is also available.

The animation tool enables up to 16 frames of a sprite to be previewed at any chosen animation speed. Multi-frame sprites can be saved to, and loaded from, a single sprite data file. Sprite data can also be exported as text, in a convenient format ready to drop straight into a 68000 assembler source file.

Martin used SPRITEchrome to design the animated sprites in his Atari ST version of Buggy Boy. It was also adopted by Elite Systems as an in-house development aid in 1987.