Reduced Color Palettes and Recoloring feature

[Gaurav0]

• @BenCreating created a version of the spritesheet generator with this feature: https://bencreating.github.io/LPC-Spritesheet-Generator/
• @napsio 's version has this feature as well: https://vitruvianstudio.github.io/

While there is considerable discussion about this feature elsewhere, I am opening a separate top level topic here for greater visibility.

Previous discussion:

• Looking ahead at the future of the generator, what do we envision? Would we consider rewriting the current one using a modern framework; or continue as is. #53 (comment)
• Allow downloading of only some animations / one animation at a time / zip file containing separate animations #48 (comment)

Discussion on OpenGameArt:

• https://opengameart.org/forumtopic/improving-lpc
• https://opengameart.org/forumtopic/vitruvian-studio-lpc-character-generator-proof-of-concept
• https://opengameart.org/forumtopic/i-want-to-make-a-color-customizable-version-of-the-lpc-character-generator

[jrconway3]

So looking this over, here's how Vitruvian handles this:

So here's the head. It also has the eyes listed here, too. Interesting. There's two colors listed on the head asset... if we can implement a recolor functionality, its not impossible to have one asset recolor two separate colors, negating the need to have two separate assets for each piece.

Here's what the json code looks for head assets:

  "materials": {
    "primary": {
      "name": "Skin",
      "palettes": [
        "any"
      ]
    },
    "secondary": {
      "name": "Eyes",
      "palettes": [
        "eyes"
      ]
    }
  },
  "colors": {
    "primary": "anatomy.body",
    "secondary": "eyes_blue"
  },

So this is configured to let you set a "primary" and "secondary" material, and I assume the material is referring to the type of palette that will be used.

In the colors, that appears to be what specifies the "default" color of the current asset, so yeah, it does take into account what each color that can be swapped out is. That explains how it can handle two separate colors and what some default colors aren't consistent.

I don't see the palettes inside the "vitruvian-spritesheets" repository:
https://github.com/vitruvianstudio/spritesheets

Perhaps its in the editor itself?

https://github.com/vitruvianstudio/vitruvian-web/blob/main/src/data/colors.json

It appears this is where the palettes are. Its a json file but more complicated than the one used for lpctools. I don't necessarily think we need to use this, as we can always convert the hex colors into the colors more usable.

I think based on this, Vitruvian allows multiple palettes to be used per color set:

  "materials": {
    "primary": {
      "name": "Skin",
      "palettes": [
        "any"
      ]
    },
    "secondary": {
      "name": "Eyes",
      "palettes": [
        "eyes"
      ]
    }
  },

Under "primary" and "secondary", the "palettes" is an array rather than a single selection. I think I've seen other assets where you can actively choose between different sets of palettes as well.

This is similar to how in Eliza's sets, she has the "primary" set of colors, then a whole series of "extra" colors that let's you use non-standard colors if you wish:
https://github.com/ElizaWy/LPC/tree/main/Characters/Body/Body%2001%20-%20Feminine%2C%20Thin

This is something we can use if we want to keep the default colors here, but also support LPC Revised colors as an additional option.