SpriteAtlas v2 removes support for Folders?

I hope this is the right place to post this!

I've found the ability to include a Folder in the SpriteAtlas's Objects for Packing list very useful. It removes a lot of work, especially when trying to design asset pipelines or import many assets at once.

In the SpriteAtlas v2 documention, it mentions that this feature is being removed: https://docs.unity3d.com/2020.1/Documentation/Manual/SpriteAtlasExperimental.html

I'm not sure how many others I speak for, but I'd love if this feature could stick around.

 

Yes, please don't remove folder support from the sprite packer! It saves so much time just being able to add new sprites in to a folder of organised sprites and have that atlas automatically update. Having to add individual sprites to a sprite atlas, especially keeping track of things after a large import, would be quite a bit of a timesink that doesn't exist under the v1 workflow!

 

+1

I completely agree with all above. Please don't remove folders.

Also, with V2, going into debug mode removed my ability to set the padding higher than 8. Without this, my sprites have issues overlapping. Is there going to be a way to increase padding above 8 in version 2?

 

Woah, what, why? Wish there was some explanation. We use this for most of our sprite atlases, who wouldn't?

 

What is the logical explanation for removing such a useful, essential feature? What could possibly be down side on this?

 

I feel like we're not going to get a response here unless someone creates a bug report.

 

I don't think Unity will think it is really a bug, since they know about it and still want to remove it.

 

I had assumed this would be fixed but if not it absolutely should be. Just to give a concrete example here.

We have characters each with their own Scriptable. The Scriptable references a SpriteAtlas containing all the portraits for that character. This SpriteAtlas references a folder named the same as the character. Within that folder are all the portraits, which are named after the expression they show for that character. Our artist can just add new portrait expressions to this folder, and our writer can reference them in their dialogue script without having to mess with SpriteAtlases and Scriptables. With v2 that's not possible anymore.

 

Oh I didn't mean to suggest it was a bug.

What I'm saying is unity doesn't look at these forums as often as we'd like and sometimes our hand is forced into using the bug tracker as a means of getting a hold of someone.

 

Thinking about it, and maybe it is a good idea.

 

Humm.. On my second look at the link above, I could not find any information that folder support is being removed. Where did you find it?

 

https://docs.unity3d.com/2020.1/Documentation/Manual/SpriteAtlasExperimental.html

 

Right.. but have you tried to dragging folder to the atlas element slots? It does work for me and it does pack.

 

When I tried this, it caused the editor to crash:
https://forum.unity.com/threads/case-1259149-packing-sprites-causes-editor-crash-always.921359/

It's hopefully fixed in the meantime.

 

I am using 2020.2a19 and it seems to have been fixed.

 

Ple

Please do correct me if I am wrong, but I am already using folder to the Atals v2 using Unity 2020.1 or 2020.2

I add folder to the object to be included in the atlas and click preview packing and all seems to pack correctly?

Or is it just looks like working and it is not actually working as intended during realtime play mode?

I am massively confused on this. Without folder option, it's too difficult to work for my project.

 

If we need to add a Sprite to the SpriteAtlas by hand, rather than just adding an entire folder as in earlier Unity versions, then that's a tremendously huge issue from a workflow point of view you've introduced. Adding the contents of a folder automatically to a SpriteAtlas is really a must-have.

 

I am able to drag folder to the object slot to add them to be packed. Also, I don't really mind repacking manually. Even if that is the only way it is 1000% better than having to add every single sprites manually. Besides, I may be able to create a custom editor script to repack all atlases automatically on click of a button, which will be , again, 1000% better than having to add sprites manually. Adding sprites manually, especially for like 1000s of them will definitely have human error. I choose manual repack of atlas over adding 1000s of sprites individually on any project.

Besides, in Editor, it's not so bad if current atlas is 100% up to date because the game will still run and show sprites anyway (just not using atlas) but when you build addressable or actual game, it will repack the atlases so that's ok I think.

So if Unity is thinking about removing current folder option (even if it stays as it is) please reconsider. It's really a bad idea. Let us at least use what we have.

 

Thanks for your reply. I think you introduced v2 for a reason, it's not like v1 is better in all cases and I guess v2 will also receive more love in the future. From a users point of view, it's from advantage to switch to v2 eventually.

A better answer would have been: "Thank you for the feedback. I'll raise this issue internally with the team and we try to figure out how to improve the workflow by finding a way to auto-add sprites from a folder."

 

+1

Just use V1 is not a good enough solution. Eventually V2 will become the status quo, right? The default option? What then. This is a major downgrade to sprite atlas and can't just be hand waved away because V1 hasn't been deprecated yet. Because one day it will, and we will all be stuck using it. This should be addressed sooner not later.

 

I am using Unity 2020.1.0f1 and 2020.2a19

I can't believe I am saying this, but.

PLEASE DO NOT FIX THIS BUG..! It works and it is better to have this than not having it so why "fix" and make it worse?

 

If I understand correctly, it means if you edit any of the assets in those folders then it won't actually regenerate the atlas.

 

I can understand this, and it just needs to be stated in the document rather than removing the feature. Please just leave it as it is, and once auto update feature is enabled sometime in the future, just let us know then. In mean while, we can manually update atlases or create custom editor script to repack it in semi-automatic way.

 

@Venkify on a slightly different note... It's this new asset database V2 dependency system available for us to use in our own tools? IE if we have editor scripts and custom importers to create new asset types that depend on other assets in the project?

 

I have just added a simple button to repack all my atlases when I need in my custom tool set, and everything seems to work. It is so much better to just add sprites to the folders and then once in a while, or when I need to test atlas, just click a simple button to repack all my atlases. I can't think of any other way to work other than this, having to add sprites to individual atlases all the time and tracking of them feels almost impossible task right now.

 

Surely there's a way in v2 to include some kind of folder reference, and have the editor automatically add anything in the folder to the objects for packing list?

 

I just want to add that whatever technical limitations make this difficult to support are limitations that all of us end users will need to overcome by ourselves if Unity doesn't fix it at their level. It's much easier to fix for Unity, since they can add engine functionality where needed.

Imagine how janky our solutions will be if even Unity themselves couldn't find a nice way to do it.

 

Please dont do it like V1 did, but instead use an importer like all other assets.

 

Just wanted to test the new SpriteAtlas V2 on my huge project ( about 15K individual sprite sheets from very small consisting only of a few sprites and others, huge 8k sheets where one anim stretches over several such sheets ).
Of course this is all organized cleanly in folders for the textures/sprite sheets )
And now i just noticed in the docs that folders cannot be dragged onto the atlas definition any longer and its uncertain that new additions per folder will be dedcted if you do
So how someone is supposed to use V2 with a project like this when there is now folder support?

i strongly hope that this is just a preview limitation of V2 ...

 

It doesn't seem like it, it seems like a limitation they initially intend to release with.

Hopefully @Venkify has raised this issue internally (update please? ) and is now being looked on to. Without an update we have no way of knowing.

 

Which is why the folder option, despite its short coming such as non detection of any new sprites added, it should still be there and available for us so that we can at least manually click a button or call api to pack it ourselves. Having no option to use folder no matter how limited they are is like... unthinkable.

 

I agree with the rest in this thread, folder support is essential for Sprite Atlas!

You state in https://blogs.unity3d.com/2020/08/13/the-road-to-2021/ that you will focus on "Workflows and usability: quality-of-life fixes" - releasing Sprite Atlas V2 without support for adding folders is actually the opposite of this.

 

Yeah, just imagine 1000s of them... I have couple of 100s and I can't manage them without using folder option already.

 

any news on that front?
reverting the decision to dump folder support possibly?

 

Today, I was checking my project settings and found out that I had atlas version 1 enabled.... instead of v2. Which explains why my folder option was working... and that was heart breaking. So my initial assumption that v2 folder was working was wrong... Now I feel insecure, uncertain that when v1 will be deprecated and not feeling good about using the futire technology. Please bring the folder option back for v2.

 

you da man rus much appreciated!

 

Thanks so much @rustum !!!!

 

Unity 2021.2!!

"Other 2D improvements are Sprite Atlas v2 with folder support and new APIs to find duplicated sprites in several atlases for a single sprite, query for MasterAtlas and IsInBuild."

https://blog.unity.com/technology/unity-20212-beta-is-available-for-feedback

 

Hell yeah nice work Sprite Atlas v2 team!

 

I really hope this gets backported to 2020

 

I wouldn't bet on that. New features are not backported to earlier versions of the engine, even for packages.