Tilemap Editor - Quick Start Guide
Time: 5 minutes | Level: ⭐ Beginner
Quick Index
Your First Map in 5 Minutes
⏱️ Step 1: Open the Editor (30 seconds)
- Launch PixelRoot32 Tool Suite from your applications menu
- Click Launch on the Tilemap Editor card
When starting without a project, you see the toolbar with:
- File → New Project (
Ctrl+N): Create a new project from scratch - File → Open (
Ctrl+O): Open.pr32scene.bin(or legacy.pr32scene)
⏱️ Step 2: Create Project (30 seconds)
- Click File → New Project or press Ctrl+N
- Configure parameters:
| Field | Default | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Name | "New Scene" | Sanitized to lowercase alphanumeric + _ |
| Tile Size | 8 px | Validated 1-32 against engine limits |
| Map Width | 40 tiles | Max 255 |
| Map Height | 30 tiles | Max 255 |
| Orientation | Landscape | Portrait also available |
- Click Create
- Select an empty folder
💡 Tip: Use "Fit Map to Hardware Limit" to auto-fit to ESP32 screen (320×240).
⏱️ Step 3: Import Tileset (1 minute)
- In the TILESET panel, click Import tileset
- Select a PNG, JPG, or BMP image
- The image is auto-copied to
assets/tilesets/
📝 Recommended: PNG, multiples of tile size, up to 16 colors for 4bpp.
⏱️ Step 4: Paint Your First Map (2 minutes)
- Select Brush - Press B or click Brush tool
- Pick a tile - Click any tile in the TILESET panel (cyan border for selected tile)
- Paint - Click on canvas to place, drag to paint continuously
- Undo - Use Ctrl+Z if you make a mistake
🛠️ Basic Tools:
| Key | Tool | Use |
|---|---|---|
| B | Brush | Paint tiles |
| E | Eraser | Erase tiles |
| R | Rectangle | Draw filled rectangles |
| G | Pan | Pan the canvas view |
| I | Pipette | Pick a tile from the canvas |
| A | Attribute | Open tile attribute editor |
| Space | Pan (hold) | Temporarily pan while held |
🛠️ Additional tools (via toolbar): Animation — assign tiles to animations from the panel.
⏱️ Step 5: Save and Export (1 minute)
- Save project: Ctrl+S or File → Save
- Export to C++: Click the Export button in the toolbar, or File → Export
⚙️ Export options: Namespace, color depth (auto-detected), "Store in Flash (ESP32)" for PROGMEM, and Legacy format for compatibility without Flash attributes.
🔒 Note: C++ export requires a valid license. Without license:
- Export button shows 🔒
- Upgrade dialog appears
- Other features remain available
See License & Activation for details on activating your license.
Next Steps
Once you've completed your first map:
- Add more layers - Click + in the LAYERS panel (max 8 per scene)
- Create multiple scenes - Click + in the SCENE panel
- Explore advanced features - See Advanced Guide
Keyboard Shortcuts
File
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+N | New project |
| Ctrl+O | Open project |
| Ctrl+S | Save |
| Ctrl+Shift+S | Save As |
| Ctrl+W | Close project |
Edit
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl+Z | Undo |
| Ctrl+Y / Ctrl+Shift+Z | Redo |
Tools
| Key | Tool |
|---|---|
| B | Brush |
| E | Eraser |
| R | Rectangle |
| G | Pan |
| I | Pipette |
| A | Attribute |
| Space | Pan (hold while pressed) |
View
| Shortcut | Action |
|---|---|
| Ctrl++ | Zoom in |
| Ctrl+- | Zoom out |
| Ctrl+0 | Zoom reset |
| Ctrl+F | Fit to window |
| F1 | Keyboard shortcuts panel |
Related Guides
- Usage Guide - Essential features
- Advanced Guide - Advanced features
- Technical Reference - Technical specs