You can now automatically generate a SpriteSheet in After Effects thanks to Sheetah. This new SpriteSheet tool can turn any After Effects composition into a SpriteSheet file, really quickly.

If you are a game artist that works with SpriteSheets and After Effects quite a lot, then Sheetah is meant for you. Sheetah can turn a composition into a SpritSheet in one click, and it does it with blazing speed.

sheetah_ui

The plugin can export into most popular formats which include .png, .tga, and .tif, with alpha channels included. Sheetah features a dockable panel which can remember the session’s settings.

Sheetah can also be used as a an animation tool for custom animation sequences, allowing you to export an animation sequence as a text file. As an added bonus, Sheetah also comes with a Photoshop script that can turn image sequences and movie clips into SpriteSheets in much the same manner.

Sheetah SpriteSheet Tools Features

  • One button goodness
  • Exports to: png, tga, tif
  • Alpha channel included
  • Optimal spritesheet dimensions
  • Dockable UI panel
  • Remembers user settings
  • Animation Tools for custom animation sequences
  • Animation Sequence export as .txt file
  • (optional) a Photoshop script to turn image sequences and movies into spritesheets

Availability

Sheetah SpriteSheet Tools for After Effects can be found on the aescripts + aeplugins as a “Name Your Own Price” item with the suggested price of $18.99.

Manually Creating Your Own SpriteSheet in After Effects

Frederik Steinmetz had a tutorial once, that showed how to create a contact sheet that is filled with still frames from the After Effects composition by using expressions. It isn’t as elegant of a solution as Sheetah is, but it may be worth another look. Check out the tutorial for Create a SpriteSheet from an After Effects Animation With Expressions here.