Asset Pipeline for Indie Devs

Overview

As an indie developer, your time is your most valuable resource. An efficient asset pipeline — from generation through organization to engine import — can cut days off your production timeline. The goal is to minimize context-switching and keep assets organized so you spend more time building levels and less time hunting for files.

spritesynth's API and project system are designed to fit into existing game development workflows, whether you use Unity, Godot, or custom engines.

Step 1: Set Up Project Structure

Create a project in spritesynth to group related assets:

curl -X POST https://api.spritesynth.com/v1/projects \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "Forest World",
    "description": "All assets for the forest biome — characters, tilesets, objects"
  }'

Assign every generation to this project using the returned project_id.

Step 2: Batch Generate Assets

Generate multiple assets in sequence, assigning each to the project:

curl -X POST https://api.spritesynth.com/v1/characters \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
"prompt": "pixel art forest wolf, grey fur, yellow eyes",
    "direction_count": 4,
    "width": 32,
    "height": 32,
    "project_id": "your-project-uuid"
  }'

Queue multiple generations and let them complete in the background while you work on other tasks.

Step 3: Monitor Generation Status

Track each generation's progress by polling its status:

curl https://api.spritesynth.com/v1/generations/{generation_id} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

The response includes status (pending, processing, completed, failed), duration_ms, and the resulting asset_id. Poll every 5-10 seconds until completion.

Step 4: List and Filter Projects

Retrieve all your projects to find the right one before generating:

curl https://api.spritesynth.com/v1/projects \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Use the response to find a project_id by name or view creation dates and asset counts.

Step 5: Reuse Saved Templates

If you have a generation config saved as a template, apply it instantly:

curl -X POST https://api.spritesynth.com/v1/templates/{template_id}/apply \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "project_id": "your-project-uuid",
    "overrides": {
      "prompt": "pixel art forest wolf cub, smaller, playful pose"
    }
  }'

The overrides field lets you swap the prompt while keeping all other settings (model, size, palette) from the template.

Step 6: Export and Import

Export completed assets and import into your game engine:

curl -O https://api.spritesynth.com/v1/characters/{character_id}/export-zip \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"

Unzip into your project's Assets/Sprites/ directory. Each export includes metadata files your engine needs.

Tips

• One biome per project — Create separate spritesynth projects for each biome or area in your game.
• Version your exports — Keep exported ZIPs in your game project's version control so you can roll back asset changes.
• Use consistent filenames — Name characters and objects descriptively in spritesynth so exported files have meaningful names.