Tilesets & Palette
Loading tilesets, selecting tiles and stamps, and configuring tileset settings.
Loading Tilesets
A tileset is a single image containing tile graphics in a regular grid. TileForge supports PNG and JPG tileset images.
To add a tileset:
- Go to File > Add Tileset.
- Choose a tileset image from your file system.
- TileForge auto-calculates the tile count, columns, and
firstGid(first global tile ID for this tileset).
You can load multiple tilesets — switch between them using the dropdown selector at the top of the palette panel.
The Palette Panel
The palette panel on the left displays the active tileset as a grid of tiles. Information about the hovered tile appears at the bottom (tile ID).
Single Tile Selection
Click any tile in the palette to select it. The selected tile becomes your painting brush for the Pencil, Rectangle, and Fill tools.
Stamp Selection
Click and drag across multiple tiles in the palette to select a rectangular stamp. The stamp becomes a multi-tile brush — tools will paint the entire tile pattern at once.
Stamps work with the Pencil tool (paints the pattern as you drag) and the Rectangle tool (tiles the stamp across the rectangle area).
Right-Click Context Menu
Right-clicking a tile in the palette opens a context menu with:
- Edit Animation — open the Tile Animation Editor for this tile
- Edit Collision — open the Tile Collision Editor for this tile
- Tileset Settings — open the settings dialog for the active tileset
Tile Indicators
Tiles in the palette show small icons when they have extra data:
- A blue play icon indicates the tile has animation frames defined.
- A red C icon indicates the tile has collision shapes defined.
Tileset Settings
Open tileset settings via the gear button next to the tileset selector, or right-click any tile and choose Tileset Settings.
The settings dialog lets you edit:
- Name — display name for the tileset
- Tile Width / Height — size of each tile in pixels
- Margin — pixels around the outer edge of the tileset image
- Spacing — pixels between tiles in the image
A live preview shows calculated columns, rows, and total tile count. Changes apply immediately.
Custom Palettes
Custom palettes are a TileForge-exclusive feature. A custom palette is a named, reorderable collection that can paint across all layers and properties in a single stroke.
For example, a "forest floor" custom palette might paint grass tiles on the ground layer, tree tiles on the decoration layer, and collision properties — all from one palette entry.
Custom palettes appear in the panel below the tileset palette.
Missing Tileset Images
When opening a TMJ file, TileForge attempts to load tileset images from their original paths. If an image cannot be found, you will be prompted to locate it on your file system. This is common when sharing map files between computers.