For Unity 2020.3.46 or higher
Import Krita and OpenRaster files directly in Unity, simplifying your workflow.
Assets auto-reimport every time you make changes.
KRA/ORA files are free alternatives to proprietary formats like PSD.
KRaster Importer
This plugin makes it easier for you (or your artists) to use free software, such as Krita, for drawing/editing multi-layer images. It also supports OpenRaster, a standard interchange format used by multiple image editors, most of them free.
Now, you no longer need to manually export .png files from the image editor every time you make changes to the source image. By letting this process be handled in Unity, you can simplify your workflow and save your precious time!
This is a hi-quality product:
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Intuitive. The familiar interface is very easy to learn and convenient to use.
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Efficient workflow. Import multiple files at once. Use patterns and presets to be efficient even if you want to organize your files in a different way.
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Smart warnings to detect edge cases and guide you on how to proceed.
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Fully documented online (wiki) and offline (tooltips).
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Thoroughly tested. Check the documentation to solve issues or report bugs.
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Editor-only. It doesn't need to add any runtime code to your builds.
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Offline code. No user data is collected, so your privacy is respected.
Usage
Any .kra/.krz and .ora files in your project will be recognized as assets, and you can even see their preview! Simply multi-select all assets you want and enable the desired importation method in the inspector, then click Apply. Whenever you edit any of those files externally, it will be reimported automatically!
The recommended method is Generate File, which allows to use all[*] features of Unity's built-in texture importer. You can set a specific path/name pattern to where the images will be regenerated whenever a source image changes.
For animated files, you can make it use Krita to generate images for each frame and even group those under the same folder.
If you prefer to import textures and sprites directly as sub-assets, you also have a few options using the Import Image method, which never requires Krita.
No importation method is the default, but if you want, you can easily set it to one of the included presets or to one you create. You can also use the preset manager for zero-click path-based importation with full flexibility.
For example, you can make it so every source image under:
glob:"Assets/Images/**.[ko]ra"
is by default automatically extracted to a file on:
Assets/Textures/<subpath>/<name>.<format>
Documentation
Technical details
Note that direct importation could change in a future version.
[*]. This plugin works in two modes. The internal mode doesn't need Krita and is enough for simpler projects. With Krita installed, you can enable the external mode too, which will be automatically used when appropriate.
Internal PNG mode (default):
- Animation is not supported in this mode.
- HDR is not supported in this mode. Only PNG files can be generated.
- Only the flattened image will be read, so this merged image has to be available inside the file (KRZ[**] files don't have it). If it's missing, the thumbnail is used as a fallback, but it's typically sized and cropped differently from the original image.
- Appropriate for sRGB (gamma) images. On linear images, the image editor may or may not have converted the flattened image data to sRGB.
External program mode (users can enable it in preferences):
- Requires Krita to be installed for KRA/KRZ files. It will be called to export to formats like EXR and to generate files from animations. For ORA files, you could install Krita or some other compatible program such as LazPaint, but this should be unnecessary, as you shouldn't be using ORA for HDR or linear images anyway, so there's no need to export it to formats other than PNG.
- Only used as an alternative for the Generate File method. Not used in direct sub-asset importations, thumbnails or previews.
- Batch importation with Krita can be much slower, so the plugin will only use this mode when it detects that it's necessary or when forced.
This plugin is officially compatible[***] with at least:
- KRA, KRZ[**]: Krita v5.1.x
- ORA: OpenRaster v0.0.2~v0.0.5, Baseline Intent
[**]. If you're using internal mode and want to avoid .krz (Krita Archival Image) files for static images, you can use Krita (or ask your artists) to re-save as .kra instead (enabling "compress .kra files more" setting if desired).
[***]. Note that, although compatibility is expected to be good, no testing is done in any specific image editors, other than version 5.1 of Krita. Other versions or apps might not necessarily be supported. Same applies to any extra features/extensions that might be added by these apps to the formats.
