Isometric Character Creator

A modular character kit for isometric pixel art games: 452 layer files that stack into characters, in 8 directions with 10 animations each, on exact 64x64 cells (432 frames per layer). Two body builds (broad and slim) with all the same clothes, plus 20 ready-made characters and a script that builds any combination. Made for the 32x16 diamond of Gridwright Isometric Tiles, Isometric Interiors and Isometric Characters, and for any 2:1 isometric map: life sims, cozy and farming games, city builders, RPG towns, NPC crowds.

Put these characters in a scene: the 20 ready-made characters are in the Gridwright Isometric Builder (8 directions, idle animation), an isometric map maker that runs in your browser, with all seven Gridwright isometric packs inside and Godot, Tiled and PNG export.

Licence in one line: use them in your commercial games; do not resell the files. No credit required.

What they can wear (per build)

• Bodies (6 files per build): 2 builds (broad and slim) x 6 skin tones.
• Hair (80 files per build): 10 styles: short, swept, spiky, curly, bob, long, ponytail, bun, afro, braid - each in 8 colours.
• Facial hair (16 files per build): 2 styles: beard, moustache - each in 8 colours.
• Tops (60 files per build): 10 styles: t-shirt, shirt, tank top, hoodie, jacket, sweater, tunic, dress, robe, vest & shirt - each in 6 colours.
• Bottoms (20 files per build): 4 styles: trousers, shorts, skirt, long skirt - each in 5 colours.
• Shoes (12 files per build): 3 styles: shoes, boots, sneakers - each in 4 colours.
• Headwear (19 files per build): 9 styles: cap, beanie, straw hat, cowboy hat, top hat, chef hat, crown, witch hat, hood - 1 to 3 colours each.
• Accessories (11 files per build): 5 styles: glasses, sunglasses, scarf, backpack, apron - 1 to 3 colours each.
• Held items (2 files per build): 2 styles: cup, bread.

10 animations in every layer, 8 directions

idle (4), walk (8), run (6), wave (6), talk (4), cheer (6), pickup (6), sit (4), type (4), eat (6) frames per direction. Sit, type and eat are seated, with a seat point that fits the chairs, sofa and computer desk of Isometric Interiors. Every direction is drawn on its own, none is mirrored.

Layers that just stack

• One layer order in every direction (body, shoes, bottom, top, accessory, facial hair, hair, headwear, held item): each layer was cut against the 3D body it is worn on, so the back directions need no separate versions.
• Every pixel is opaque or empty, so plain alpha blending stacks the layers exactly.
• One sheet per layer with all the animations side by side (8 rows x 54 columns), and layers.json with each animation's first column, fps and loop, the feet point, and the walk and run speed per direction.
• compose.py (Python + Pillow) turns any recipe into one sheet per animation at any scale, with a JSON and single frames if you want them. The 20 ready-made characters ship as recipes and as sheets at 1x, 2x and 3x.
• Checked by the build: every body, clothing, hair and hat layer has pixels in every frame, nothing touches a cell edge, and compose.py run on the shipped layers gives exactly the shipped characters.

The 20 ready-made characters

Farmer, Chef, Office worker, King, Cowboy, Elder, Student, Jogger, Gentleman, Adventurer, Barista, Witch, Queen, Tourist, Teacher, Baker, Skater, Gardener, Punk, Ranger.

Try before you buy

The free sample has two complete characters (Jogger and Barista) with all 10 animations, the layers they are made of plus a few more, layers.json and compose.py: the whole workflow.

What it does not include

No combat animations (attack, hurt, death: see Gridwright Isometric Characters), no weapons or tools, no faces with mouths or expressions, no tiles or furniture (the scenes use Isometric Tiles and Isometric Interiors, sold separately), no Aseprite files and no engine project. Big hair (afro, bun, spiky) shows around hats. The art is drawn at 1x; 2x and 3x are scaled copies.

Licence

Use and modify in personal and commercial projects. Shipping the characters inside your game is fine. No resale or redistribution of the assets, modified or not. Credit is appreciated, not required. Not for AI training or NFTs.

How it was made

Every frame is drawn by code: the body is a set of 3D parts posed per frame and seen through the same 30-degree isometric camera as Gridwright Isometric Tiles, lit from the top left and banded onto 6-tone colour ramps with outlines; a clothing layer recolours the body regions it covers and adds its own 3D parts (hair, hats, skirts, hoods). The code was written with AI-assisted tools. No image generator was used, and no third-party art is included.

Missing a hairstyle, an outfit or an animation? Leave a comment: the pack gets updates.

It is also in the Gridwright Megabundle: every Gridwright pack and tool for $20.