Since Tiled 1.5

GameMaker

GameMaker uses a JSON-based format to store its rooms, and Tiled ships with a plugin to export maps in this format.

This plugin will do its best to export the map as accurately as possible, mapping Tiled’s various features to the matching GameMaker features. Tile layers get exported as tile layers when possible, but will fall back to asset layers if necessary. Objects can get exported as instances, but also as tile graphics, sprite graphics or views. Image layers get exported as background layers.

Warning

Since it’s not possible to add a room to a project by selecting a .yy file, the easiest way to export a Tiled map to your GameMaker project is to create a new room in GameMaker and then overwrite its room.yy file when exporting from Tiled.

In 2024, GameMaker made minor but incompatible changes to its file format. Tiled 1.12 ships with an updated plugin that uses the new format.

References to Existing Assets

Since Tiled currently only exports a map as a GameMaker room, any sprites, tilesets and objects used by the map are expected to be already available in the GameMaker project.

For sprites, the sprite name is derived by looking for a *.yy file in the directory of the image file and up to two parent directories. If such a file is found, it is assumed to be the associated meta file and its name without the file extension is used. If no *.yy file can be found, the name of the image file without its file extension is used.

If necessary, the sprite name can be explicitly specified using a custom sprite property (supported on tilesets, tiles from image collection tilesets and image layers).

For tilesets, the tileset name entered in Tiled must match the name of the tileset asset in GameMaker.

For object instances, the name of the object should be set in the Class field.

Exporting a Tiled Map

A Tiled map contains tile layers, object layers, image layers and group layers. All these layer types are supported.

Tile Layers

When possible, a tile layer will get exported as a tile layer.

When several tilesets are used on the same layer, the layer gets exported as a group with a child tile layer for each tileset, since GameMaker supports only one tileset per tile layer.

When the tile size of a tileset doesn’t match the grid size of the map, or when the map orientation is not orthogonal (for example, isometric or hexagonal), the tiles will get exported to an asset layer instead. This layer type is more flexible, though for tile graphics it does not support rotation.

When the layer includes tiles from a collection of images tileset, these will get exported to an asset layer as sprite graphics.

Object Layers

Object layers in Tiled are very flexible since objects take so many forms. As such the export looks at each object to see how it should be exported to the GameMaker room.

When an object has a Class, it is exported as an instance on an instance layer, where the class refers to the name of the object to instantiate. Except, when the class is “view”, the object is interpreted as a view.

When an object has no Class, but it is a tile object, then it is exported as either a tile graphic or a sprite graphic, depending on whether the tile is from a tileset image or a collection of images.

The following custom properties can be set on objects to affect the exported instance or sprite asset:

  • color colour (default: based on layer tint color)

  • float scaleX (default: derived from tile or 1.0)

  • float scaleY (default: derived from tile or 1.0)

  • bool inheritItemSettings (default: false)

  • int originX (default: 0)

  • int originY (default: 0)

  • bool ignore (default: whether the object is hidden)

The scaleX and scaleY properties can be used to override the scale of the instance. However, if the scale is relevant then it will generally be easier to use a tile object, in which case it is automatically derived from the tile size and the object size.

The originX and originY properties can be used to tell Tiled about the origin of the sprite defined in GameMaker, as an offset from the top-left. This origin is taken into account when determining the position of the exported instance.

Hint

Of course setting the class and/or the above properties manually for each instance will get old fast. Instead you can use tile objects with the class set on the tile or use object templates.

Object Instances

The following additional custom properties can be set on objects that are exported as object instances:

  • bool hasCreationCode (default: false)

  • int imageIndex (default: 0)

  • float imageSpeed (default: 1.0)

  • int creationOrder (default: 0)

The hasCreationCode property can be set to true. Refers to “InstanceCreationCode_[inst_name].gml” in the room folder which you can create inside GameMaker itself or with an external text editor.

By default the instance creation order is derived from the object positions inside the layer and object hierarchy from Tiled. This can be changed by using the custom property creationOrder. Objects with lower values will be created before objects with higher values (so objects with negative values will be created before objects without a creationOrder property).

Additional custom properties that are not documented here can be used to override the variable definitions that got set up inside GameMaker for the object.

Note

As of now only variable definitions of the object itself can be overridden. Overriding variable definitions of parent objects is not supported. As a workaround you can use the creation code to override variables of a parent object.

Tile Graphics

For objects exported as tile graphics (aka GMS 1.4 tiles), it should be noted that rotation is not supported on asset layers.

When 90-degree rotation with grid-alignment suffices, these tiles should be placed on tile layers instead. When free placement with rotation is required, a collection of images tileset should be used, so that the objects can be exported as sprite graphics instead.

Sprite Graphics

The following additional custom properties can be set on objects that are exported as sprite graphics:

  • float headPosition (default: 0.0)

  • float animationSpeed (default: 1.0)

Image Layers

Image layers are exported as background layers.

The file name of the source image is assumed to be the same as the name of the corresponding sprite asset. Alternatively the custom property sprite can be used to explicitly set the name of the sprite asset.

While not supported visually in Tiled, it is possible to create an image layer without an image but with only a tint color. Such layers will get exported as a background layer with just the color set.

The following custom properties can be set on image layers to affect the exported background layers:

  • string sprite (default: based on image filename)

  • bool htiled (default: value of Repeat X property)

  • bool vtiled (default: value of Repeat Y property)

  • bool stretch (default: false)

  • float hspeed (default: 0.0)

  • float vspeed (default: 0.0)

  • float animationFPS (default: 15.0)

  • int animationSpeedtype (default: 0)

Even though the custom properties such as hspeed and vspeed have no visual effect inside Tiled you will see the effect in the exported room inside GameMaker.

Special Cases and Custom Properties

Rooms

If a Background Color is set in the map properties of Tiled an extra background layer with the according color is exported as the bottommost layer.

The following custom properties can be set under Map -> Map Properties.

General

  • string parent (default: “Rooms”)

  • bool inheritLayers (default: false)

  • string tags (default: “”)

The parent property is used to define the parent folder inside GameMakers asset browser.

The tags property is used to assign tags to the room. Multiple tags can be separated by commas.

Room Settings

  • bool inheritRoomSettings (default: false)

  • bool persistent (default: false)

  • bool clearDisplayBuffer (default: true)

  • bool inheritCode (default: false)

  • string creationCodeFile (default: “”)

The creationCodeFile property is used to define the path of an existing creation code file, e.g.: “${project_dir}/rooms/room_name/RoomCreationCode.gml”.

Viewports and Cameras

General

  • bool inheritViewSettings (default: false)

  • bool enableViews (default: true when any “view” objects were found)

  • bool clearViewBackground (default: false)

Viewport 0 - Viewport 7

You can configure up to 8 viewports by using view objects (see Views).

Physics

  • bool inheritPhysicsSettings (default: false)

  • bool PhysicsWorld (default: false)

  • float PhysicsWorldGravityX (default: 0.0)

  • float PhysicsWorldGravityY (default: 10.0)

  • float PhysicsWorldPixToMeters (default: 0.1)

Sprite References

As mentioned above, references to sprites generally derive the name of the sprite asset from the image file name. The following property can be set on tilesets, tiles from image collection tilesets and image layers to explicitly specify the sprite name:

  • string sprite (default: based on image filename)

Paths

Warning

Paths are not supported yet, but it’s planned to export polyline and polygon objects as paths on path layers in a future update.

Views

Views can be defined using rectangle objects where the Class has been set to “view”. The position and size will be snapped to pixels. Whether the view is visible when the room starts depends on whether the object is visible. The use of views is automatically enabled when any views are defined.

The following custom properties can be used to define the various other properties of the view:

General

  • bool inherit (default: false)

Camera Properties

The Camera Properties are automatically derived from the position and size of the view object.

Viewport Properties

  • int xport (default: 0)

  • int yport (default: 0)

  • int wport (default: 1366)

  • int hport (default: 768)

Object following

  • string objectId

  • int hborder (default: 32)

  • int vborder (default: 32)

  • int hspeed (default: -1)

  • int vspeed (default: -1)

Hint

When you’re defining views in Tiled, it is useful to add view as class in the Custom Types Editor, adding the above properties for ease of access. If you frequently use views with similar settings, you can set up templates for them.

Layers

All layer types support the following custom properties:

  • int depth (default: auto-assigned, like in GameMaker)

  • bool visible (default: derived from layer)

  • bool hierarchyFrozen (default: layer locked state)

  • bool noExport (default: false)

The depth property can be used to assign a specific depth value to a layer.

The visible property can be used to override the “Visible” state of the layer if needed.

The hierarchyFrozen property can be used to override the “Locked” state of the layer if needed.

The noExport property can be used to suppress exporting of an entire layer, including any child layers. This is useful if you use a layer for annotations (like adding background image or text objects) that you do not want exported to GameMaker. Note that any views defined on this layer will then also get ignored.