Tileform Guide

Tileform is built around a short loop: choose a sprite/texture/material/color, place a tile, then shape it (or not). Then export to your favorite 3D format. The sections below explain the tools and workflows in more detail, but Tileform is built to be easy to use, and contextual by default.

As Tileform grows, this page will have deeper explanations, screenshots, troubleshooting notes, and longer workflows. So feel free to check back whenever you feel stuck.

Projects, Saving, And Loading

Tileform project files keep your scene editable. Use them while experimenting, before exporting, and any time you want to return to a model later.

Create a new project

1. Open the Tileform menu or welcome screen and choose New project. You can also press Cmd/Ctrl + N from anywhere in the app.
2. Tileform starts with a completely blank 3D workspace, default sprite sheet, and default color palette.

Save a project file

1. Choose Tileform > Save, or press Cmd/Ctrl + S.
2. The first save asks for a project name and writes a .tfp project file.
3. Use "Save as" with Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + S when you want to save to a new project file.

Open an existing project

1. Choose Tileform > Load project, or press Cmd/Ctrl + O.
2. Select a .tfp file from your computer.
3. Tileform remembers recent project names on the welcome screen for quick access.

Sprite Sheets, Palette Colors, And Texture Options

Materials decide what a surface looks like. Tileform can use selected regions from sprite sheets, palette swatches, or transparency, then map those choices onto one or both sides of a tile.

Import a sprite sheet

1. Select the Place tool or press P on your keyboard.
2. Notice the Materials panel opens automatically on the right side of the screen. Choose the Texture tab.
3. Under the Source section, use the + plus button beside the sheet name to import an image.
4. Use the left and right buttons to switch sheets, or the minus button to remove the active sheet.

Select a tile or texture region

1. Click a single cell on the sprite sheet to select it.
2. Drag across the sheet to select a larger freeform region.
3. Drag the selected region or its corner handles to move or resize it.

Set pixel density

1. Use Px/unit in the Texture panel to control how many source pixels map to one scene unit.
2. Raise it for denser texture detail or lower it for larger pixel blocks.
3. Keep the value consistent across related tiles when you want textures to line up cleanly.

Use palette colors

1. Switch the Materials panel to Palette.
2. Click a swatch to make it the active material.
3. Double-click a swatch to edit it, or use plus, minus, Save, and Load to manage palette files.

Choose texture behavior

1. Use Stretch when one selected sprite region should cover the whole surface.
2. Use Repeat when the texture should tile across larger surfaces.
3. Use Preserve when you want Tileform to keep texture scale more closely tied to scene size.

Control sides and transparency

1. Use 2-sided when both sides of a surface should render.
2. Use 1-sided when only one side should render, then flip the visible side if needed.
3. Use Transparency when you want the active material to erase visible texture or color.

Placing, Selecting, And Shaping Tiles

Most Tileform modeling starts with simple surfaces. Place new surfaces on the build grid, fold new ones from existing edges, then select and move surfaces, edges, or vertices into shape.

Place surfaces on the grid

1. Press P or choose the Place tool.
2. Choose a Build axis: Floor, Front, or Side.
3. Click the scene to place the active material on the current build plane.

Build from an existing edge

1. Keep Geometry placement on in the Placement menu.
2. Hover an edge on an existing surface while using Place.
3. Click to fold a new surface from that edge. Press Space before clicking to cycle valid placement directions.

Select and move tiles

1. Press V or choose Select.
2. Click a tile to select it, or drag empty space to box select.
3. Drag the selected surface, edge, or vertex to move it along the active drag plane.

Work with multiple tiles

1. Shift-click to add or remove tiles from the current selection.
2. Use Group when selected tiles should move together.
3. Use Ungroup when you want those tiles to behave separately again.

Copy, paste, and duplicate

1. Press Cmd/Ctrl + C to copy the selected tiles.
2. Press Cmd/Ctrl + V to paste a copy offset by the current snap step.
3. Hold Cmd/Ctrl while dragging a selected tile to duplicate it in place and move the copy.

Delete or erase

1. Use Delete or Backspace to remove selected tiles.
2. Use the Erase tool when you want to erase from a surface with the current hover target.
3. Use Undo if the result is not what you intended.

Painting, Cutting, And Vertex Work

Editing tools let you refine a model after the first surfaces are in place. Paint changes material detail, Cut splits rectangular tiles, and Add point gives an edge more shape.

Paint a whole surface

1. Press B or choose Paint.
2. Choose Cover in the paint toolbar.
3. Click a surface to apply the active texture, palette color, or transparency to that side.

Paint pixels onto a surface

1. Choose Brush, Fill, or Spray from the paint toolbar.
2. Set brush Size from 1 to 8.
3. Turn Both sides on when the stroke should affect both sides of a surface.

Cut a tile

1. Press C or choose Cut.
2. Select or hover a four-point tile and click where the split should happen.
3. Press Space before cutting to swap the cut direction.

Add a point to an edge

1. Press A or choose Add point.
2. Select the tile you want to edit.
3. Click an existing edge to insert a new point using the current edit increment.

Adjust precision

1. Use Snap for placement and movement increments.
2. Use Fine snapping when you need smaller movement steps.
3. Use the edit Increment control while cutting or adding points.

Camera, Grid, Lighting, And Appearance

The view controls are there to keep construction readable. Switch camera angles, adjust the grid, tune lighting, and change colors when the default workspace is not giving you enough contrast.

Change the camera view

1. Use View X, Y, and Z for side, top, and front views.
2. Toggle Persp/Ortho depending on whether you want depth perspective or flatter construction views.
3. Press Shift + Tab to cycle Top, Front, and Side views.

Move around the scene

1. Right-drag to rotate the camera.
2. Middle-drag to pan.
3. Scroll to zoom the camera or the sprite picker, depending on what your cursor is over.

Use the origin and grid

1. Toggle Show origin and Show grid from the top bar or Settings.
2. Use W/A/S/D or arrow keys to move the origin along the camera grid when Camera pan moves origin is off.
3. In Settings > Grid, adjust grid extent and opacity.

Tune the scene look

1. Open Settings > Appearance to follow your system theme or choose light/dark directly.
2. Set grid and selection colors from the same panel.
3. Use the lighting menu to toggle lighting and switch between Real and Cell modes.

Demo Mode, Activation, Export, And Updates

Tileform can be used in demo mode for project work. Activation unlocks export and stores a license on the device so the app can keep working without a constant internet connection.

Use demo mode

1. Choose Demo mode on the startup license prompt.
2. You can create, edit, save, and load Tileform project files.
3. Model export remains locked until Tileform is activated.

Activate with a license file

1. Choose Activate from the startup prompt or Settings > License.
2. Stay on the License file tab.
3. Choose the license file from your Tileform email or support message.

Activate with a code

1. Choose Activate, then open the Activation code tab.
2. Paste the code exactly as it appears in your email.
3. Tileform contacts the license service once, then stores a device-bound license file for offline use.

Export a model

1. Activate Tileform first.
2. Choose Tileform > Export.
3. Set the export name and choose Separate tiles or Joined mesh before exporting.

Check for updates

1. Open Settings > About.
2. Choose Check for updates.
3. If an update is available, Tileform can download it and relaunch when installation finishes.

Keyboard And Mouse Shortcuts

Shortcuts are useful once the basic tools feel familiar. They are also visible inside Tileform under Settings > Shortcuts.

• V - Select tool
• P - Place tool
• B - Paint tool
• C - Cut tool
• A - Add point tool
• E - Erase tool
• Cmd/Ctrl + S - Save project
• Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + S - Save as
• Cmd/Ctrl + O - Load project
• Cmd/Ctrl + Z - Undo
• Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + Z - Redo
• Cmd/Ctrl + C / V - Copy and paste selected tiles
• Cmd/Ctrl + drag - Duplicate selected tiles
• Shift + click - Add or remove from selection
• Tab - Cycle build grid
• Shift + Tab - Cycle camera view
• Space - Cycle placement, cut direction, or overlapping point owner
• Delete / Backspace - Delete selected tiles
• Escape - Clear selection and close floating UI

Still Stuck?

Send the Tileform version, your operating system, and the shortest steps that reproduce the issue. Screenshots are welcome when the problem is visual.

Contact support or download the latest release.