Item sprite trouble

[kyupita]

Hi, new modder here! I'm currently working on my second character mod, and he's pretty close to being done, but I'm having an issue with the item. I'm trying to make a custom fishing rod and plan to replace the art with my own.

 

My first problem is that it's too small when equipped. For context, I'm using a custom item template. The ground sprite is the correct size since I scaled it up in the code, but it seems it doesn't apply to the swap sprite (I tried putting the same SetScale in the OnEquip function, but that didn't work). I'm also a little too scared to use a different sized canvas for the sprite since I'm worried that would mess something up...

 

Second, nothing happens whenever I hover over the item on the ground. Nothing else is wrong with it, and I can pick it up while holding Space, it's just that clicking on it does nothing and no name pops up. Not that big of an issue, just a minor annoyance

 

Also felt worth adding: I had the same issue with my first mod since he also has a custom item, only a little different. When it was placed on the ground, you could just step on top of it, your character wouldn't go behind it (The item sprite had a different canvas size, so that's probably why). However, I noticed whenever it was placed in the ocean the sprite was placed differently as it floated, and I could click on the ripple where it was supposed to be. That made me think that maybe the hitbox was just placed weirdly, but placing it back on land and trying to click everywhere on the screen did nothing

 

Here's the prefab for the item:

tsurizao.lua

[kyupita]

Don't need help with this anymore I finally figured out what went wrong 😭😭 Just needed to make a new scml file

[DarkM]

@kyupita Could you explain in more detail how you solved the problem of the "pick up" action not appearing when hovering the mouse over the item? I'm having the same problem; it's my first time using Spriter.

[kyupita]

On 5/14/2026 at 1:45 AM, DarkM said:

@kyupita Could you explain in more detail how you solved the problem of the "pick up" action not appearing when hovering the mouse over the item? I'm having the same problem; it's my first time using Spriter.

sorry, just now seeing this. I haven't touched modding in a couple months but it's an easy fix.

I'm not sure if your issue is the exact same as mine was here, but I remember it was caused by the pivot point not being placed properly. When creating your scml file, before placing down the sprite in the workspace, double click it in the palette menu on the right and it'll bring up a pivot editor. Click where you want the pivot to be, press ok, and then drag and drop the sprite onto the middle of the workspace.

[Casual_Civilian]

Hey first time posting here, but id like to ask how you got your modded characters sprites to work so well?? Is there an easy way to do it or am i gonna have to tough out on replacing sprites lol!!

[Echsrick]

20 hours ago, Casual_Civilian said:

Hey first time posting here, but id like to ask how you got your modded characters sprites to work so well?? Is there an easy way to do it or am i gonna have to tough out on replacing sprites lol!!

what i dit was copy template immage and post as immage so its in the correct size, then draw onto another layer your new character, thats how i dit it

[kyupita]

On 6/5/2026 at 9:59 PM, Casual_Civilian said:

Hey first time posting here, but id like to ask how you got your modded characters sprites to work so well?? Is there an easy way to do it or am i gonna have to tough out on replacing sprites lol!!

If you're asking how I made my sprites, all I did was open the individual esctemplate sprites, working on one folder at a time (I usually start with the headbase, then torso). I then set it to a low transparency and draw over it, using the original image as a guide for how big the sprite should be. I tend to copy and paste things I've already drawn and tweak them to fit the new sprite (for example, copy and pasting the same eyes for the face sprites, or copy and pasting a leg sprite to use it as a reference for how wide it should be if they're wearing pants or their legs aren't just lines)

 

I hope that helps, but making character sprites does take quite a long time since there's so many individual pieces

[Casual_Civilian]

3 hours ago, kyupita said:

If you're asking how I made my sprites, all I did was open the individual esctemplate sprites, working on one folder at a time (I usually start with the headbase, then torso). I then set it to a low transparency and draw over it, using the original image as a guide for how big the sprite should be. I tend to copy and paste things I've already drawn and tweak them to fit the new sprite (for example, copy and pasting the same eyes for the face sprites, or copy and pasting a leg sprite to use it as a reference for how wide it should be if they're wearing pants or their legs aren't just lines)

 

I hope that helps, but making character sprites does take quite a long time since there's so many individual pieces

Thanks a ton for the tips, appreciate it!! Is there any drawing tips / websites you recommend for making things then now that i know the basics? 

[Casual_Civilian]

7 hours ago, kyupita said:

If you're asking how I made my sprites, all I did was open the individual esctemplate sprites, working on one folder at a time (I usually start with the headbase, then torso). I then set it to a low transparency and draw over it, using the original image as a guide for how big the sprite should be. I tend to copy and paste things I've already drawn and tweak them to fit the new sprite (for example, copy and pasting the same eyes for the face sprites, or copy and pasting a leg sprite to use it as a reference for how wide it should be if they're wearing pants or their legs aren't just lines)

 

I hope that helps, but making character sprites does take quite a long time since there's so many individual pieces

Just wanted to say thanks for the heads up, copying and pasting existing drawings and editing them saved SO much time, appreciate it! (heres the progress!)

[kyupita]

On 6/7/2026 at 3:49 AM, Casual_Civilian said:

Thanks a ton for the tips, appreciate it!! Is there any drawing tips / websites you recommend for making things then now that i know the basics? 

Not sure if I have many tips (that I can remember atm), sorry

What I do remember is having to make my lines thicker than I usually would, being mindful of the filters the game uses as it can sometimes make your character look weird or some details get lost, and ofc keep checking your scml file and see how the character animates in game to make sure it looks right

I know there was a console command to display the name of which sprites are currently showing, but I'm not sure what it is and I've never used it either

 

As for websites, I don't use any aside from the DST wiki to gather reference images to emulate the style better or get the size of something right. For example, some of my characters have hind legs, so I used Wurt's victorian skin as a reference on how to draw those kinds of legs on a DST character

On 6/7/2026 at 8:14 AM, Casual_Civilian said:

Just wanted to say thanks for the heads up, copying and pasting existing drawings and editing them saved SO much time, appreciate it! (heres the progress!)

That looks really good! And yeah it's REALLY useful. If you make more characters, you can also copy and paste sprites from previous characters too and alter them to fit your current character too to save even more time, which is something I tend to do with the arms and legs a lot

[Casual_Civilian]

4 hours ago, kyupita said:

Not sure if I have many tips (that I can remember atm), sorry

What I do remember is having to make my lines thicker than I usually would, being mindful of the filters the game uses as it can sometimes make your character look weird or some details get lost, and ofc keep checking your scml file and see how the character animates in game to make sure it looks right

I know there was a console command to display the name of which sprites are currently showing, but I'm not sure what it is and I've never used it either

 

As for websites, I don't use any aside from the DST wiki to gather reference images to emulate the style better or get the size of something right. For example, some of my characters have hind legs, so I used Wurt's victorian skin as a reference on how to draw those kinds of legs on a DST character

That looks really good! And yeah it's REALLY useful. If you make more characters, you can also copy and paste sprites from previous characters too and alter them to fit your current character too to save even more time, which is something I tend to do with the arms and legs a lot

Im pretty dumb so i forgot to save my model before saving my character parts, so ill make a base reference after i finish this one to use for future mods LOL!! Thanks though i appreciate it, the thick lines make it look so much better, i learned that from my first attempt--- 

But yeah yours looks great too, i appreciate the tips!! AND I HAD NO IDEA YOU COULD PREVIEW IT? ive been opening dst and closing it for every change i make for limbs LOL! thatll save lots of time!