FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Short answers about SpineFactory, the tool that turns one 2D image into a rigged, animated Spine skeleton. The same answers are in the studio's own help.

What is SpineFactory?

SpineFactory is a browser-based tool that turns a single 2D illustration into a rigged, animated Spine skeleton — cut, rigged and animated with AI, exported as Spine 4.2 skeleton data for use with Spine runtimes. It is made for game art: slot symbols, characters, mascots, props and backgrounds. You approve every cut before the rig is built, and change the motion by describing it. It is in private beta, with access by approval.

Is SpineFactory made by Esoteric Software, the makers of Spine?

No. Spine is a trademark of Esoteric Software LLC, who make the Spine editor and the Spine Runtimes. SpineFactory is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Esoteric Software LLC. It writes the Spine skeleton data format, and its live preview is built on Esoteric Software's spine-pixi runtime.

Is SpineFactory the same as other products with a similar name?

No. SpineFactory — one word, at spinefactory.com — is a 2D animation tool that rigs and animates images as Spine skeletons for games. It is not an AI app platform, a hosting service or any other product that shares part of the name.

Which Spine version and runtimes does the export work with?

The export is written in the Spine 4.2 JSON format: skeleton.json, an .atlas file and the texture pages, as PNG or KTX2/Basis. It is meant for Spine runtimes that read 4.2 data. Spine runtimes exist for many engines, among them PixiJS, Unity, Godot and Phaser — test the export in the runtime and version your game ships. KTX2 textures need a Basis transcoder in your runtime; PNG works without one. Using the Spine Runtimes is subject to Esoteric Software's licence terms: see “Do I need a Spine licence?”

How do I start?

Create a project, add one image of a symbol, run the guided setup, export. The Getting started checklist on the Projects screen ticks itself off as you go and always points at the one thing left to do. “How this works” (under Getting started here) reopens the welcome cards.

What is the sample symbol?

A finished, rigged symbol we built — copying it into your project is free and spends no credits. Open it to see what a built symbol looks like, play its clips in Preview and try the Assistant on it. “Use the sample image” copies the source image instead, so you can run the guided setup yourself (about 100 credits for the cut and the fills).

When does my trial start?

The first time you sign in after an admin approves you — not when you sign up, and not at approval. The 300 credits are there from approval on; credits never expire, and the 7-day trial only decides how long the AI features run on our keys.

Can I undo a change or go back to an earlier version?

Yes, two ways. Undo / Redo in the top bar (Ctrl+Z, Ctrl+Shift+Z) take back edits you have not saved yet in the open tool. Everything that was saved — an editor save, a cut, a paint apply, an assistant request — stores a version of the symbol first: open History in the inspector and restore any of them. Restoring rebuilds the symbol and keeps the state you leave as a restore point, so you can always come back. Name or Pin a version to keep it for good; the twenty newest automatic ones are kept otherwise.

Do I need a Spine licence?

SpineFactory does not need the Spine editor to rig, animate or preview, and it does not include or sell a Spine licence. Using the export — for example loading it in your game with the Spine Runtimes, or opening it in the Spine editor — is governed by Esoteric Software's licence terms, which generally require a Spine Editor licence. Whether your use needs one is yours to check: see the Spine Editor License (https://esotericsoftware.com/spine-editor-license) and the Spine Runtimes License (https://esotericsoftware.com/spine-runtimes-license). You are responsible for obtaining the licences your use requires.

What can I export?

A Spine skeleton + texture atlas as a ZIP (PNG, or KTX2/Basis-compressed textures for smaller mobile builds), a whole project at once with Export project, and for any clip an MP4 straight from the Preview window's download button (recorded by the same player you are watching, in Chrome or Edge). Exporting is free on every plan.

Do I need my own AI API key (BYOK)?

Only on the Creator plan, which is built around it: you add your own Claude key (Profile → Claude key, or Team settings for a whole team) and the assistant and every planning step run on it at no credit cost. The Trial and Studio plans run everything on the studio's keys. Claude is the only key we ask anyone for — image generation, segmentation and hidden-area fills always run on the studio's own account and always cost credits, on every plan. Without a usable Claude key the rest of the pipeline still runs; only the assistant and the AI planning steps pause.

What are the plans, and what do they cost?

The prices are not fixed yet. SpineFactory is in private beta: nothing is for sale, plans are assigned by us and credits come on request — so no figure in the studio is a bill. What the plans are is settled: Trial — seven days on our keys with 300 credits to try everything; when it ends your work and exports still run. Creator — you bring your own Claude key, so the assistant, planning and analysis are free, and a monthly credit allowance covers the steps that run on our account (segmentation and the hidden-area fills). Studio — everything on the studio's keys, a larger monthly allowance, several seats on one shared balance and the shared asset library. AI work is metered in credits, everything else — the editor, motion templates, the effect library, rebuilds, previews, exports — is included. The monthly price of each plan and the credit packs will be published before self-serve billing opens (payments and receipts by our payment partner, Polar). Your own plan's details are under Profile → Plan & credits.

How do I get more credits during the beta?

Open the credits chip in the top bar (or Profile → Plan & credits) and press Request credits: pick an amount, say what you are working on, send. An admin approves it — usually the same day — and the credits appear in your balance with a note in your credit history. Only a team owner or admin can request for the team, and one request can be open at a time. Paid plans also receive their monthly credits automatically in the first days of each month.

What does each AI step cost?

A symbol cut from your image is about 100 credits (analysis, segmentation and the hidden-area fills together), an AI motion clip 15, and an assistant turn is metered by what it actually used — typically 20–50. Uploads, rebuilds, previews, the editor, the effect library and every export are free. The price is shown before the work starts, failed work is never charged, and credits never expire.

Why isn't one of my parts cutting cleanly?

Occluded or overlapping pieces are the hardest to separate. In Cut review, re-outline the piece with Magic Snippet (click it) or the Brush (paint it), and drag the outline's dots to fine-tune. If the piece is split into separate areas — a lightning bolt that continues below a banner, text you want to trace letter by letter — outline one area, press Add region, and outline the next; all the areas cut and animate as that single piece. When a part can't be cut cleanly the rig still builds using a placeholder placement, and you can fix the outline later with Cuts above the canvas — a version is saved before every cut, so History can always take you back. Sharper, higher-contrast source art cuts more reliably.

What image should I upload?

A single, front-facing symbol on a transparent (or easily removable) background works best. Higher resolution and clean edges give the auto-rigger more to work with — sharp edges and good contrast cut far more reliably than a soft or busy image.

How do the motion templates work?

Templates (blink, bob, spin, win pop, glow and more) are reusable motion primitives that adapt to your rig. Apply one to a clip as a starting point, then ask the Assistant to adjust it (“slower”, “only the head”, “bigger pop”).

Can I revise an animation after generating it?

Yes. Ask the Assistant to adjust the most recent motion of a clip (“slower settle”, “the eyes should only blink, stop the rest”) and it keeps the idea while tweaking the movement. Its Undo reverts everything one request changed, and every request is also a version in History.

Can the studio draw the art for me?

Not on a normal account yet. Generating a symbol, a matching set or a background from a description is built and in testing, but during the beta it is open to platform admins only — the studio works from art you bring. Say so in Leave feedback if you would like to be in the test.

Does it work on a phone or a tablet?

Yes — the studio reflows to a tablet and a phone: the panels stack under the canvas, the tool strip stays reachable and the preview, clips and assistant all work by touch. It is made for checking a symbol, playing clips and asking for changes on the move; detailed cutting and painting still want a mouse and a bigger screen.

Something is broken, or I can't find a thing — how do I reach a person?

Use the Leave feedback tab on the left edge of the studio (it is also the last entry in this sidebar). Write in your own words and your own language, paste or attach a screenshot, and send — the page you were on comes along automatically. A person reads every report, and you can send a follow-up in the same thread.

Is my art and data private?

Your symbols live in your account. AI steps send the symbol image to the model that does the work — Anthropic for analysis and planning (your own Claude key when you have set one), OpenAI for image generation, always on the studio's account — and nothing is shared between accounts.

Where are the joints, and how do I add or move one?

In Arrange, press Joints above the Pieces list: every piece's joints appear on the canvas. To make a piece bend, select it and set its joints row to bends through joints (2–8 bones) — the dots land on the drawn piece by themselves. Drag a dot to move it, press re-place to read them off the artwork again, then Save & update. You can also ask the Assistant: “place the joints of the left arm”.

This is beta — how finished is it?

The core rig → animate → export pipeline works end to end today, and so do version history, the effect library, backgrounds and the MP4 export. Still on the way for v1.0: cloud/async processing for heavy builds, hosted storage, self-serve plans and pricing, and an in-app contextual AI guide — see “What's coming in v1.0”.

Still stuck? Read the docs, or write to hello@spinefactory.com.