I am not affiliated with, nor compensated by, nor associated with, nor in anyway represent Dungeon Painter Studio or anything or anyone related to it professionally, legally, morally, or horticulturally. And I have never been bought a sumptuous dinner by the developer/s.

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!

Messing with the files and folders you will expose (Eek! ... Slap!) can cause Dungeon Painter Studio to break. There are ways to fix it, including simply wiping and reloading it through Steam, but you have to be willing to risk this and to put in the work to fix any problems you cause if you want to keep using DPS. If you're not, stick to either subscribing to others' Collections or use the in DPS functions to create your own basic Collection that way.

First, let me say that there are some VERY talented artists who have created some beautiful textures, gorgeous icons, and generally and generously added to the content available to the community. (Thank you all.) I am not one of them. The best I might be able to do are a set of almost recognizable stick figures. Hence I tend to look through and use a lot of other Collections made available through the kindness of their hearts.

This means I also have a lot of Collections listed in DPS. And going through all of them to bring together just the right set of graphics can be tedious and carpel tunnel inducing. Worse, if you create a map and later open it while some Collection is missing (deleted, updated, on another computer, whatever...) or an image has been updated to a different name or dropped, your map will probably be broken. DPS does not save the images it uses with the map you saved. It goes back to your set of collections for every image each time it reproduces the map. You can save your map as a static image to get around this issue, but then you can't really edit it later.

So, why create a Collection? Well first, you might be one of those generous artists who has some content they want to share with the world. Creating a Collection makes it easy for others to download and use your work. (Thankless as it might be sometimes...)

Even if you're not an artist, you may want to make your own collection of common graphics you use from other Collections. This allows you to have one set of graphics you use which is stable and always available when you want to open up one of your exquisite creations. (You should see my stick figure fortress. I'm very proud.) As you find new graphics you can add them to your collection and watch it grow (beyond the reasonable bounds of storage space). The graphics in your collection are always available, and setting up someone else with the right graphics to work with one of your maps means giving them just one folder

Next, if you make your own Collection you can also play around with some of the more advanced features of DPS, like Random Image Placement graphics, which may not have been set up in the original Collections you are using. (Everyone needs 12 subtly different marble textures for their castle ballroom floors to create the maximum and proper flow but what about 10 different potted plants to put around arboretum...) You're Collection, your organization and features. You can even (gasp) rename graphics. Everything in one place without needing to switch back and forth.

Finally, your Collection is really just a bunch of graphics you can use in many other mapping set-ups. Roleplaying online and using one of those virtual environments that have their own maps but you need to drop in just the right bloody altar to set the mood? You have a Collection you are intimately familiar with and you can drag and drop that altar in no time.

To touch on a second, related question you may ask: Why manually create a Collection instead of using the in DPS menu and creation process? 1) Less menu button mashing. 2) If you are a coder, or have some basic tools, you can script code an entire Collection structure. 3) You're a perfectionist (read obsessed control freak) like me who wants to see and manipulate the whole Folder and File structure.

The easiest way to get into the DPS folder structure is through Steam

• Open Steam and find your Dungeon Painter Studio (DPS)
  
• Right Click on the DPS listing
  
• Choose the MANAGE option
  
• Choose to BROWSE LOCAL FILES

This will open the DPS main file structure. Once you open the file structure you can create Shortcuts into it just like you would any folder or file on your machine. (This process varies depending on your operating system, version, sub-version, file system, personal preference out of the 10-12 ways each OS supports, and which way the geese are flying when you attempt it... So I'm not going into this process.) Place a shortcut on your Desktop or wherever else you want and you don't need to open Steam later to work on your Collection if you don't want to.

The other method to open the DPS folder structure is to locate your "Steam Apps" Common folder and to manually drill down to the DPS folder. Your Steam Apps folder location will vary depending on some of the details touched on above but here is mine as an example: *drive*:\Steam\steamapps\common\ . You can find yours in Steam's preferences by looking at where your Library is installed.

Let's start at the top...

The main program folder that contains it all
Dungeon Painter Studio

• Adobe AIR > Yep, some of it uses Adobe
  
• assets > Some basic graphics for the program itself (Yes, you can change the program graphic if you must... Sigh)
  
• data > The main folder you will be digging into because it contains the Collections
  
• examples > Some example maps that come with the program (Feel free to add more if you like) that can also load by clicking the Templates button
  
• META-INF > Program settings (Don't mess with it unless you know what you're about)
  
• utils > Tools the program loads and uses for it's own purposes (Don't mess with it unless you know what you're about)

data: The doorway to your dreams
data

• collections > The folder containing all the Collections you see when you open DPS
  
• service > The program interface icons
  
• templates > Large (rescalable) graphics representing whole scenes you can drop into your map

collections: The folder containing all your graphic goodness
Here we get into the nuts and bolts of where you will be working. In it you will see a list of folders. Each is a Collection and the name of the folder is used by DPS as the name of the Collection you see.
collections {an example}

• Complete Fantasy
  
• Dragonville
  
• Elvolganta's Collection
  
• fantasy_fortress

Now that you've found it, what's in there?
Here's where you will be storing stuff and editing some files.
Note: Folder name case is important. Windows doesn't care but the program does. (Capitalize one of the main five and it disappears from DPS like the dodos.)
MY_FIRST_COLLECTION {an example}

• floors > Where you put textures that will tile and fill your large surfaces
  
• objects > 'Single' instance things that you will place around your maps or buildings
  
• premades > Works like the templates folder and loads more stuff in the same menu
  
• tokens > Similar to objects but used as PCs and NPCs with different options
  
• walls > More textures meant to resize and tile in lines to create walls and boundaries
  description.txt > Where you can say whatever you want because it probably won't be read
  info.json > Where you tell the program and Steam information about your Collection
  preview.png > Where you bare your soul to the Internet and represent your Collection

There is one file your collection MUST contain to be recognized and used by the DPS program:
info.json

If it's missing, the DPS program will not load the Collection. Other Collection folders can be missing, the program will just not list them. Folder contents can be missing, the menu section will just be empty. Fail to have the info.json file and your collection won't work.

The info.json file is really just a glorified text file with another extension. You can create it and edit it with a text editor. There is only one really important line:
{"version"#:#,"modId":"########","title":"some name"}

My guess is that Steam sets some of these values when you upload your collection. I haven't uploaded a Collection yet to see. If you don't plan to upload your Collection, you can pretty much choose whatever values you want. You might even be able to leave the whole file blank.

version is a number. It can have decimal places and sub-decimal places (and sub-sub-decimal places... I haven't tested the limits of the decimal sub-space but you can if you're really bored. (And you are reading this guide.) It tells the program, Steam and people looking at the file which is the most recent version of the Collection you have created. The numbers go up and decimal places are usually used to show smaller, incremental changes. (Like changing that ocher red blood stain for Red 154 to Red 155.)

modId is another number. It's a unique identifier for your specific Collection. I think it's 9 digits, all the other ones from Steam are. No decimals allowed. It's probably assigned by Steam if you choose to upload your Collection. Otherwise choose something and hope it doesn't conflict with someone else's modId. I tested modId collisions in PDS and it doesn't care, but a collision in Steam could bring about the end of the universe. (I chose 999999998 for now. Please help to keep the universe in existence and get your own.)

title is a name for your collection. Plain text. Again I haven't experimented with all the various characters and symbols. Surprise us. It probably doesn't even have to be the same as the Collection folder name, but maybe should be.

The rest of the files:
description.txt
A plain text file containing letters arranged in esoteric patterns called words. As far as I can tell it's only read by incredibly smart, wise and dedicated people who undertake digging into DPS's file structure. Probably there to tell others why a Collection was made and what's in it. Write your diary, create a thesis on snow and how it relates to weird celestial phenomena, or do what I do and go into minute detail on how you name and organize your DPS Collection files. It probably won't matter, no one is likely to read it.

preview.png
A graphic that I think gets shown on Steam when someone looks at your Collection entry. Otherwise I haven't seen it get displayed in DPS. Everyone who's Collections I've looked at are using PNG files. I don't know, JPGs and maybe GIFs might work? Maybe others? Try a Bitmap, see if it opens a doorway into another realm where Clippy is king.

I have tried (4) different types of graphic files:

• Bitmap (.bmp) > These don't work
  
• GIF files (.gif) > These don't work and pronouncing them causes endless arguments
  
• JPeg files (.jpg) > These work
  
• PNG files (.png) > These work and transparency is supported

I'll let the adventurous try the more unusual graphics files.

The DPS map files themselves are DPS (.dps) files. Yeah, go figure.

Within the folder structures, a generically named "_preview.png" file (maybe also "_preview.jpg") is used to load a smaller size thumbnail representing the graphic or graphics contained in a folder. This is supposed to speed up the loading of a lot of images. (Although it would be hilarious to make all your _preview images completely different from what you actually put in the folder.) As a note, if used in a folder with more than one graphic only the single _preview file is shown.

Ok, the meat of why you're here: How you need to build your Collection.

What each Collection folder is for
Each of the five Collection folders contains files used in specific parts of the DPS programs:

floors
This folder should contain graphic textures and what I call overlays. When you create a Ground & Floor section in DPS these files are used and tile to fill up the entire area created. Preferably these textures are made to "wrap" so that you don't see a seam between them when they tile. That is unless you want to see the edges of each copy, such as for making gaming squares or funky, unreal carp based flooring. Overlays are secondary textures with transparent sections (like tiny rocks or loose eyeballs) which can be created over another texture to modify it. (Like tiny loose eyeballs sprinkled over your carp flooring.)

walls
These are graphic textures meant to be set down in lines when you use the Walls tool. Unlike floor textures, which are usually large squares, these are usually narrow and long so they can be laid end to end. Again, to avoid seams the images should be created to wrap. Transparency is allowed, but in this case usually used to create rough surfaces with things sticking out of the wall section. (Like little bolts, or spikes, or fake legs set into the wall.)

objects
These are single graphics placed when you use the Objects tool. Using the Single Draw control you get a single stamp of the graphic onto your map customized by the object controls. (Rotation Angle and Scale). Using the Paint Brush Control you leave a trail of graphics set apart by the Frequency control. (Also controlled by Random Angle and Scale) Transparency is supported and encouraged for non-square objects. (Come on people, keep your objects funky.)

tokens
These are single graphics meant to represent PCs and NPCs dropped onto your map. The difference between these and objects is that with these you can set them as a Villain, a Hero, or Neutral which fills in any transparent areas with Red (villains), Green (heroes), and Orange (neutral). You also can't change their Angle, although you can adjust their Scale.

templates
These are large, single drop graphics either created by someone like you or created through a plugin like the DonJon add-on. What controls do you have? When you place it, you drag the second corner to size the image as it appears on your map. Can be used for large, already created sections or as an under image you can build on and then remove if desired. (Tiny template templ'ett templets)

How each Collection folder can be built and what the different levels do
Four of the Collection folders (floors, objects, tokens, and walls) can contain up to 2 more levels of sub-folders. {example: floors/subfolder/subsubfolder}
The premades folder is meant to take images at it's top (root) level only.

Graphics files placed in the top (root) level of the first four main folders are not displayed. There is no point (outside of angst) to put images in this location. {example: objects/image1.png}
The premades folder is the only exception to this, where graphics files are expected to be placed at the top (root) level.
{example: premades/temple_layout1.png}

At the next level (The trunk level. No really, I'm telling the truth...) folders placed inside one of the four Collection folders (floors, objects, tokens, and walls) are displayed as a group name listing in the DPS Collection browser control.
{example: floors/subfolder & subfolder is the group name}

These subfolders can contain one of two things: Graphics files and more folders.

If you make a subfolder and fill it with images, it will show as a named listing in the DPS Collection browser and selecting it will show you all of the graphics in the folder listed by the graphic name. Here "_preview.png" files are treated just like any other image, and displayed along side them by name, so there is no point in using _preview images in this kind of folder structure. This is the lazy person's filing system. Throw anything you want in, hopefully it's at least related for organization's sake, and all of your images will appear in the graphic browser window listed by file name.
{example: objects/subfolder/image1.png; image2.png; image3.png; _preview.png with the group name of subfolder and image names image1; image2; image3; _preview}

Subfolders in the premades folder will not display. (Again, only useful if you want to hide stuff as a surprise to jump out at people.)

If you make one more level of subfolder (The leaf level, really...), this is when the magic really happens. The folder directly under the Collection folder is still a group name {objects/subfolder}. The folder under that becomes the name of the image in the graphics browser {objects/subfolder/subfolder}. Putting a single image inside this subfolder becomes a single image in the graphic browser. Adding a _preview.png image is substituted if there is one.
{example: floors/subfolder/subsubfolder/_preview.png; image1.png where the group name is subfolder, the graphic name is subsubfolder and the image shown is either _preview or image1 if _preview is missing}

But what if you put more than one image in the subsubfolder you ask? (Go on, ask it...) Then you get a Random Image Placement folder. (Ta da!) But I'm out of room in this section, so that is in the next one.

Graphically ... UNDER DECONSTRCUTION: Sorry, still working on this

• floors
  
• some_image.png > Not seen
  
• Dirt Floors > Displayed as a folder with single image for each of the sub-folders
  
• Red Dirt Floor > Becomes the displayed name of the file/s inside the sub-folder
  
• _preview.png > The displayed thumbnail if it exists
  
• red_dirt_floor.png > The graphic file used when you put it on the map
  
• Misc Dirt Floors > Displayed as a folder with multiple images for each of the images in it
  
• dirt_floor_1.png > Shown using the file name
  
• dirt_floor_2.png > Shown using the file name
  
• dirt_floor_3.png > Shown using the file name
  
• Random Dirt Floor > Becomes the displayed name of the file/s inside the sub-folder
  
• preview.png > The displayed thumbnail if it exists
  
• red_dirt_floor.png > The graphic file used when you put it on the map
  
• red_dirt_floor.png > The graphic file used when you put it on the map
  
• red_dirt_floor.png > The graphic file used when you put it on the map
  
• objects
  
• premades
  
• tokens
  
• walls

(Told you I'd have this in the next section.)

These are neat. Each time you drop an image from this folder, DPS randomly chooses one of the images that isn't the _preview.png file. This can be used to speed up placing randomly shaped trees in a forest, making larger terrain areas with more variations in the blood spatters, dropping vastly different styles of containers to break throughout a dungeon, and generally automating some variety in your designs. Downside, it only works for one click placement. DPS does not seem to randomize images if you use the Object Brush tool.

Here's how it works: Make your subsubfolder, this is still the name of the graphic. Place any number (but 1) of different graphics in the folder. They can be little variations on a theme (5 different blood splatter patterns) or completely different (horse, cow, spider, chair, gazebo). These are used in the random selection. Add a _preview.png image if you want. Note: Even though there are multiple images, only one image is shown in the DPS graphics explorer window. It will either be the _preview image if there is one, or the first image alphabetically in the folder. (This is why I have taken to naming all of my Random Image folders as "XXXXXX Random"... Although maybe I should change that XXXXXX to something that actually reflects the contents so I can tell them apart.)
{example: floors/subfolder/subsubfolder_random/_preview.png; image1.png; imageB.png; image#.png with "subfolder" as the group name, "subsubfolder_random" as the graphic name, the _preview graphic is showing, and image1.png, imageB.png, and image#.png are placed randomly each click}

Couple of things to consider:
1) Floor textures in a Random Image Placement folder need to be the same pixel x pixel size (all 420px x 420px or all 320px x 500px) or things get weird. The size difference between the randomly chosen images causes transparent gaps in the resulting area drawn.

2) You can't see all of the images to pick and choose the one you want. If you want to pick individually as well, you need to make duplicate graphics using one of the other two folder structures to allow you to see them separately.

Under Consideration for Construction

1) It started as an external program and the site is still online
Pyromancers: Dungeon Painter Studio[pyromancers.com]

2) There are lots of YouTube videos on it
DPS Most Features in 10 Minutes

3) There are also tons of other sites with info, tutorials and Collections
Random Site with Review and Use Info[www.dungeonsolvers.com]

4) There is a hidden 32-Bit version in the DPS folder for those with older or limited systems

5) I'll let you figure this one out so this manual doesn't get delisted. I will say that you have access to what you need to use.