Mac SpriteKit - Can't create texture atlas at compile time

Question

I've been using SpriteKit for a while in iOS; now I'm developing an app for the Mac.

I've setup a texture atlas as usual:

Enable texture atlas generation for both the Project and the Target (I started from the "Document Based Application" template, not "SpriteKit Game". It has different build settings).
Drag all the individual texture image files into a folder,
Rename the folder to "Something.atlas",
Add the folder to the project,
At runtime, create the atlas by name (i.e., [SKTextureAtlas atlasNamed:@"Something"];).
Obtain individual "textures" by name (i.e., [_atlas textureNamed:@"MyTexture"];) and create SKSpriteNode instances with them.

I am preloading the atlas asynchronously, but the completion handler never gets called (see comments):

_atlas = [SKTextureAtlas atlasNamed:@"Something"];

        if (!_atlas) {
            NSLog(@"Error: Failed to create atlas!");
            // This line doesn't execute, so atlas is not nil.
        }

        [_atlas preloadWithCompletionHandler:^(void){
            // This block doesn't get executed either, 
            // so atlas loading somehow fails...

            NSLog(@"Atlas Loaded!");

            [self createSprites];
        }];

When I check the package contents of the build product (e.g., MyApp.app), in the resources subdirectory I can see the atlas folder ("Something.atlasc"), but it only contains a .plist file with no entries, and the image resources are nowhere to be found... So what gives?

Off topic, but... perhaps self inside the block isn't a good idea? — Nicolas Miari
is the .atlas a folder reference? In xcode the folder should have a blue icon rather than a yellow icon, and it must be in a group (folder with yellow icon) or the project's root — LearnCocos2D
Yes, it is. After some testing, it turned out the problem is with the workspace (yes, you heard that right). The same projects, when built from a different workspace, work fine. ANY project opened or created within this workspace, will export the broken atlas... — Nicolas Miari
I have submitted a bug report to Apple (17076217), with the workspace file and a couple of projects (which include the atlas) as an attachment. — Nicolas Miari
Actually, there seems to be no way of importing an .atlas folder as a "yellow icon" into Xcode: Regardless which radio button you chose, it is always exported as a blue icon (folder reference), and Target Membership applies only to the folder as a whole (not the individual files). — Nicolas Miari

Nicolas Miari Nicolas Miari · Accepted Answer · 2014-05-30T09:17:01

Actually, it wasn't the workspace after all. The same workspace/project, when copied to the Desktop, builds fine.

The cause seems to be that, one of the intermediate directories in the path to the project folder had a name in japanese characters. I tested as follows:

Change folder name to english -> clean build folder -> build -> OK
Change folder name back to japanese -> clean build folder -> build -> Atlas broken
Change folder name back to english -> clean build folder -> build -> OK

...(you see the pattern)...

I wonder why and how this only affects the export of texture atlases, and nothing else.

Hope this experience helps someone else in the future...

I will update the bug report at Apple as well.

UPDATE: According to Apple, the issue has been solved as of iOS 8 beta 2 (Build 12A4297e). I haven't had an opportunity to check (the project I was working at was a prototype that didn't take off, and I settled for the name change solution). In any case, iOS 8 is final now.

Mac SpriteKit - Can't create texture atlas at compile time

1 Answers