# Tiled — Flexible 2D Level Editor for Game Development

> General-purpose tile map editor supporting orthogonal, isometric, and hexagonal maps with scripting extensions.

## Install

Save in your project root:

# Tiled — Flexible 2D Level Editor for Game Development

## Quick Use
```bash
# Install on Linux
sudo apt install tiled
# Or download from https://www.mapeditor.org
# macOS: brew install tiled
```

## Introduction
Tiled is a free, open-source 2D level editor that has been the go-to map creation tool for indie and professional game developers since 2008. It supports orthogonal, isometric, and hexagonal tile maps and exports to dozens of engine-specific formats.

## What Tiled Does
- Edits tile-based maps with unlimited layers, objects, and tile animations
- Supports orthogonal, isometric, staggered, and hexagonal map orientations
- Provides a scripting API (JavaScript) for custom tools and export formats
- Integrates Wang tiles and terrain brushes for automatic edge placement
- Exports to JSON, XML, CSV, Lua, and engine-specific formats (Godot, Unity, Defold)

## Architecture Overview
Tiled is a Qt-based C++ desktop application. Maps are represented as a tree of layers (tile layers, object groups, image layers, group layers). Each tile references a tileset which can be shared across maps. The plugin system handles format I/O while the JavaScript API exposes the full document model for automation.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Available as native binaries for Windows, macOS, and Linux, plus Snap and Flatpak
- Build from source with Qt 6 and qbs or CMake
- Tilesets can be embedded in maps or stored as external .tsx files for reuse
- Custom export formats are defined via JavaScript plugins in ~/.tiled/extensions
- Automapping rules let you define pattern-based tile placement in .tmx rule files

## Key Features
- Infinite map mode grows the canvas dynamically as you paint
- Object templates let you define reusable game entity archetypes
- Custom properties system attaches typed metadata (string, int, float, color, file, object)
- Parallax scrolling factor per layer for visual depth effects
- Undo history and multi-document editing with tabbed interface

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **LDtk** — newer, opinionated toward modern pixel art workflows; Tiled is more general
- **Ogmo Editor** — lightweight but less feature-rich and smaller community
- **RPG Maker** — bundled with an engine; Tiled is engine-agnostic
- **Sprite Fusion** — web-based, newer; Tiled has 15+ years of maturity and plugins
- **Godot TileMap editor** — engine-integrated; Tiled offers standalone flexibility

## FAQ
**Q: Which game engines support Tiled maps natively?**
A: Godot, Defold, Phaser, melonJS, HaxeFlixel, and many others have direct importers. Unity and Unreal have community plugins.

**Q: Can Tiled handle large maps?**
A: Yes. Chunk-based rendering and infinite maps let you work with maps of millions of tiles without loading everything into memory.

**Q: Is there collaboration or version control support?**
A: Maps are stored as XML or JSON text files, making them diff-friendly in Git. External tilesets prevent merge conflicts on shared assets.

**Q: Does Tiled support animated tiles?**
A: Yes. Any tile can have frame-based animation defined directly in the tileset editor.

## Sources
- https://github.com/mapeditor/tiled
- https://doc.mapeditor.org

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-6be42dae
Author: AI Open Source