Build guide
Everything from a photo to a painted wall in ARK: Survival Ascended. Takes about five minutes to learn.
💡 You'll need one mod in-game: the Template Hammer importer (free, on the ARK mod list). It reads the blueprint files this tool makes and lets you place the whole build as a ghost.
1 · Make the pixel art
Open the tool and hit Upload image (or drag a file onto the page). Anything works — a photo, a logo, a game sprite.
- Grid size — how many squares across. Bigger = more detail but more walls to place. 50–80 is a sweet spot for a feature wall.
- Colours — every pixel is snapped to a real ARK dye automatically. Use Max colours to keep the palette small and easy to farm.
- Black outline / sharpen / clean-up — make the art pop and remove stray specks.
- Numbers (N) — stamps each cell's dye ID (1–127) right on the grid so you can read it while building.
🎨 Colours are the proven part. The dye IDs this tool writes are the ones ARK actually uses for structure paint, so what you see is what you'll get in-game.
2 · Choose your blueprint
In the ARK blueprint panel, set how the build is made:
Material
Metal, Stone or Wood. Pick your base tier — it changes the piece and what it costs to craft.
Wall type
Quarter · fine (150) for crisp detail, or Normal wall (300) for a bigger, chunkier build with fewer pieces.
Support frame
Adds pillars + snap ceilings behind the art so each panel stands on its own and the next one clips onto its top.
Name
Set a project name — it's used for the blueprint and the downloaded file names.
3 · Export the panels
Click Save blueprint (.json). If your art is large it's automatically split into stacked panels, each safely under ARK's per-template limit. They download as name_1of3.json, name_2of3.json…
- Turn on Seams (S) first to see exactly where it'll split, numbered Panel 1 (bottom) upward.
- If your browser asks to allow multiple downloads, say yes — that's the panels coming through.
⚠️ Panel 1 is the bottom. You place them in numbered order, bottom to top — each panel snaps onto the one below it.
4 · Import & build in ARK
- Go to wikily.gg and upload your
.json(or copy the blueprint text from the tool). - In-game, equip the Template Hammer and load the template — you'll get a ghost preview of the whole panel.
- Place Panel 1 where you want the bottom of the art. Then load Panel 2 and snap it onto the top of Panel 1. Repeat upward.
- Done — it's already painted with the right dyes and standing on its support frame.
🧪 Test first. Use Test blueprint (16×16) for a quick free-build check that everything paints and snaps before you farm for the full thing.
5 · Farm the resources
Open Build summary & cost to see exactly what the build needs:
- Piece counts — walls, panels, pillars and snap ceilings (these are exact).
- Real-world size — how big it'll be in metres.
- Resources to farm — an estimated shopping list (metal ingots, cementing paste, stone, wood, etc.) so you can gather in one trip.
📦 Resource totals are a planning estimate based on ARK's base craft costs. Piece counts are exact.
Tips & FAQ
My import looks blank / uncoloured
Make sure you're importing with the Template Hammer mod, not vanilla. The paint travels inside the blueprint — no dyes needed on you.
How big can I go?
As big as you like — the tool splits it into as many panels as needed. Just place them bottom-to-top.
Can I edit an existing build?
Yes. Use Import blueprint to load a Template Hammer .json back into the grid, then recolour or resize and re-export.
Will my work be saved?
Right now projects save in your browser (Save / load project). Cloud accounts and a shared community gallery are coming soon.