Skip to content

claude-prompting-guide.md

Latest commit

 

History

History
186 lines (129 loc) · 4.87 KB

claude-prompting-guide.md

File metadata and controls

186 lines (129 loc) · 4.87 KB
Raw

Claude Prompting Guide for Spine Animation AI

Getting great results from Claude depends on giving it the right context. This guide shows what works.

The Golden Rule

Be specific about assets, intent, and constraints.

Claude can't see your files unless you attach them. It doesn't know your target engine unless you say. The more context, the better the output.

Prompt Templates

Starting from scratch (separated PNGs)

I have separated body part PNGs for a [description] character:
- head.png, torso.png, left-upper-arm.png, right-upper-arm.png,
  left-lower-arm.png, right-lower-arm.png, left-thigh.png,
  right-thigh.png, left-leg.png, right-leg.png

[Attach all PNGs + reference assembled image if available]

Please:
1. Auto-position the parts using position_parts.py
2. Build a Spine 4.2 skeleton JSON
3. Create idle and walk animations
4. Generate a preview.html

The character should look [style notes: cartoony / realistic / cute / etc.]

Starting from an atlas

I have a Spine atlas for my character [attach skeleton.atlas + skeleton.png].
The parts are: [list part names or say "use the atlas region names"].

Please:
1. Build a skeleton JSON with the standard humanoid bone hierarchy
2. Add idle, walk, and attack animations
3. The character is [description: side-scrolling game hero / top-down RPG / etc.]

Fixing an existing skeleton

Here's my Spine JSON [attach skeleton.json].

Problems I can see:
- The right arm is about 80px too high
- The head seems rotated wrong (looks tilted)
- The draw order puts the left leg in front of everything — should be behind torso

Please:
1. Fix these issues
2. Output corrected skeleton.json
3. Output adjustments.json showing exactly what changed

Adding an animation to an existing skeleton

Here's my skeleton.json [attach]. It already has an idle animation.

Please add:
- A wave animation (right arm waves, 1.5s, 2 cycles)
- A jump animation (full body, includes anticipation squat, 1.0s)

Keep the existing idle animation unchanged.

Iterating after reviewing the preview

I reviewed preview.html and here's what needs fixing:

1. The hat floats about 20px above the head — pull it down
2. The walk cycle arms swing too wide — reduce the arm rotation range by 50%
3. The idle animation speed feels too fast — slow it down by 20%

Here's the current skeleton.json [attach].
Output a corrected skeleton.json and updated adjustments.json.

What Claude Needs to Know

Information Why it matters Example
Part names Maps to skeleton slots "head, torso, left-arm, right-arm, waist, left-leg, right-leg"
Target engine May affect JSON format "Unity with Spine Unity runtime", "Phaser 3", "just preview"
Canvas/viewport size Sets skeleton bounds "600x900 pixel canvas"
Animation style Affects easing and timing "snappy and energetic", "slow and floaty"
Reference image Enables auto-positioning [attach assembled_character.png]
Current issues Tells Claude what to fix "the arm is too high by ~50px"

Common Mistakes

❌ Asking without attaching files

Can you fix my skeleton? The arm is wrong.

Claude can't see skeleton.json unless you attach it.

❌ Being too vague about the problem

The animation looks bad.

Better:

The walk cycle arms don't swing — they're stuck at their rest position.
Also the hip doesn't bob. Here's the JSON [attach].

❌ Not specifying the Spine version

Spine 4.x and 3.x have different JSON formats. Default assumption is 4.2 unless you say otherwise.

Tips for Non-Standard Characters

Quadrupeds (animals, horses, dogs):

This is a dog character. The bone hierarchy should be:
root → spine → neck → head
              → tail
      → front-left-leg (shoulder → lower-leg → paw)
      → front-right-leg (same)
      → back-left-leg (hip → lower-leg → paw)
      → back-right-leg (same)

Vehicles:

This is a car. I want it to have:
- A wheel-spin animation (all 4 wheels rotating)
- A suspension-bounce animation (body rises/falls slightly)
No humanoid hierarchy — treat each wheel as an independent bone.

Abstract/custom:

This is a jellyfish. It has a dome body and 8 tentacles.
Create an idle animation where the dome pulses and tentacles trail.

Working with the Interactive Editor

The demo/sombrero_editor.html is a useful reference for understanding what adjustments look like in practice:

  1. Open it in a browser
  2. Click a body part to select it
  3. Drag to reposition, or use the numeric inputs for precision
  4. Click "Export Layout JSON" when satisfied
  5. Paste that JSON to Claude: "Apply these offsets to my skeleton.json"

This gives you a visual, tactile way to figure out the right numbers before asking Claude to apply them.