Creating a Tileset from Scratch

So, you've been making a level and realized you want to make a custom tileset for your level. This article will guide you through on how to make your very own tileset from scratch!

Choosing Your Tileset Suite Type
In New Super Mario Bros Wii, there are four different tileset suites. Each tileset suite is unique in the way it behaves. Below is a brief explanation of each tileset suite.


 * Pa0 - These tilesets are used for basic tiles like pipes, '?' blocks, brick blocks, and invisible collision tiles. They can be found in the 'Standard Suite' category. The tileset 'Pa0_jyotyu.arc' is selected by default on a newly created level.
 * Pa1 - The Pa1 tilesets are terrain tilesets and are found in the 'Stage Suite' category. These tilesets almost always have ground tiles, semisolid tiles, and sometimes even decorations. Take a look at retail 1-3 for a good example of the three at use.
 * Pa2 - The Pa2 tilesets are used for backgrounds and other miscellaneous decorations. They can be found in the 'Background Suite' category. There is also a subcategory known as 'Other'. This category houses miscellaneous tilesets, usually used alongside Pa1 tilesets. For a good example, look at retail 3-1.
 * Pa3 - The Pa3 tileset type is used for interactive tilesets that have special collision. Some examples of these tiles are chain-link fences, lines that certain sprites can move along, and extra miscellaneous tiles. A good example of one of these tilesets in use is retail 1-5.

Starting Your Tileset
Now that you've decided which type of tileset you are going to make, it is time to actually start making it! A really useful thing to know is that a single object on a tileset is approximately 16 pixels. There are many different programs you can use, but for this tutorial, we will be using Photoshop CC 22.4.1, though any other drawing tool with pixel by pixel drawing support will work too. Your going to want to make a new file in Photoshop with these settings, then go to, or press   This will enable a grid that can fit exactly 16 tiles in a 4x4 square. The filled-in black lines are 4x4 squares, while the white dotted lines are for a single tile. When you see your blank canvas, zoom in to about 1300& by holding Alt + Scroll Up (On your mouse).