SPRITE: From Static Mockups to Engine-Ready Game UI

arXiv cs.AI / 4/22/2026

💬 OpinionDeveloper Stack & InfrastructureModels & Research

Key Points

  • The paper introduces SPRITE, a pipeline that converts static game UI screenshots into editable, engine-ready assets by translating mockups into interactive engine entities.
  • It addresses limitations of prior screenshot-to-code tools, especially difficulties with irregular geometry and deeply nested visual hierarchies common in game interfaces.
  • SPRITE combines Vision-Language Models (VLMs) with a structured YAML intermediate representation to explicitly model complex container relationships and non-rectangular layouts.
  • The authors evaluate SPRITE on a curated Game UI benchmark and via expert reviews, reporting improved reconstruction fidelity and faster prototyping efficiency.
  • Overall, SPRITE automates tedious UI coding and enables rapid in-engine iteration, narrowing the gap between artistic design and technical implementation in game development.

Abstract

Game UI implementation requires translating stylized mockups into interactive engine entities. However, current "Screenshot-to-Code" tools often struggle with the irregular geometries and deep visual hierarchies typical of game interfaces. To bridge this gap, we introduce SPRITE, a pipeline that transforms static screenshots into editable engine assets. By integrating Vision-Language Models (VLMs) with a structured YAML intermediate representation, SPRITE explicitly captures complex container relationships and non-rectangular layouts. We evaluated SPRITE against a curated Game UI benchmark and conducted expert reviews with professional developers to assess reconstruction fidelity and prototyping efficiency. Our findings demonstrate that SPRITE streamlines development by automating tedious coding and resolving complex nesting. By facilitating rapid in-engine iteration, SPRITE effectively blurs the boundaries between artistic design and technical implementation in game development. Project page: https://baiyunshu.github.io/sprite.github.io/