Assets & Importing

Nodes do not silently create the images or sounds they need. That is intentional. You choose assets first, then point nodes at them from Properties.

This keeps larger projects easier to repair. If a background, sprite, portrait, or sound is missing, the warning points at the field that needs attention.

When the runtime is installed, imported runtime resources are copied into ReplicatedStorage.VisualNovelCreatorRuntime.StoryAssets. A StoryAssets key is the stable asset key VNC stores for one imported resource.

Import categories

Background

Scene background images used by Background nodes.

Cover

Images that can be used for overlays, menu presentation, and parallax background layers.

Sprite Image

Character sprite images. Importing one can also create a sprite asset entry for you.

Portrait

Small character portraits used by dialog and portrait links.

Audio

Music, ambience, one-shot sounds, and cue sounds.

Scroll Sound

Typing sound sets used while dialog text appears.

Import an asset

1. Choose Story > Import to StoryAssets or open the Assets tab and choose Import to StoryAssets.
2. Pick a category.
3. Paste a Roblox asset ID, rbxassetid:// value, or Roblox asset URL.
4. Optionally enter a name.
5. Choose Import.

The importer accepts plain digits, rbxassetid://123456789, and Roblox URLs that contain an asset ID. If you leave the name blank, VNC tries to use the Roblox asset name. If that is unavailable, it creates a readable ID from the category and number.

VNC checks the Roblox asset before it creates a StoryAssets entry. Background, cover, sprite, and portrait imports need a Roblox Image asset. Audio and scroll sound imports need a Roblox Audio asset. If the asset cannot be verified, is the wrong kind, is private, or cannot be loaded, the import stops with a warning instead of creating an invisible or silent asset.

If you are starting from a Decal, paste the decal’s image content ID instead of the Decal asset ID.

If the same Roblox content ID is already in that StoryAssets category, VNC reuses the existing entry instead of creating a duplicate.

The Assets tab also shows StoryAssets Media for reusable image and audio media currently available in the installed runtime. Those rows refresh when runtime assets are created, renamed, edited, or deleted in Studio.

Sprite images vs sprite assets

A sprite image is the raw image that can appear on screen. A sprite asset is the story-level character sprite that owns poses.

When you import a Sprite Image, VNC creates the image entry and can create a matching sprite asset entry. After that, Sprite Enter and Sprite Update nodes can choose the sprite asset, then choose a pose.

Sprite poses are explicit

If a character needs happy, sad, and surprised art, add separate poses under the sprite asset. That keeps one character sprite organized even when it uses several images.

Parallax Background presets live with your project assets. From the Assets tab context menu, choose Add Parallax Background, then add layers under that preset and choose Background or Cover images for each layer.

Where assets are used

Asset type	Used by
Background	Background nodes, Overlay image mode, Parallax Background layers
Cover	Overlay image mode, Parallax Background layers, runtime menu imagery
Sprite Image	Sprite asset poses
Portrait	Dialog portrait override, Character defaults, Portrait Link
Audio	Audio nodes, SFX nodes, dialog cues, runtime menu sounds
Scroll Sound	Character defaults, Dialog override, Scroll Sound Link

Common warnings

Warning situation	What to do
A Background node has no background asset	Import a background, then select it in Background.
A Parallax Background has no layers or a layer has no image	Add a layer, then choose a Background or Cover image for the layer.
A Sprite Enter node has no sprite	Create or import a sprite asset, then select it in Sprite.
A pose is missing	Add the pose back under the sprite asset or choose a different pose.
An Audio or SFX node has no audio	Import an audio asset, then select it in the node.
A portrait or scroll sound link points nowhere	Choose an existing character and an existing portrait or scroll sound set.
Import says the asset is the wrong kind	Pick the matching import category, or use an Image asset for visual assets and Audio for sound assets.
Import says a Decal cannot be imported directly	Use the Decal’s image content ID instead.
Import says the asset could not be loaded	Check that the Roblox asset is public, approved, and usable in Studio.

The safest habit is to import and name assets before wiring many nodes to them. You can still sketch first, but clear the warnings before runtime testing.