Generative NFT Guide

👩‍🎓 Who is this guide for

Generative NFTs represent a unique art form generated through computer algorithms. These NFTs are crafted by combining distinct attributes, such as head, eyes, mouth, etc., in a randomized manner.

This guide is intended for those who want to understand how to automatically generate a collection similar to Substrapunks from image fragments. If you already have images follow this tutorial instead.

This guide is perfect for beginners who don't have extensive programming knowledge. However, having some familiarity with using the terminal will be helpful.

By completing this tutorial, you will have a clear understanding of how to use scripts to generate images and NFT metadata and mint vast collections, illustrated through the example of the Square Heads collection.

Before we start

1. For this tutorial, you will need node.js, git, and Visual Studio Code installed on your computer. If you haven't worked with git, node, and npm before, we recommend reading our brief guide to configure your environment correctly.
2. Prepare minting scripts according to this instruction

🖼 Step-1: Prepare the images

1.1 Design image parts

The image parts should generally include some combinable details with transparent backgrounds. Store them in the generate folder. For this example, we have already provided a certain number of images. Feel free to use them or replace them with your own.

💡 Please ensure that your images meet the following criteria:

1. All images have the same length and width.
2. The images have a transparent background (use png format).
3. The images are positioned in a way that they form a cohesive image when overlaid.
4. The image filenames should follow the format {attribute-name}{index}.png, for example, eye1.png, eye2.png.

1.2 Set collection cover

Place an image named cover.png in the generate folder, which will serve as the cover image for the collection. We have already provided a cover. You can either keep it or replace it with your own.

👨‍🎨 Step-2: Describe NFT attributes

2.1 Encode attributes

Generally, combinable parts produce NFT traits. For example, if the eye2.png image is used to generate the NFT image, it will have joy trait.

It is also essential to consider the rarity of attributes. For example, we want every token to have a head trait, but head2.png should be rare and appear on only about 10% of the tokens. The jewelry trait should be present in only 20% of the NFTs, with jewelry1.png appearing in 5% and jewelry2.png occurring in the remaining 15%.

We will use Google Sheets to populate attributes. Here is how to code this:

In the Attribute name column, list all the possible attributes encoded in the images added in Step 1.1.

Make sure:

1. The attribute names must match the names of the images.
2. The order of attributes is crucial. For example, head is the base image onto which all others are overlaid, so it should be listed first. eyes, mouths, and hair are overlaid on top of the head, and since they do not intersect with each other, they can be arranged in any order. If our tokens had accessories, like glasses overlaying the eyes, they should be listed below the eyes. Otherwise, we might end up with images where the eyes are overlaid on top of the glasses.

In the Attribute exists 1-100% of tokens column, indicate the probability percentage with which each attribute will be present. For example, head, eye, and mouth are mandatory attributes with a probability set at 100%. hair will appear in only 70% of the tokens, while jewelry will be present in only 20%.

In the subsequent columns, list the names of attributes and their probability of occurrence among the tokens.

Make sure:

1. The order of listing attributes is crucial and should correspond to the sequential number of the corresponding image. For example, hair1.png corresponds to the attribute bush, hair2.png corresponds to messy, and hair3.png corresponds to green punk. Therefore, the order in the table should be exactly as follows: bush, messy, green punk.
2. Specify the probability of each attribute's occurrence for individual NFTs. For example, for bush, the likelihood of occurrence is set to 30%, and for messy, it is set to 20%, green punk 15%, red punk - 5%. The final values will appear as follows: bush%30, messy%20, green punk%15, red punk%5. The cumulative probability set in the Values and rarity percentage of each column should match the probability set in the Attribute exists 1-100% of tokens column.

Export the table to CSV format by clicking on File - Download - Comma Separated Values (.csv)

✏️ Rename the exported file to attributes.csv and save it in the generate folder near the images' parts.

2.2 Set the collection metadata

✏️ In the config.js file, fill in the fields collectionName (max 64 symbols), collectionDescription (max 256 symbols), and symbol (max 4 symbols).

If you want to make nesting available for your collection, set the nesting property. Read more about nesting.

2.3 Generate images and metadata

✏️ Set the desired number of generated NFTs in the config.js file and fill in the desiredCount property.

Open the VS Code terminal, as we did in step 1.2, and run the following command:

node 0-generate-nfts.js

The images in the data folder will be replaced with randomly generated ones. Please verify that the generated images are correct.

Additionally, a file named nfts.csv with the listed properties of future tokens will be added to the data folder. Please check that the generated images match the description. For convenience, you can upload the nfts.csv file to Google Sheets. Select "File - Import" and upload the nfts.csv file.

Each row in the spreadsheet should correspond to a generated image with the same sequential number.

⛓ Step-3: Prepare Substrate Account

3.1 Generate address and seed phrase

You will need an address with a balance to create the collection and tokens. If you don't have an account yet, you may create it with Polkadot{.js} extension for Chrome.

• Open the Polkadot{.js} extension in your browser.
• Look for the "+" icon and click on it.
• A menu will appear. From the options presented, select "Create new account".
• A 12-words mnemonic phrase will be generated. Make sure to save it securely.

✏️ In the config.js file, fill in the ownerSeed field.

❗️ Do not commit your secrets, such as ownerSeed, to version control! We have added config.js to the .gitignore file for this purpose.

3.2 Get some tokens

For this guide, we are using Opal Network, and you can obtain OPL tokens for free by using Telegram faucet bot. You will have to provide your address (not a mnemonic phrase!). Click on the circle icon next to your account in the Polkadot extension to copy it.

💡 If you are ready to mint tokens on the mainnet (Quartz or Unique), change the endpoint variable in the config.js file. Set it to https://rest.unique.network/quartz/v1 for Quartz or https://rest.unique.network/unique/v1 for Unique.

• Quartz Network tokens (QTZ) are available on MEXC

• For Unique Network tokens (UNQ), you can visit Huobi

Now everything is ready to create a collection and tokens.

💎 Step-4: Create Collection and NFTs

4.1 Upload images to IPFS

In simple terms, the Inter-Planetary File System (IPFS) is a distributed file storage protocol that enables a network of computers to store any data in a reliable and unchangeable manner.

node 1-upload-images.js

After a short time, you will see the result of executing the command:

This script will pack all the images into a zip archive and save it as data/archive.zip. Then it will upload it to IPFS. Ensure all your files are successfully uploaded by visiting the link provided in the console output.

✏️ In the config.js file, fill in the fileUrl set provided link.

4.2 Create a collection

We have set the collection metadata in the previous steps. Double-check that the name, description, and symbol fields are filled in config.js. Afterward, execute the script.

node 2-create-collection.js

After a short time, you will see the result of executing the command:

🚀 Creating collection... done!
❗️❗️❗️ add to "config.js" collectionId: 2015

✏️ In the config.js file, fill in the collectionId set provided value.

Your collection has been created, and you can check it on your wallet or on uniquescan.io. Your collection doesn't have any NFTs yet, so let's create some.

4.3 Create NFTs

We have set the token metadata in the previous steps in the nfts.csv file. Check again if it exists. After that, execute the following script.

node 3-create-nfts.js

After a short time, you will see the result of executing the command:

🚚 successfully created 1 part of NFT's
🚀 Creating NFTs... done!
Token Ids: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

🔗 You can find your collection and tokens here: https://uniquescan.io/opal/collections/2015

Your collection and tokens have been successfully created! You can find it in your wallet. Or you can connect to Unique Market and list your NFTs for sale.

Next, you can learn

How to mass list tokens for sale