How (and Why) to Create an NFT

The birth of NFTs or Non-Fungible Tokens can be traced back to the launch of CryptoKitties in 2017. CryptoKitties was a delightful collection of cartoon cat images that went live on the Ethereum blockchain. Each cat was entirely unique, each having a different set of attributes and images.

But, what is an NFT and what is a blockchain?

In brief, a blockchain allows individuals to own data or digital items, to some degree mapping the characteristics of the physical world to the digital. If you own a piece of art on-chain, no one can take it away from you. Equally, an on-chain identity or your on-chain currency is yours. You can access it anywhere in the world and it’s yours to do what you like with. This is called self-sovereignty.

Okay, so what is an NFT then? An NFT is any item that exists on a blockchain that is not a token or a currency. Where every SUI token is the same as every other SUI token, NFT are unique pieces of data. The potential scope of NFTs is broad, ranging from a a cute cat picture, to an on-chain user-owned word document, a ticket for an event, an in-game item or a complex derivative. In other words, an NFT can be anything that is not a token. It simply means, the item has a unique ID and is owned by an individual or wallet.

Creating NFTs via a launchpad greatly reduces the complexity of putting items on-chain. Creating custom NFTs has multiple stages, from deciding on what the media-content of the NFT will be, to creating a website for the launch and writing the smart contract to facilitate the NFT’s creation - this is the NFT constructor that is responsible for defining what the NFT is or will be.

Anima’s launchpad will automate the engineering processes, removing the need to write code and in turn opening up NFT creation to designers and artists. A solo artist without a full engineering team can now launch an NFT collection. And, even existing teams can benefit from the platform with its comprehensive analytics and airdrop features.

Where to begin? Below is a series of stages that’ll take you from idea to launch.

Before even heading to the platform, you’ll need to come up with a concept. There’s a broad range of NFTs and art pieces in the blockchain ecosystem. For example, a singer may put their  songs and album live on-chain, with each song or album having a unique owner and ID, but having the same content.

Or, alternatively we have artists using the platform to release digitally drawn artworks. And, in some cases each piece of work will come with a corresponding physical print.

Some of the most commonly seen types of NFTs include:

• Art: Unique illustrations, generative art, or photography.

• Collectibles: Digital trading cards or limited-edition assets.

• Music & Video: Exclusive audio tracks or visual content.

• In-Game Items: Skins, weapons, or virtual real estate.

The most classic NFT type is generative art. Generative art refers to how collections like Bored Ape Yacht Club, Crypto Punks or Prime Machin were created.

Take Prime Machin, every NFT is unique. Each NFT is made up of a series of individually crafted layers - background, headwear, skin, etc… - which are represented on-chain as attributes. The layers are randomly combined and have weightings. The result is, whilst each of the 3,333 NFTs are unique, there’s a range of different rarities.

This first step is about deciding what you want to create. If you have any questions or need a hand, feel free to reach out.

To create or trade NFTs, you need a digital wallet. Wallets vary from browser extensions to the social login providers, like Gmail, that we’re all familiar with. 

If you do not have a wallet, go to the Anima site and attempt to sign-up or login using Gmail or Twitch, it will create you a Sui wallet via a wallet provider called Stashed. This is our recommendation.

Account / wallet providers include:

• Gmail or Twitch using Stashed - https://getstashed.com/ 

• Sui Wallet 

• Suiet

• Nightly

If you are not logging in using your email or pre-existing social account, make sure to follow the instructions when creating your wallet and securely store your recovery phrase (write it down and keep it safe!).

Once set up, you’ll be able to connect to Anima or other platforms in the Sui ecosystem. As a creator, you’ll need a wallet to get paid. As a user, you’ll need a wallet to hold your crypto for minting.

If you do not already hold cryptocurrency or have an account with an exchange, you may need to sign up with a crypto exchange such as Coinbase, Kraken or Binance. In the future, we will be supporting credit card transactions. Nonetheless, it’s useful to hold crypto and in our case SUI when transacting in the blockchain ecosystem.

Once you’ve come up with a concept and created the art, or prepped any other kind of item you’d like to put on-chain, the next step is navigating through the Anima platform and choosing your collection type.

Via our platform, Anima supports the launch of:

• Single Artwork: this can be a limited run or an open-edition.

• Collection Drop: a range of different items.

• Airdrop: send an NFT of your choice to one or more wallets.

Now, dependent on the NFT and collection type, you can either upload an image and some attributes directly in the UI - single artwork - or, for collection drops, we recommend uploading a folder with all your images and a corresponding CSV file. We’ll do the rest. We are also working on a Generative Art Engine to allow creators to produce Prime Machin style collections in-platform.

We want creators to be able to showcase their collection in a way that reflects their work. Via Anima’s Storefront Creator, artists are free to choose from a variety of different colour schemes and themes, from ‘Anima Classic’, to ‘Minimal Zen’ and ‘Bold Horizon’.

Once your NFT collection is created, there are a number of ways to share and promote it:

• Your NFT collection will have its own unique page or URL. Share it across social media, with your community, or with friends and followers.

• NFT storefronts can be embedded in external websites via an iFrame.

• All collections will be featured and searchable via the launchpad.

The rise of NFTs has unlocked new opportunities for creators, collectors, and innovators alike. Platforms like Anima, are simplifying NFT creation, providing a smooth, scalable and affordable user experience.

We are building creator-first. If you have questions, from what an NFT is, to the creation flow or even features requests, please reach out.