Frequently Asked Questions
Is this official ARK software?
No. ARK Dino Painter is an unofficial, fan-made tool for ARK: Survival Ascended and ARK: Survival Evolved. It is not affiliated with Studio Wildcard or Snail Games, and ARK and all related names are trademarks of their respective owners.
What are colour regions?
Every ARK creature has up to six colour regions, numbered 0 to 5. Each region covers a different part of the body — for example the main body, spines, wings, or highlights — and the exact meaning of each region changes from creature to creature. When a creature spawns, the game rolls a random colour for each of its enabled regions. This tool lets you set those regions manually.
Why don't some regions do anything?
Not every creature uses all six regions. A Rex, for instance, only uses regions 0, 1, 4 and 5 — the other two are disabled in the game files, so changing them has no effect. The painter greys out any region a creature does not support so you only edit the ones that matter.
What does the "Colour Command" do?
It produces a cheat setTargetDinoColor <region> <colourID>
command for each region you have changed. Look at the creature you want
to recolour, paste the command into the console (or send it via an admin
chat command / RCON), and the creature updates instantly. It works on
tamed creatures, wild creatures, and creatures you have just spawned.
What does the "Spawn Command" do?
It combines a gmsummon for the selected creature with the
colour commands, so you can spawn a creature and paint it in one line.
Some creatures in the database do not yet have a blueprint path attached;
for those the spawn portion shows a placeholder you will need to fill in.
How do I open the console to enter commands?
On PC, press Tab (or the key bound to "console" in your
settings) while in game. You may first need to run
enablecheats <password> on a server, or enable admin
access in single player / non-dedicated sessions. On console platforms,
use the admin command bar in the pause menu.
Do the colour IDs match the in-game colours exactly?
The IDs are the official ARK colour IDs, so the command is accurate. The swatches in the preview are an approximation — in game, a colour is multiplied against the creature's underlying texture and lighting, so the final look varies by creature and by map. Use the preview as a guide, not a pixel-perfect match.
Does this work on both ARK: Survival Ascended and Survival Evolved?
Yes. The colour region system and the setTargetDinoColor
command work the same way in both games. A handful of creatures are
exclusive to one version, and colour IDs above the classic 0–56 range are
mainly relevant to ASA and event colours.
Can I use this on a server I don't own?
Only if you have admin rights on that server. The tool just builds the command text — whether it runs depends on your permissions. On unofficial servers, ask the owner; on official servers, admin commands are not available to players.
Will painting a creature affect breeding or mutations?
No. Colours applied with setTargetDinoColor are cosmetic and
are not inherited. Breeding colours come from the parents' colour regions
and the game's mutation system, which this tool does not change.
Does this work on all creatures?
It supports every creature in the tool's database that has defined colour regions. Newly released creatures may take some time to be added.
Can I share my designs?
Yes. Your current creature and colours are stored in the page URL, so you can copy the link and send it to anyone — it reopens with the same design loaded. You can also browse the gallery for ready-made designs, each with its own shareable page and command.
How do I get a design added to the gallery?
In the painter, colour a creature and click Share to Gallery. You can add an optional design name and credit. Submissions are reviewed before they appear, and approved designs get their own shareable page.
Is there a mobile version?
The website works on mobile browsers, and there is a dedicated Android app. The colour data and commands are identical across both.