godot_voxel/README.md

Voxel Tools for Godot

C++ module for creating volumetric worlds in Godot Engine.

Setup

Install the contents of the repo in a folder under "modules/", named "voxel".

IMPORTANT: if you clone the repo, Git will create the folder as the repo name, "godot_voxel". But because Godot SCons scripts consider the folder name as the module's name, it will generate wrong function calls, so you must rename the folder "voxel".

Features

• Fully editable terrain (see demo: https://github.com/Zylann/voxelgame)
• Compact voxel storage using 8-bit channels like images
• Data segmentation using blocks of 16x16x16 voxels (so the world can be theoretically infinite)
• Support for minecraft-style terrain using voxel types
• Support for smooth terrain using Transvoxel http://transvoxel.org/
• Vertex-based ambient occlusion on voxel edges (only cubic mode, comes for free at the cost of slower mesh generation)
• Mesh-based physics based on Godot (high generation cost but works at decent speed)
• Simple interface for deferred terrain generators (block by block)
• Optional profiling information

Ideas TODO

• Automatic terrain generation (currently not automatic)
• Voxels can be of any shape, not just cubes (not fully accessible yet but present in code)
• Dynamic voxel loading (finite or infinite maps)
• Support internal threading
• Support saving and loading through helper classes
• Promote classes to Node and Resource for better editor experience
• Helpers for structure generation (anything that is bigger than one voxel)
• Convert any imported meshes to Voxel-ready meshes (to comply with a few optimizations)
• Generate Mesh resources from voxels so they can be used in the editor as MeshInstances
• Import resources from other editors like Magicka-voxel
• Volumetric grid algorithms: fluids, pathfinding, lighting...
• Seam-free level of detail (LOD)
• Ability to bake terrains if we don't want them to be editable in game
• Migrate to DLScript (needs reworks to keep low overhead, but that would be really, really nice)