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Project State – SpaceVoxel Alpha Slice

This document tracks the evolving technical state of the Space-Voxel project. It is descriptive, not aspirational. Items listed here exist in code or have been fully specified and are ready for implementation or extension.

Core Systems Implemented (Prior)

  • First-person camera movement (WASD + mouse)
  • AR-style overlay toggled with B
  • Horizontal selector UI
  • ScriptableObject-driven component data model
  • Prototype component spawning (fuel + nozzle blocks)

Core Systems Implemented (Procedural Generation – New)

Procedural Generation Architecture (Foundational – Implemented)

A reusable, deterministic Spec → Generator → Artifact pipeline has been implemented for propulsion components.

Key principles now enforced in code:

  • All generated geometry is derived from authoritative ScriptableObject specs
  • Deterministic results via explicit seed
  • Mesh generation is editor-time friendly, but callable at runtime
  • Generated artifacts carry metadata for reproducibility and invalidation

Propulsion System – Nozzle Generation (Tier 0 – Partially Implemented)

Implemented Components

  • NozzleSpec (ScriptableObject)
    • Authoritative geometric and style inputs
    • Includes:
      • seed
      • thrust (placeholder, not yet physics-linked)
      • length
      • throatRadius
      • exitRadius
      • radialSegments
      • axialProfileSamples
      • throatCurvatureFactor
      • flareJitter
    • Designed to later transition fully to a derived-physics model without reauthoring assets
  • ProcArtifact
    • Dumb output container for procedural generation
    • Holds:
      • Mesh
      • Bounds
      • specHash
      • generatorVersion
      • inlet / outlet positions
      • thrust axis
      • tags
    • Enables stale-bake detection and cross-machine regeneration
  • NozzleProfileSamplerV0
    • Pure math sampler producing a 2D axial (z, r) profile
    • Deterministic with seed
    • Supports:
      • Rounded throat region
      • Conical diverging section
      • Optional deterministic exit flare jitter
    • No Unity scene dependencies
  • RevolveMeshBuilder
    • General-purpose lathe / revolve utility
    • Revolves (z, r) profiles around +Z axis
    • Supports:
      • Configurable radial segments
      • Optional end caps
      • UV generation
      • Normal generation
    • Intended to be reusable for tanks, hull segments, pipes, etc.
  • NozzleGeneratorV0
    • Orchestrates:
      • NozzleProfileSamplerV0
      • RevolveMeshBuilder
    • Produces a ProcArtifact with:
      • Generated mesh
      • Stable spec hash
      • Generator version tag
    • Establishes coordinate conventions:
      • Throat at z = 0
      • Exit at z = +L
      • Thrust axis = -Z
  • Editor Context Menu Preview
    • Right-click NozzleSpec → IR / Propulsion / Preview Nozzle From Spec
    • Spawns a preview GameObject in-scene under PROC_PREVIEW_ROOT
    • Enables rapid iteration without baking assets

Known Limitations / Intentional Gaps

  • No wall thickness yet
    • Current nozzle meshes are zero-thickness shells
    • Inner wall / outer wall + stitching not implemented
  • Triangle winding issue observed
    • Outside surface is culled, interior visible
    • Requires:
      • Winding order fix or
      • flipWinding support in RevolveMeshBuilder
  • No physics-derived geometry yet
    • Throat/exit currently user-authored
    • Physics-based derivation planned, not implemented
  • No baking pipeline yet
    • Meshes are preview-only, not persisted as assets or prefabs

Core Systems Specified (Still Valid)

Materials System (Tier 0 – Fully Specified)

  • Deterministic, planet- and node-seeded material generation
  • Broad material categories:
    • Metal
    • Stone / Silicate
    • Sedimentary / Carbon
    • Liquid
    • Gas
  • Subtypes per category (metal oxides, native metals, volcanic glass, carbon-rich, etc.)
  • Normalized property vector (Tier 0):
    • Strength
    • MaxTemperature
    • ThermalConductivity
    • ElectricalConductivity
    • ErosionResistance
    • CorrosionResistance
    • Density
    • Manufacturability
  • Tier 0 guardrails:
    • One dominant property
    • One enforced weakness
    • Hard caps prevent cross-tier leakage
  • Planet modifiers:
    • Temperature band
    • Pressure band
    • Atmospheric chemistry
    • Hydrosphere type
  • ScriptableObject templates define category means, spreads, and subtype adjustments

Material Visual System (Tier 0 – Fully Specified)

  • Deterministic visual generation derived from material properties
  • Visual states:
    • RawOre
    • ConcentratedOre
    • RefinedStock
    • ManufacturedPart
    • PaintedPart
  • Visual parameters derived, not authored:
    • Base color (category palette + seed)
    • Metallic, smoothness
    • Noise, dirt, oxidation
    • Heat tint (manufactured parts only)
  • URP-friendly approach using:
    • Shared master materials
    • MaterialPropertyBlock per instance
  • Optional paint overlay as a cosmetic coating

Folder Layout (As Implemented)

Assets/

  • Runtime/
    • Materials/
    • Propulsion/
      • Specs/
      • Generation/
    • Blocks/
    • UI/
  • Editor/
    • Materials/
    • Propulsion/

Namespaces:

  • IR.Utils
  • IR.Materials
  • IR.Propulsion
  • IR.Blocks
  • IR.UI

Root namespace: IR (Infinite Realms)

Current Behavior (Runtime)

  • Press B opens selector
  • Auto-drills into Propulsion
  • Clicking Solid State spawns transparent FuelBlock + NozzleBlock prefabs
  • Nozzle block still uses placeholder geometry at runtime
  • Procedural nozzle mesh currently previewed only via editor tools

Authoritative Data (Reaffirmed)

  • All gameplay components originate from ScriptableObjects
  • Procedural meshes are derived, not hand-authored
  • Spec + seed is sufficient to deterministically regenerate geometry
  • Baked assets are an optimization, not the source of truth

Immediate Next Implementation Targets (Updated)

  1. Fix RevolveMeshBuilder triangle winding (outside surface visibility)
  2. Add wall thickness support (inner + outer profile + stitching)
  3. Add Bake command:
    • Save Mesh asset
    • Create Prefab
    • Stamp specGuid + specHash + generatorVersion
  4. Hook baked nozzle into NozzleBlock prefab
  5. Apply MaterialVisualProfile to generated nozzle meshes

Design Philosophy (Reaffirmed)

  • Exploration reveals constraints, not solutions
  • Engineering adapts designs to materials
  • Early tech favors bulk, inefficiency, and compromise
  • Systems are layered so realism can increase without rewrites
  • Procedural generation is a tool, not a gimmick
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