3D Game Engine
A custom-built 3D game engine and space-based gameplay system developed in C using Vulkan, focused on performance, modularity, and low-level control over rendering and simulation.
The project combines engine development with a fully playable space game, serving as both a technical foundation and a testbed for advanced real-time systems. The engine is written entirely in C, emphasizing explicit memory management, data-oriented design, and minimal abstraction to achieve predictable performance and scalability.
At its core, the engine features a custom Vulkan-based rendering pipeline designed for modern GPU utilization. It includes mesh and model management systems optimized for efficient data transfer and rendering, along with a GLSL shader pipeline tailored for dynamic environments. Special attention is given to memory layout and access patterns to reduce overhead and maximize throughput on both CPU and GPU.
An entity system provides the backbone for managing in-game objects, supporting flexible composition and efficient updates across large numbers of entities. This is complemented by an integrated physics framework, enabling real-time simulation of movement, interactions, and collisions within a 3D space environment.
On top of the engine, the space game implements a wide range of gameplay systems and mechanics:
- Quaternion-based rotation for smooth and gimbal-lock-free spaceship movement
- Ray-cast–based weapon systems for accurate hit detection in 3D space
- Inventory and resource management systems built using custom data structures
- Real-time interaction systems for navigation, combat, and environment traversal
A major feature of the project is its procedural planet generation system. Planets are generated using layered noise techniques, including Perlin and Blue Noise, to create varied and natural terrain distributions. These systems are integrated directly into the rendering pipeline, where GLSL shaders dynamically compute terrain coloring and visual detail in real time. The design prioritizes both visual fidelity and performance, enabling large-scale environments without excessive precomputation.
The project demonstrates a strong focus on:
- Low-level systems programming in C
- Vulkan-based rendering and GPU pipeline design
- Data-oriented and memory-efficient architecture
- Real-time procedural generation techniques
- Integration of engine systems with gameplay features
Overall, this project serves as both a fully functional game and a demonstration of advanced engine development principles, showcasing the ability to design and implement complex, high-performance systems from the ground up.