Fr0zka
831ee2fbf7
Q3: fable-idea F20 phases 1/2 and F18, REVIEW_FINDINGS perf pass 2 and batch 3, and ARCHITECTURE's biome full-param redesign were all still carrying "CODE-COMPLETE, PENDING BUILD" markers dated 07-04/-06/-08. Jahni confirmed on 2026-07-26 that everything is built and working (AUDIT-2026-07.md §0), so the documents were misreporting project state. Ticked with the date they were ticked, not just the date they were built. Deliberately NOT ticked: ARCHITECTURE's F6 master material graph. Its C++ half is built, but the material graph itself is editor-side work that is genuinely still open, and ticking it would recreate the problem this queue item fixes. CODEMAP discipline for this batch: new §3.2b (the VoxelDensityOp contract), new §3.12 (Private/Tests), the EVoxelTileClass move into §3.2, and FChunkBiomeCache::Invalidate under the biome types row. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
756 lines
73 KiB
Markdown
756 lines
73 KiB
Markdown
# VoxelForge — Architecture & Design Deep-Dive
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> The 2026 redesign in detail: archetypes, the (0,0) spine, disturbances, content/atmosphere,
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> biomes, and the **performance invariants** (the `§8.10` "don't regress" list). Read this
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> before touching generation / strates / passages.
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> Navigation, file index & conventions live in [CODEMAP.md](CODEMAP.md). Section numbers (`§8.x`)
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> are preserved so existing cross-references keep resolving.
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## 8. Archetypes, spine, disturbances, content & carving (2026 redesign)
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A large A-to-Z expansion. The world is a stack of strates the player descends through;
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each strate can be a fundamentally different *archetype*, connected at (0,0).
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### 8.1 Archetypes (`ECaveGeneratorType`, VoxelStrateTypes.h)
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Each archetype has its own param `USTRUCT` (on `UVoxelStrateDefinition`, EditCondition-gated
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by `GeneratorType`) and its own density function in `VoxelGenerator.cpp`, dispatched by the
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`switch` in `GetDensityAt`.
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| Archetype | Params struct | Density fn | Idea |
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|-----------|---------------|------------|------|
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| TunnelNetwork | `FStrateGenerationParams` | `GetDensityWithParams` | rooms+tunnels (original) |
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| FlatPlain / CrystalChamber | `FSlabGenerationParams` | `GetSlabDensity` | floor/ceiling void (original) |
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| Maze | `FMazeGenerationParams` | `GetMazeDensity` | tight corridors on a 3D lattice (per-voxel, no cache; edge = lower node + axis hash) |
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| SurfaceWorld | `FSurfaceGenerationParams` | `GetSurfaceDensity` | heightfield terrain: domain-warped continents+ridged mtns+detail, a low-freq **relief map** (`M`) that scales mountains/elevation for plains↔highland variety, **F20 heightfield terrain ops** (`Surface|Ops` — all default off ⇒ byte-identical): **Cliff** (slope-gated steepening — where the analytic structural slope > `CliffSlopeThreshold`, push the height away from the local mean by `CliffSharpness` ⇒ gentle slopes become sheer walls/canyon faces that hug real steep ground, gentle areas untouched; 4 structural resamples only when enabled), **Terrace** (relief-gated plateau quantize + `TerraceHardness` soft-round↔crisp-mesa), **LayerLines** (sedimentary sine shelves, slope-expressed) — pure per-column height remaps in the single oracle `ComputeSurfaceTerrainZ` (`SampleSurfaceStructuralZ` = pre-op raw height, re-sampled at an XY offset for Cliff's slope), biome-selected + border-blended for free via each biome's `SurfaceParams` + the height output-lerp; plus **phase-2 Overhang** (the first VOLUMETRIC op — real jutting shelves like a cliff lip): in `SurfaceDensityFromColumn`, for AIR voxels in the window `(TerrainZ, TerrainZ+OverhangHeight]` above a steep slope, the heightfield is re-sampled UPHILL (toward the cliff) by a reach that GROWS with height and unioned in. Low in the window the shift is ~0 (borrows nearby low rock ⇒ stays air over the void); high up it reaches the far cliff (solid) ⇒ a shelf attached to the cliff, tapering out over the void with air underneath. Per-column `OverhangAmp`(=strength·slope-gate) + unit uphill dir `(DirX,DirY)` are resolved once in `ComputeSurfaceColumn` — the gradient sampled at the REACH scale (`OverhangReach`) so a point out over the void can "see" the cliff to know which way is uphill — and cached on `FSurfaceColumn`. It's genuine 3D (per-voxel structural re-eval), so it's gated hard to steep overhang columns; the union only ADDS rock (never removes), capped at `TerrainZ+OverhangHeight`, so `ClassifyTile` forces Mixed only in `(TerrainZ, TerrainZ+OverhangMargin]` (upward-only; margin = max `OverhangHeight`) — a shelf never holes a trivially-skipped tile, and only the thin cliff-edge band of air tiles is woken (NOT far-field like phase-3 spikes/holes). Overhang undersides classify as ground rock by the F17 rule (down-facing but below `TerrainZ`). Known v1 limit: applies at all LODs (Step-agnostic) — may alias far; gate to fine tiles later. Beaches at water line, high sky-cap ceiling. The cap is shapeable terrain in its own right (`ComputeSurfaceCeiling`, `Surface|Sky` params: `CeilingUndulation` broad inverted hills/valleys, `CeilingRidgeStrength` hanging ridgelines, `CeilingRoughness`+freq fine bumps, `CeilingWarp*`) — defaults (strengths 0, freq 0.04) = old flat-ish cap. (`Surface|Macro` params = the cheap precursor to biomes; `ReliefStrength=0` ⇒ old uniform terrain.) **Sky-cap vs ground is a PER-TRIANGLE surface class (F17), not a per-tile verdict**: the mesher classifies each unique vertex on the **worker** — only down-facing verts (`N.Z<-0.1`) pay a memoized `GetSurfaceHeightAt` column query; nearer `CeilSurf` ⇒ sky-cap, nearer `TerrainZ` ⇒ terrain overhang stays ground (a future SurfaceWorld cave roof — down-facing but below `TerrainZ` — also lands ground by the same rule; non-surface strates always ground). Triangles take the majority class of their 3 verts and are packed as **two contiguous index runs** (ground then cap, `FVoxelMeshData::NumCeilingTriangles`; skirts inherit their source triangle's run) → RMC **polygroups 0/1** → one **section per non-empty group** (`ApplyMeshToTile`, material slot = group index): slot 0 = strate `OverrideMaterial`/default (min-corner chunk), slot 1 = `CeilingMaterial` resolved at the tile's **TOP chunk** (mid as gap fallback, then min; fallback: ground material) — a coarse tile is 2^level chunks tall, so its min corner can sit in a lower strate/gap while the cap belongs to the strate above (this was the "far cap = ground material" residue), so the shadowless overhead rock is tinted separately instead of reading flat/bright. Shadow is **per section** via `FRealtimeMeshSectionConfig::bCastsShadow` (NOT the component `SetCastShadow` — RMC's proxy ignores the component flag; this is also why level≥2 far tiles only stopped casting once the section flag was wired): ground casts at level≤1, the cap section never casts, so the rock ceiling never shadows the terrain below it. History: v1 was a game-thread centre height-oracle (misclassified coarse far tiles → terrain material on the cap underside); v2 a whole-tile worker normal VOTE — which painted **mixed coarse tiles** (one far tile spanning terrain AND cap) entirely with the winner's material, and put sky material under terrain overhangs. The per-triangle class fixes both and is the identity channel caves/F8 will reuse. |
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| VerticalShafts | `FVerticalShaftParams` | `GetVerticalShaftDensity` | full-height shafts + horizontal connectors + partial ledges |
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| FloatingIslands | `FFloatingIslandParams` | `GetFloatingIslandDensity` | asymmetric islands: flat land top + underside tapering to a point, lobed (domain-warped) outline, in an open void |
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| Underwater | `FStrateGenerationParams` + water | (reuses `GetDensityWithParams`) | tunnel rock + high water table |
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All density fns share the convention: internal **positive=solid**, apply origin spine →
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boundary seal → inter-strate passages, then `return -Density` (MC: negative=solid).
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StrateManager provides params per chunk via `GetMaze/Surface/VerticalShaft/FloatingIslandParamsForChunk`
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(macro `VF_ARCHETYPE_PARAMS_GETTER`) — no cross-boundary blend (Hard transitions between archetypes).
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On top of the archetype, an optional **biome** layer (§8.14) modulates terrain & content WITHIN a
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strate via a window-invariant XY field — currently wired into SurfaceWorld.
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### 8.2 (0,0) spine & hybrid connections
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- `ApplyOriginSpine` (VoxelGenerator.cpp, static helper) carves a guaranteed open vertical
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column at XY (0,0) in every strate's **interior** (seals untouched). Radius =
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`UVoxelGenerator::OriginSpineRadius` ← `VoxelSettings::OriginSpineRadius`. Called before
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every `ApplyBoundarySeal`.
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- Descent is **player-dug** through the thin seals at (0,0). The single auto-opened
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connection is the **surface entry shaft** at (0,0) through the top of strate 0
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(`GeneratePassages`, `bOpenSurfaceEntry`).
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- **Hybrid extras:** auto-carved *shortcut* passages per boundary, placed away from (0,0).
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Now fully **per-strate** — see §8.8 (the upper strate's `PassageConfig` drives count/style/shape).
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### 8.3 Disturbance layer (the "wow" post-process)
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`FStrateDisturbanceParams` (on the definition, all archetypes). `ApplyDisturbances`
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(VoxelGenerator.cpp static, **MC convention**) runs in `GetDensityAt` after dispatch:
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chasms (carve air), bridges (solid spans), ridges (solid blades). Stays inside seal bands.
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Provided per chunk by `StrateManager::GetDisturbanceParamsForChunk`.
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### 8.4 Cross-chunk determinism (the seam-prevention invariant)
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`BuildChunkCache` (VoxelCaveMorphology.cpp) uses **two regions**: a wide *COLLECT* region
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(`2*MaxTunnelLength + MaxInfluence`) over which connectivity is decided (NN filtered to
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`<= MaxTunnelLength`, origin cap = deterministic top-N by hash), and a tight *STORE* region
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(`+MaxInfluence`) kept for per-voxel eval. This makes the room/tunnel graph window-invariant.
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**If you add a connectivity rule with longer edges, the COLLECT region must still cover the
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max edge reach, and decisions must not depend on the stored window.**
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### 8.5 Content scatter & water — `VoxelContentManager.h/.cpp` (NEW)
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`UVoxelContentManager` (owned by `AVoxelWorld`, game-thread). TWO INDEPENDENT subsystems:
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**(A) DECORATIONS — distance-based WORLD GRID (the no-pop system, 2026-06-17).** Decorations are placed
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on a fixed world XY cell grid (**1 cell = 1 chunk footprint**, `DECO_CELL_VOXELS = CHUNK_SIZE`) and streamed
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by DISTANCE from the player, **fully decoupled from clipmap tiles / LOD**. **THE MARCH RUNS ASYNC ON WORKER
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THREADS** (mirrors mesh gen — `GetDensityAt` is thread-safe; the synchronous-on-game-thread first cut was a
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perf disaster + starved streaming → seams, so it was moved off-thread). Driven by `AVoxelWorld::Tick →
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UpdateDecorations(playerWorldPos)`, three phases: **(1)** recompute the desired cell set (`RebuildDesiredCells`)
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only when the player crosses a cell boundary OR changes strate — clears out-of-range loaded cells, queues
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cells that are NOT loaded and NOT in flight (`PendingLaunch`, nearest-first). A loaded region is NEVER
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re-streamed in place while it stays in range (only cleared when it leaves), so decorations don't FLICKER as
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the player moves. **TWO STREAMING GRIDS (`FStrateDecoration::StreamTier`, 2026-06-26):** the stream RADIUS is a
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property of the GRID, never of an entry — mixing radii inside one grid would force an in-place re-stream when
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the player crosses an entry's radius (the original tier system's flicker bug). So there are exactly two
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self-contained grids (`FDecoGrid`, each with its own region map + builds + queues + HISMs): **NearGrid**
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(`DecorationNearRadiusChunks`, FINE `DecorationSpacingVoxels` column grid — dense groundcover near the player)
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and **FarGrid** (`DecorationRadiusChunks`, COARSE `DecorationFarSpacingVoxels` column grid — trees/landmarks/RARE
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props visible everywhere; the coarse grid is what makes a rare prop cheap, since the worker march cost scales
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with column count). An entry picks a grid via `StreamTier` (default Far); the palette is partitioned by tier so
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each grid marches only its own subset. A given world XY is covered by a Far region always, plus a Near region
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when close (separate HISMs → crossing the near boundary never touches the far region). **(2)** `LaunchDecoTasks`
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(per grid, sharing ONE `MaxConcurrentDecorationTasks` budget — each throttles against the other's in-flight count):
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snapshot the update's decoration palette (built once on the GAME thread — biome, see below) then fire an async `UE::Tasks` march
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(`BuildCellSpawns`, `BackgroundNormal`, capped at `MaxConcurrentDecorationTasks` in flight via `InFlightCells`).
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**(3)** `ProcessDecoResults`: drain finished tasks' results (`Mpsc` queue → `ReadyResults`), epoch-guarded
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(`DecoEpoch`, bumped on clear/strate-change so stale in-flight results are discarded) + range-checked, and
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**apply (spawn) budgeted** (`MaxDecorationCellsPerFrame` — the only game-thread cost, SpawnActor/AddInstance).
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`BuildCellSpawns` (worker) finds each column's surface point(s) and rolls the entries there (shared
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`PlaceAtCrossing`). Candidate columns are **snapped to INTEGER voxel XY** (integer jitter) so the generator's
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surface-column cache (T1.a, §8.10) applies — FRACTIONAL XY bypasses it and recomputes the noise-heavy
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heightfield+biome on every sample. **TWO column strategies by archetype:**
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**(a) SurfaceWorld → HEIGHT ORACLE (`Ctx.bSurfaceWorld`), NO marching.** `Generator::GetSurfaceHeightAt(x,y,
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chunkZ → TerrainZ, CeilSurf)` returns the heightfield surface + sky-cap ceiling in O(1) (it shares the density
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path's `ResolveSurfaceChunkParams`/`ComputeSurfaceColumn` via its own thread_local per-chunk cache, so it's
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bit-identical to the rendered ground). Per column: query centre + 4 neighbours (gradient → floor/ceiling
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normals), place a Floor crossing at `TerrainZ` and a Ceiling crossing at `CeilSurf` (if open space below). A
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single `GetDensityAt` at the surface verifies the column isn't CARVED (passage/spine/diff make it air → skip;
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the oracle is the raw heightfield and doesn't know carving). ~5 height evals + 1-2 density samples/column vs
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hundreds marched. **(b) other archetypes (caves/shafts/islands) → ray-march** the strate Z-band
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(`GetStrateUnrealZRange`, voxel coords) via `GetDensityAt` at a COARSE step (`DecorationMarchStepVoxels`), each
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air↔solid sign change **bisection-refined** (4 iters → accuracy independent of step). Either way **a prop sits at
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the SAME world position at every LOD → no pop**. (march) The top cap/seal + the open air are always marched first; the scan only stops after
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`DecorationColumnDepthVoxels` of CONTIGUOUS solid once it has ENTERED the open space (trims dead bedrock below
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the ground without ever stopping short of it — a "below the first crossing" cap was wrong: on a surface world
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the first crossing is the high CEILING, so it stopped mid-air before reaching the ground = no floor props).
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Outward normal = normalized density gradient (solid→air, matches the mesher), classified
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Floor/Wall/Ceiling by `normal.Z`. Each crossing rolls every `FStrateDecoration` independently: surface-type,
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density gate (`DecoHash(cell,column,crossing,entry,seed)`), water-relative, align/yaw/scale, per-cell
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`MaxPerChunk` + global actor cap → a `FDecoSpawn{EntryIdx, bInstanced, Xf}`. The game thread spawns from the
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result's `Entries` snapshot. `DecorationMaxCrossingsPerColumn` caps cave columns (surface worlds have 1).
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**Shutdown:** `NotifyShutdown()` (called from `AVoxelWorld::EndPlay`) flags + spin-waits on the in-flight
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task count before UObject teardown (tasks read the Generator); `BeginDestroy` is the backstop. **Determinism:**
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pure hash of (cell, column, crossing, entry, seed) + the density surface snap. **Decorations exist ONLY in
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the player's current strate** (march is strate-bounded) → a strate change wipes + rebuilds them, and there
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is **no cross-strate light bleed to cull** (the old `SetActiveStrate` light-culling pass is SUBSUMED — gone).
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**Render paths:** `ActorClass` → real actors (lights/logic, pricey game-thread spawn); `InstancedMesh` → HISM
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(no tick/actor/collision, emissive glows far), per-cell-per-entry. **Per-entry HISM tuning for dense groundcover**
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(`FStrateDecoration`, only the InstancedMesh path): `CullDistance` (cm; 0 = no cull — the lever that makes dense
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grass affordable: placed thickly, drawn only near → GPU cost bounded by area-within-cull, NOT the stream radius),
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`bCastShadow` (default true; turn OFF for grass — dense instanced shadows are the dominant foliage cost),
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`MaxSlopeAngle` (deg from flat = acos(|N.Z|); 90 = no filter, ~35 keeps grass off cliffs — applied in the worker's
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`PlaceAtCrossing`). **Placement-constraint gates (all in `PlaceAtCrossing`, deterministic, zero-cost at defaults):**
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`MinSlopeAngle` (lower companion to Max — band a prop onto a tilt range, e.g. 30..70 = slopes only),
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`bWallExcludeOverhangs` (wall-only-upright: drop normals with N.Z < 0 so downward overhangs don't take wall props).
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**Shared vocabulary (2026-07-06):** these gates + spawn/transform/render fields now live on `FPlacementProfile`
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(embedded as `Profile` on `FStrateDecoration`, `FStrateLandmark`, and the coming `FStrateSetPiece`), so all three
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scatter primitives are authored identically. Rotation unified to `RotationOffset` (fixed) + `RandomRotation`
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(per-axis hash-random) — decoration's ctor defaults `RandomRotation.Yaw = 360` (full random heading, replacing the
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old `bRandomYaw`/`MinYaw`/`MaxYaw`; banded yaw = offset + a smaller random range). Distribution is unchanged; the
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exact per-instance yaw values reshuffle once (different hash mix).
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**F7 AWARE PLACEMENT (2026-07-06):** `FPlacementProfile::Conditions` = a list of `FTerrainCondition`
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DERIVED PREDICATES (relief / moisture / biome-border weight, each an inclusive [Min,Max] band, optional
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invert), AND-ed and evaluated by `Generator::EvaluateTerrainConditions` at the candidate XY — "conditions,
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not annotations": nothing is stored, the phenomenon is queried from the analytic fields (SampleRelief /
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SampleMoisture / SampleBiomeAt) on demand, so it's deterministic + worker-safe (the caller hands over the
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strate's already-resolved `FBiomeContext`, so no re-resolve). Opt-in per entry (empty list = zero cost);
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wired into both the deco worker (`BuildCellSpawns`) and landmark placement (`SpawnLandmarkInstance`). This
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is the shared core of the coming quest `FindFeature` locator (same predicate, run as an outward search) and
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the anchor gate for `FStrateSetPiece`. The BP bridge `AVoxelWorld::GetVoxelSurfaceHeightAt` exposes the
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trace-free deterministic ground/ceiling height so authored ruin/set-piece Blueprints self-arrange on the
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real surface before it meshes. Next types (water-edge band, relief-peak local-max, slope) are additive.
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**F7 COMPANIONS (relational decoration, `FDecoCompanion`):** each `FStrateDecoration` may list `Companions`
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(satellites: rocks/mushrooms around a tree). When `PlaceAtCrossing` emits a parent spawn, it immediately rolls
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each companion (probability → count in `[CountMin,CountMax]` → disk offset `RadiusMin/MaxVox`), all hashed off
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the PARENT's hash `H` → a pure function of the parent, so NO "did a tree spawn here?" search. Each satellite offsets from the parent in the XY plane (voxel space) and then, by default (`bSnapToSurface`),
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**re-snaps to the real surface at its OWN XY** via `FindLandmarkColumn` (cheap `GetSurfaceHeightAt` oracle on
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SurfaceWorld, a short ray-march in caves; worker-safe — reads only `Gen`) — this kills floaters on uneven
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ground; a satellite that finds no surface at its spot is skipped. Turn `bSnapToSurface` off to inherit the
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parent's exact height+normal (cheapest, flat ground only). Satellites can also be **gated by their own
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`Profile.Conditions`** evaluated at the satellite XY (e.g. a unique mushroom only at a biome border). They carry
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their own `Profile` transform/render. `FDecoSpawn` gained `CompanionIdx` (−1 = the entry; else index into
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`Companions`) so `MergeCellResult`/`ApplyRegion` resolve the satellite's mesh/actor + render tuning from
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`Companions[ci].Profile` (the region mesh bucket now stores an `FPlacementProfile`, not a whole entry). **Two levels:** a companion may carry `SubCompanions` (`FDecoSubCompanion` — a distinct type, since UHT can't
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reflect a self-recursive `FDecoCompanion`) that spawn ON each level-1 satellite (moss on a rock); level-2
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**inherits the L1 satellite's snapped point** (no re-snap — the cost lever that keeps nesting cheap) and can
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still gate on its own `Conditions`. `FDecoSpawn::SubIdx` routes L2 back to `Companions[ci].SubCompanions[sj]`.
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A hard **per-parent budget** (`GMaxCompanionsPerParent`, 256) caps the total L1+L2 count so a misconfiguration
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can't blow up regardless of authored counts. Bounded (count × parents, ≤ budget), deterministic, streams inside
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the existing two-grid deco system untouched. Depth beyond 2 (and per-entry references for arbitrary nesting) is
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the remaining flagged follow-up.
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**F7 SET-PIECES — FOLDED INTO LANDMARKS (2026-07-06).** Set-pieces (ruins/shrines/monuments) and landmarks
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(mini-suns) had no real reason to be separate once both shared the spawn core and gained `Conditions`, so
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`FStrateSetPiece`/`UpdateSetPieces` were MERGED into `FStrateLandmark`/`UpdateLandmarks` — one primitive, one
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`UVoxelStrateDefinition::Landmarks` list. Each entry has an `AnchorMode`: **HashLattice** (scatter on a coarse
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lattice, `SpacingChunks`) or **PassageMouth** (enumerate `StrateManager->GetPassages()`, keep endpoints whose
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Upper/LowerStrateIndex == the current strate — `bAtDescentMouths` = the hole going down, `bAtArrivalMouths` =
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where you land; endpoints are global VOXEL coords). Feature-conditioning is just `Profile.Conditions` on either
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mode. **Exclusion (self-awareness, optional):** `ExclusionRadiusChunks` (0 = OFF, the default — mini-suns don't
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exclude) + `Priority`; a candidate is suppressed if a HIGHER-RANKED one's disk covers it (rank = Priority, then
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hash — deterministic). `UpdateLandmarks` now gathers all candidates → resolves exclusion (SKIPPED entirely when
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no entry opts in, so pure scatter keeps its old O(n) cost; HashLattice keeps the original hash salt 0x1A2D5u so
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mini-sun positions are unchanged) → spawns survivors via `SpawnFromProfile` (+ the orb wrapper).
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**Exclusion is now POP-FREE:** each entry is gathered in `StreamRadius + MaxExcl` (MaxExcl = the strate's largest
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`ExclusionRadiusChunks`); the extra "ring" candidates carry `bSpawnable = false` and only SUPPRESS (never spawn),
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so every conflictor of an in-range candidate is always present regardless of player position → a candidate's fate
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is a pure function of (seed, layout), no edge-of-radius flicker.
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**Decoration footprint (`bSuppressDecorationsUnder` + `SuppressRadiusChunks`):** a landmark mesh doesn't change
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density, so the deco placer can't see it — instead, on spawn it calls `RemoveDecorationsInSphere` to clear grass
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in its footprint, stores the footprint on `FLandmarkInstance`, and `ApplyRegion` re-clears under any loaded
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suppressing landmark when a deco region streams in fresh (so temple floors stay clear as you leave/return).
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**PLAYER DIG → GRASS REMOVAL:** `AVoxelWorld::ApplyModification` (the single funnel for every carve/fill brush)
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calls `RemoveDecorationsInSphere(Center·VOXEL_SIZE, Radius·VOXEL_SIZE)` after the diff+remesh — instant,
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flicker-free (only the affected HISM instances go, via `GetInstancesOverlappingSphere`+`RemoveInstances`; nothing
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is cleared+rebuilt), so grass never floats over a dug hole. This only patches the LIVE instances; the placer's
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existing density check (`D(VX,VY,hC) <= 0.5f`) already keeps any future natural rebuild correct. (Editing a
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Static-mobility HISM re-caches its proxy — fine for player-paced digging.) Not handled by immediate removal: new
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grass on a freshly-exposed ledge / regrowth after fill-back — both self-correct on the next natural re-stream. **Freeze note:** a huge set-piece mesh hitches on register (game-thread proxy/distance-field build —
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NOT async-fixable; the spawn is game-thread by engine rule; the asset is a hard ref so already resident) →
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mitigate ASSET-side (Nanite on the mesh, bake distance fields), optionally budget spawns across frames.
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`ApplyDecoResult` buckets spawns per entry and builds each HISM with ONE batched `AddInstances`
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(single cluster-tree build, set cull/shadow BEFORE `RegisterComponent`) — the game-thread hitch-killer for dense cells.
|
||
**Per-entry tier (`StreamTier`, default Far)** picks NearGrid or FarGrid; radius + column spacing are PER-GRID
|
||
settings, never per-entry (a per-entry radius would re-introduce the in-place re-stream flicker — see the two-grid
|
||
rationale above). This REPLACES the vestigial `MaxLODLevel`; the dead `DecorationActorRadiusChunks` setting is
|
||
repurposed as `DecorationNearRadiusChunks`. `CullDistance` still bounds GPU draw on top (orthogonal to which grid
|
||
streams the entry). **No LOD area-density compensation** (placement is per real
|
||
surface point, density-stable with distance). **SpawnDensity semantics CHANGED** vs the old vertex scatter: it
|
||
rolls per column surface-point (not per mesh vertex) → expect a one-time density re-tune. **Settings
|
||
(`Voxel|Content`):** `DecorationRadiusChunks` (6 — FAR reach in cells), `DecorationNearRadiusChunks` (3 — NEAR
|
||
reach), `DecorationSpacingVoxels` (4 → 8×8 cols/cell — NEAR/fine grid), `DecorationFarSpacingVoxels` (4 by default
|
||
→ raise to 8–16 for a cheap coarse FAR grid; the rare-prop lever), `DecorationRegionSizeCells` (4 — RxR cells per
|
||
region/HISM), `DecorationMarchStepVoxels` (2 — coarse, bisection-refined; cave march only), `DecorationMaxCrossingsPerColumn`
|
||
(4 — cave march only), `DecorationColumnDepthVoxels` (160 — bedrock march cap; cave march only),
|
||
`MaxDecorationCellsPerFrame` (2 — apply/spawn budget), `MaxConcurrentDecorationTasks` (4 — in-flight task cap;
|
||
0 disables decorations). **COST:** surface worlds now use the O(1) oracle (cheap); caves ray-march. The work is
|
||
OFF the frame (worker threads) — game thread only pays the budgeted spawn. If streaming slows, lower
|
||
`MaxConcurrentDecorationTasks` / raise `DecorationMarchStepVoxels` / shrink radii/spacing. Default
|
||
`DecorationRadiusChunks=6` ≈ props ~48 m out — raise for far flora (cost ~r²).
|
||
|
||
**(A2) LANDMARKS — rare large objects on a COARSE HASH LATTICE (`UpdateLandmarks`, 2026-06-26).** The right
|
||
primitive for sparse, far-visible objects like the underground "mini-suns" — where the per-chunk decoration
|
||
grid fails: at a 2048-chunk radius that grid enumerates ~13M cells per cell-crossing on the game thread and
|
||
FREEZES. Landmarks instead live on a per-entry hash lattice (cell = `FStrateLandmark::SpacingChunks` chunks),
|
||
so a radius-R disk holds only ~(R/Spacing)² candidates (≈16 at R=2048, Spacing=512). Listed strate-wide on
|
||
`UVoxelStrateDefinition::Landmarks`. Each Tick, for each entry, walk the small lattice box around the player
|
||
within `StreamRadiusChunks`: `DecoHash(cell,entry,seed)` rolls existence (`SpawnProbability`), a jittered XY
|
||
(`JitterFraction` — effective min spacing ≈ Spacing·(1−Jitter)), then a SINGLE-column surface find
|
||
(`FindLandmarkColumn`: SurfaceWorld height oracle, else one density ray-march) snaps to the chosen
|
||
`SurfacePlacement` (default Ceiling = sky-cap). Gates mirror decorations (biome via `GetDominantBiomeAt`,
|
||
slope band, water-relative). Foliage-style transform tweaks: `LocationOffset` (world XYZ), `RotationOffset` +
|
||
per-axis `RandomRotation`, `Min/MaxScale`, `bAlignToSurface`. Spawned as a real actor (`ActorClass`, for a
|
||
sun's light) or one Static `UStaticMeshComponent` (`InstancedMesh`, `CullDistance`=0 → never cull). All
|
||
SYNCHRONOUS on the game thread (so few candidates it never hitches); a cell's surface-find runs only the
|
||
first frame it enters range, then is cached in `LandmarkInstances` (keyed `FIntVector(cellX,cellY,entry)`,
|
||
null entry = "evaluated, nothing placed" so it isn't retried). Deterministic (hash → no pop, infinite reach).
|
||
Strate-bounded (wiped on strate change, like decorations). This is the real home for "rare prop at all
|
||
distances" — the job the decoration FarGrid could approximate at moderate range but not at extreme radius.
|
||
|
||
**(B) WATER — tile-driven, level-0 only (continuous plane, never pops).** `PopulateTileWater(tile)` in
|
||
`ApplyMeshToTile` (level-0 tiles), `ClearTileWater(tile)` in `UnloadTile`. One scaled engine plane
|
||
(`/Engine/BasicShapes/Plane`) per water-surface chunk (per-chunk-Z plane logic assumes a single chunk's
|
||
vertical span — hence level-0 only), keyed `TMap<FIntVector, UStaticMeshComponent*>` (reflected UPROPERTY).
|
||
Water Z: `bHasWater` + `WaterLevelRelative` → `StrateManager::GetWaterLevelWorldZForChunk`. Biome
|
||
`WaterMaterial` overrides `UVoxelStrateDefinition::WaterMaterial` (level stays strate-global).
|
||
|
||
`ClearAll`/`SetSeed` on `ChangeSeed`/regenerate clears both subsystems (decorations re-stream on the next
|
||
Tick via the INT_MIN sentinels). **Per-biome content (§8.14):** decorations resolve the dominant biome **PER COLUMN** on the worker
|
||
(`ResolveBiomeSampleAt` via the strate's `FBiomeContext`, box-cached → one rebuild per chunk footprint). The
|
||
update builds ONE flat decoration palette (every biome's list concatenated; `CurrentEntryBiome[i]` tags entry
|
||
`i` with its context-biome index, -1 = strate fallback), and `PlaceAtCrossing` rolls only the entries the
|
||
column's biome owns. This replaced the old per-CELL `GetDominantBiomeAt` (one biome for a whole 8 m cell →
|
||
axis-aligned border snapping); borders now follow the warped-Voronoi field at column resolution, no straight
|
||
lines. Water still uses the chunk-centre `GetDominantBiomeAt` for its material. `Initialize` now also takes
|
||
`UVoxelSettings*` (for the grid tunables). `ContentMaxLevel` is now legacy/dead for decorations.
|
||
|
||
### 8.6 Atmosphere — `VoxelAtmosphereManager.h/.cpp` (NEW)
|
||
`UVoxelAtmosphereManager` (owned by `AVoxelWorld`, gated by `bManageAtmosphere`).
|
||
`UpdateForPlayer(pos)` each Tick, reacts only on strate change. Drives a managed
|
||
`UExponentialHeightFogComponent` + movable `USkyLightComponent` from the player's strate
|
||
(`FogColor/FogDensity/bVolumetricFog/AmbientLightColor/AmbientLightIntensity`), and spawns
|
||
PERSISTENT ceiling/floor "layer" actors (`Def->CeilingLayerActor`/`FloorLayerActor` + ZOffsets
|
||
+ rotations) that follow the player in XY — the sky-island sea-of-clouds / two-sided fog.
|
||
`Def->AtmosphereActor` (a full BP with your own fog/sky/postprocess) OVERRIDES the managed
|
||
fog+sky for that strate. `Reset()` on ChangeSeed/EndPlay. (Skylight ambient underground is
|
||
weak — captures a dark scene; fog is the strong visual.)
|
||
**Per-biome atmosphere (§8.14):** `UpdateForPlayer` also resolves the player's dominant biome and,
|
||
when the biome has `bOverrideAtmosphere`, its fog/sky beats the strate's (reacts on biome change, not
|
||
just strate change). `ApplyFogSky(Def, Biome)` is the shared path; layer actors + the full `AtmosphereActor`
|
||
BP stay strate-level. Needs the generator injected (`Initialize(..., Generator)`).
|
||
|
||
### 8.7 Inter-strate bedrock gap
|
||
`VoxelSettings::InterStrateGapChunks` (N) inserts N chunks of SOLID bedrock between consecutive
|
||
strates (`StrateManager::Initialize` leaves the gap in the layout). `IsGapChunk` detects it;
|
||
`GetDensityAt` renders gap chunks as solid + passages only (no caves/spine/seal) so the player
|
||
digs (0,0) through the gap to descend. `GetStrateUnrealZRange` gives a strate's cm Z range.
|
||
|
||
### 8.8 Inter-strate passages — PER-STRATE (`FStratePassageConfig` on the definition)
|
||
Each strate's `PassageConfig` (VoxelStrateTypes.h) controls its descent tunnels to the layer
|
||
below: `Connections`, `Style` (`EVoxelPassageStyle`: Straight/Worm/Spiral/Cascading),
|
||
`MouthRadius`/`MidRadius` (tapered width → `FVoxelPassage::ControlRadii` + `VoxelSDF::TaperedCapsule`),
|
||
`ReachMin/Max` (depth into each strate), `DistanceMin/Max` (from the (0,0) spine), `Wander`,
|
||
`Segments`, `VerticalWobble`, Spiral/Cascade params. Built in `StrateManager::GeneratePassages`
|
||
as control-point chains. **Worm = independent fBM per horizontal axis** (`PassageFBM` static)
|
||
with a flat-top envelope → organic squirm (NOT a 1D zigzag, NOT a same-freq 2-channel spiral).
|
||
`EvaluateModifierSDF` (per voxel) first builds a `thread_local` **per-chunk shortlist** of passages
|
||
whose bounds reach this chunk (rebuilt on chunk change / `PassagesVersion` bump) — chunks with no
|
||
passage near return `FLT_MAX` immediately — then **bounding-sphere-culls** each shortlisted passage
|
||
(`FVoxelPassage::BoundCenter/BoundRadiusSq`). Both are perf-critical (§8.10). The (0,0) surface entry
|
||
is a simple straight tube. Global passage settings were removed from `VoxelSettings`.
|
||
|
||
### 8.9 Carving — brush shapes + editor controls
|
||
`FVoxelModification` has `EVoxelBrushShape {Sphere,Box,Capsule}` + `BoxExtent`/`CapsuleEnd`/
|
||
`Falloff` + `GetWorldBounds`. `UVoxelDiffLayer::GetDensityOffset` switches per shape; chunk
|
||
overlap uses the shape AABB. `AVoxelWorld`: `CarveBox/FillBox/CarveCapsule/FillCapsule/
|
||
ApplyModification` (BlueprintCallable) + `EditorCarveSphere/EditorFillSphere` (CallInEditor)
|
||
driven by `EditorBrush*` props.
|
||
|
||
### 8.10 Performance invariants (DON'T regress)
|
||
- **Streaming** (`UpdateChunksAroundPosition`): rebuild/cull the desired set ONLY when the
|
||
player crosses a chunk boundary (`LastUpdateCenter`); use the `DesiredSet` TSet for the cull;
|
||
idle via `bAllChunksLoaded`. Stationary player ≈ free. (Old per-frame O(loaded×desired) scan = 22ms.)
|
||
- **LOD** changes HOT-SWAP (`LoadChunk` only, never unload-first) → no holes. LOD
|
||
reconciliation lives in the PERSISTENT per-frame submit loop (same loop as new-chunk loads),
|
||
NOT as a one-shot on the boundary-cross frame — a one-shot drops every chunk past the task
|
||
budget and strands it at a stale LOD. Idle (`bAllChunksLoaded`) only when a full scan finds
|
||
no loads AND no LOD mismatches outstanding.
|
||
- **SDF cache** (`GetDensityWithParams`): search-BOX validity, not chunk-key — gradient ±1
|
||
sampling must not thrash the (expensive) rebuild.
|
||
- **Per-chunk param cache** in `GetDensityAt`: GenType + param struct + disturbance cached
|
||
thread-locally per chunk; don't move the fetch/blend back to per-voxel.
|
||
- **Biome cache** (`ResolveBiomeSampleAt`/`FChunkBiomeCache`, §8.14): validity is a world-XY BOX +
|
||
ChunkZ + Seed, NOT a chunk key — same reason as the SDF cache. The cell classification is
|
||
noise-heavy; a chunk-key would thrash it on gradient-normal / +X/+Y boundary samples. Keep
|
||
the box halo (≥ CHUNK_SIZE) + cell margin (warp + CellSize) so the 3x3 lookup never misses.
|
||
- **Passage cull** (§8.8) + **morphology two-region** (§8.4): both are per-voxel-cost critical.
|
||
- **Per-chunk passage shortlist** (`EvaluateModifierSDF`): runs per voxel and is called from every
|
||
archetype's `ApplyPassageCarving`. Keeps a `thread_local` shortlist (passage INDICES) of passages
|
||
whose bounds reach the current chunk, rebuilt only on chunk change or `PassagesVersion` bump
|
||
(incremented in `GeneratePassages`). Most chunks have NO passage near → instant `FLT_MAX` return
|
||
instead of walking the whole `Passages` array per voxel. Conservative superset (chunk bounding
|
||
sphere vs passage bound) ⇒ bit-identical carve. Store indices + version, never pointers (the array
|
||
is rebuilt on `RebuildStrates`).
|
||
- **Gen tasks run at `UE::Tasks::ETaskPriority::BackgroundNormal`** (`LoadTile`): worker gen yields
|
||
to foreground game/render tasks. Without it, raising `MaxConcurrentTasks` past the spare-core count
|
||
saturates the scheduler and starves the frame (the "concurrency > ~12 = stutter" symptom). Keep gen
|
||
at background priority so the frame keeps its cores.
|
||
- **Mesher density grid + margin ring** (`GenerateMesh`): sample each grid point ONCE into a flat
|
||
`(CHUNK_SIZE/Step + 1 + 2)³` array (the `+2` is a 1-point MARGIN ring, indices −1..GridDim, for
|
||
T1.b normals). The cell loop reads 8 corners from it; per-cell sampling would call `GetDensityAt`
|
||
~8× too often. Geometry is bit-identical (edge positions unchanged). Don't refactor back to
|
||
per-corner `GetDensity` and don't drop the margin ring (normals + seamless borders need it).
|
||
The cell loop is **two-pass**: pass 1 reads the 8 corner densities + builds the MC case index and
|
||
`continue`s on no-surface cells (≈70% of cells); pass 2 computes the 8 positions + grid-gradients
|
||
ONLY for surface cells. Don't hoist position/gradient back above the case-index test. The
|
||
`DensityGrid` and vertex-dedup `TMap` are `thread_local` and reused per worker (Reset / keep
|
||
capacity) — don't make them per-call locals (re-allocates ~170 KB + a hash map every tile).
|
||
**CAPTURE-DURING-MESHING (sanctioned reuse, doesn't regress the above):** `GenerateMesh`'s optional
|
||
`OutCaptureGrid` copies the already-filled `DensityGrid` interior (`CHUNK_SIZE³`, quantized via
|
||
`VF_QuantizeDensity`) out for the density clipmap (mini-sun shadows) — a PURE READ added after the
|
||
grid loop. It does NOT touch the grid shape, the two-pass loop, the margin ring, or the thread_local
|
||
reuse. Only level-0 full-res tiles request it (`Step==1<<Level`, 1:1 with a clipmap level). The
|
||
clipmap (`UVoxelDensityVolume`) reuses these bytes instead of re-evaluating `GetDensityAt` on its own
|
||
fills — see `IngestTileCapture` / `BlitCaptureToWindow` (cache keyed by tile coord) and the
|
||
chunk-aligned level-0 recenter. The volume fill that captures DON'T cover runs on **one dedicated
|
||
thread** (`FVoxelDensityFillRunnable`, off the UE::Tasks pool — the old shared-pool `BackgroundLow`
|
||
fill starved behind mesh-gen, ~10 s to resolve shadows; the dedicated thread fills full-speed without
|
||
stealing a mesh-gen core) and is the backstop for cache misses (vertical strate gaps, cold start,
|
||
carves). Captures are bit-identical to a fill of the same cells (same `GetDensityAt`, same
|
||
`VF_QuantizeDensity`).
|
||
- **Normals from the density grid (T1.b)** (`GenerateMesh`): corner gradients = central differences
|
||
on the (margin) grid; edge normals interpolate the two corner gradients by the SAME `t` as the
|
||
position → seamless across chunk borders (both sides use identical pure samples). NO per-vertex
|
||
`GetDensityAt` (was ~6/vertex, often as costly as the whole grid). `ComputeGradientNormal` is now
|
||
unused. Only NORMALS changed vs the old path; geometry is identical.
|
||
- **Surface column cache (T1.a)** (`FSurfaceColumnCache` = LRU of `FSurfaceColumnBox`, `GetDensityAt`
|
||
SurfaceWorld branch): the heightfield + sky-cap + biome blend are a PURE function of (XY, seed,
|
||
strate) — **ZERO Z dependence** (climate/Voronoi are pure-XY; surface params are per-strate constant
|
||
under Hard transitions) — yet sampled ~33× per column (once per Z grid-point). Cached per integer XY
|
||
(box-valid, like the SDF cache) and reused down the column. **Keyed by (XY box, StrateKey, Seed), NOT
|
||
ChunkZ** (`StrateKey = round(StrateBottomWorldZ)`, taken from the params so it can't disagree with
|
||
them) and held as a small **LRU of 6 boxes** so the WHOLE vertical view-distance stack — and XY
|
||
neighbours the scheduler interleaves — share one another's heavy column noise instead of each
|
||
recomputing it ~once per vertical chunk (this was the dominant `GenerateMesh` cost: the same 2D
|
||
heightfield recomputed per altitude). It also makes pure-air / pure-solid chunks cheap (they hit the
|
||
shared box). Box `Halo = CHUNK_SIZE + 8` each side so the T1.b margin ring stays inside (no thrash).
|
||
**Used ONLY for integer-XY queries**; fractional queries compute directly → bit-identical. Don't
|
||
re-introduce a ChunkZ key, don't feed it fractional coords. (`GetSurfaceHeightAt`'s own `OC_*` oracle
|
||
cache is separate and still per-chunk — lower volume, not worth the LRU.)
|
||
- **Collision only at LOD0 (T1.c)** (`ApplyMeshToChunk`): `UpdateSectionConfig(..., LOD==0)`.
|
||
LOD1/2 chunks are unreachable (the §8.10 reconciliation hot-swaps to LOD0 before the player
|
||
arrives), so cooking their Chaos collision is waste. Don't force collision on for all LODs.
|
||
- **CHUNKED-LOD CLIPMAP — the streaming model** (`FVoxelTileKey` in VoxelTypes.h; `UpdateChunksAroundPosition`
|
||
/ `BuildDesiredTiles` / `IsTileInClipRange` / `LoadTile` / `UnloadTile` / `ApplyMeshToTile`; mesher
|
||
`GenerateMesh(OriginVoxels, Step)`). Replaces the fixed-32³-chunk + LOD-step-on-fixed-extent model
|
||
AND supersedes the old region-batching / strate-Z-clamp / wide-ceiling (all removed). A **level-L tile**
|
||
spans `CHUNK_SIZE<<L` voxels meshed at `step 1<<L` → constant 32³-cell mesh, ONE component, ONE draw,
|
||
covering 8^L× the volume. Streaming loads **concentric shells** (level 0 near, each coarser level a 2×
|
||
larger shell beyond; inner hole of level L = the region the finer level covers). **Total tile count
|
||
stays ~flat regardless of view distance** — that's why see-far (ceiling, horizon) is cheap AND why
|
||
per-tile components are fine for the game thread (no batching: ~1-2k tiles, not 40k). **Load-before-
|
||
unload cull** (no holes, STRICT): out-of-range tiles cull now; in-range LOD-transition tiles cull only
|
||
once EVERY desired tile overlapping their footprint is loaded — tested as "no UNLOADED desired tile
|
||
overlaps T" (`ReplacementsReady` + `FootprintsOverlap` vs the `DesiredPending` list, built once per
|
||
crossing = desired-minus-loaded, usually tiny). Scanning all of `DesiredSorted` per candidate was an
|
||
O(loaded×desired) game-thread spike when fast movement turned many tiles non-desired at once. A coarse
|
||
tile is replaced by several finer tiles, so the old center-owner
|
||
check (`ReplacementLoaded`) dropped it as soon as the ONE tile over its centre loaded → the not-yet-
|
||
ready edges flashed a hole; the full-coverage check keeps the old tile at its current resolution until
|
||
the better mesh is wholly in, then swaps. In-flight (pending) tiles are NEVER cancelled on a rebuild —
|
||
they finish, apply, and are culled later if no longer desired. Collision level-0 only; water level-0
|
||
only; shadows off for level≥2. **Decorations are NO LONGER tied to tiles** — they stream on a fixed world
|
||
grid by distance (§8.5), so they don't pop on LOD swaps. Settings: `VoxelSettings::ClipRadius` (full-res near radius, tiles/level),
|
||
`MaxClipLevel` (far reach). **NEAR-FIELD GEN COST levers** (`LoadTile`): levels `< FullResClipLevels`
|
||
mesh at full `CHUNK_SIZE` cells (≈35³ `GetDensityAt` incl. margin ring), coarser levels at
|
||
`CoarseTileCells` (Step = Extent/Cells) for far-cheaper gen. A level-1 tile at `FullResClipLevels=2`
|
||
costs the SAME gen as a level-0 tile (same cell count, 8× extent) — set `FullResClipLevels=1` to drop
|
||
level 1 to `CoarseTileCells` (~6× cheaper) when the near field is gen-bound (slightly harder L0→L1
|
||
seam, hidden by skirts). `ClipRadius` bounds the full-res level-0 tile COUNT independently of reach.
|
||
**STRATE CONTENT CUT** (`StrateContentCutMinLevel`, default 0 = all levels — tested: the level 0/1
|
||
straddler tiles were the visible mixers, a higher floor read as "no improvement"): a level-L tile is 2^L chunks TALL and
|
||
can straddle a strate boundary — at coarse Steps the thin seal/gap solid between two strates' airs
|
||
falls between lattice points (holes into the neighbour strate at far LOD) and one tile mixes both
|
||
strates' materials. From that level up, `GenerateMesh(..., BandZMin/MaxVox)` only meshes cells inside
|
||
the PLAYER's strate chunk-Z band (exact bounds, no margin — the view clamp handles selection; in the
|
||
inter-strate gap: no band). The band travels on `FChunkResult::BandChunkLo/Hi` so `ApplyMeshToTile`
|
||
clamps its strate/material lookups into the meshed content. On band change (strate transition) the
|
||
affected loaded coarse tiles re-queue via `BandRemeshQueue` (budgeted, re-gen in place, no pop).
|
||
Meshed cells stay bit-identical (§8.4 — same pure world samples; the cut only selects cells).
|
||
**Too-coarse skip (ultra levels)**: the cut is CELL-granular, so once one cell (Step voxels tall)
|
||
is taller than the whole band (level ≥7 at CoarseTileCells=16 with typical strate heights), a
|
||
band-overlapping cell still samples both strates' airs — same holes/mixing as uncut. `LoadTile`
|
||
detects `Step > band height` and emits an EMPTY tile (it could only render garbage); an empty
|
||
re-gen result also releases the tile's old component in `ProcessPendingChunks` (otherwise the
|
||
previous strate's geometry would linger after a band change).
|
||
**Horizon past that point = RENDER DISTANCE** (`RenderDistanceChunks`, default 0 = off): set
|
||
`MaxClipLevel` to the coarsest level that still renders strates correctly (one cell must fit
|
||
inside a strate band), then the OUTERMOST shell keeps generating tiles outward until it covers
|
||
the requested distance (`VF_OuterShell`, shared by `BuildDesiredTiles` and `IsTileInClipRange`
|
||
so the cull sees the same horizon; the ring's dz sweep is pre-clamped to the vertical strate
|
||
band). As MC tiles the ring cost grows with (distance/2^MaxClipLevel)² — which is why the ring
|
||
defaults to **F18 SHEETS** (`bFarSheetRing`): in an open strate the far field is exactly two
|
||
heightfields (TerrainZ + CeilSurf, per-column oracle), so the ring streams tiles at level
|
||
`MaxClipLevel + FarSheetSpanLevels` (one sheet = 2^span MC footprints per axis → 4-16× fewer
|
||
components) meshed by `GenerateSheetMesh` as two displaced grids — ground polygroup 0 / cap
|
||
polygroup 1, tags true by construction, same materials/UVs/F6 masks, ~3-6× cheaper gen per
|
||
area than band-cut MC. **XY hole**: a partially-covered sheet renders its whole footprint, so
|
||
the MC-covered box around the player (level-MaxClipLevel box, shrunk 1 tile for a seam-overlap
|
||
ring) is CUT out of the sheet at cell granularity (`SheetHole*Vox`, passed to
|
||
`GenerateSheetMesh`); when the player crosses a MaxClipLevel tile the hole moves and the
|
||
overlapping sheets re-queue via `BandRemeshQueue` — the shrink means the newly-cut area's MC
|
||
tiles were already desired one crossing earlier (loaded before uncovered). Sheet tiles take
|
||
the strate from the BAND (mid chunk): band unarmed
|
||
(inter-strate gap) ⇒ empty ring until landing; non-open strates ⇒ empty sheets (their far
|
||
ring was enclosed rock anyway); carved features (passages/spine/chasms/diff) don't show at
|
||
sheet distance — the MC shells keep them near. (A "step cap" variant — raising CoarseTileCells
|
||
per level so far levels keep a fine Step — was tried and rejected 2026-07-06.)
|
||
Trade-offs accepted: other strates simply don't render at far LOD (they're sealed/enclosed —
|
||
invisible except through passage mouths, which read as dark holes); passage tubes crossing the gap
|
||
are cut at coarse levels only (near levels mesh full).
|
||
`GetLODForChunk` / `LODToStep` / `IsChunkInRange` / `GetStrateChunkZBounds` and the
|
||
ViewDistance/LOD/strate-Z/ceiling settings are now DEAD/unused (left in place).
|
||
- **SKIRTS — LOD-seam crack filler** (`GenerateMesh`, after the cell loop; `VoxelSettings::bGenerateSkirts`
|
||
+ `SkirtCells`, wired onto the mesher at setup). Neighbouring shells mesh at different resolutions so
|
||
their iso-surfaces don't meet along the shared face → a thin see-through crack. After meshing, every
|
||
triangle edge whose BOTH endpoints lie on one of the tile's 6 outer boundary planes (exact float compare
|
||
— MC keeps the face-axis coordinate fixed) is a surface-contour edge on that face; a skirt quad hangs
|
||
from it INTO the solid along the inverted vertex normals by `SkirtCells × Step × VOXEL_SIZE` (~one cell,
|
||
≥ the gap to a one-level-coarser neighbour). Emitted DOUBLE-SIDED (both windings) so it shows regardless
|
||
of camera side / material two-sidedness; buried elsewhere → invisible. Adds verts/tris ONLY on boundary
|
||
contour edges (small). Tune `SkirtCells` up if cracks persist, down if skirts peek out on convex edges.
|
||
- **Delta cull (stamped desired set)** (`DesiredStamped` + `DesiredStamp` + `TransitionHold`,
|
||
`BuildDesiredTiles`/`UpdateChunksAroundPosition`): the desired set is a `TMap<key, stamp>`;
|
||
each crossing bumps the stamp, upserts the new set, and ONE map sweep yields the **leavers**
|
||
(stale stamp — removed + returned). The cull then considers ONLY leavers + `TransitionHold`
|
||
(tiles kept by load-before-unload from earlier crossings) instead of re-scanning EVERY loaded
|
||
tile per crossing — that scan was the measured ~1.6 ms/crossing `CullTiles` spike (2026-07-05
|
||
trace, plus `BuildDesiredTiles` 0.66 ms on the same frames). In-flight tiles that finish while
|
||
no longer desired are caught at apply time (`ProcessPendingChunks` adds them to the hold);
|
||
`UnloadTile` drops hold entries; the settled cull (everything loaded) keeps its full scan as
|
||
the safety net. `DesiredPending` for the overlap test is now built LAZILY (only when an
|
||
in-range transition candidate exists). **The hold is re-evaluated on a ROTATING BUDGET**
|
||
(`TransitionHoldQueue` + cursor, ~256 tiles/crossing): re-scanning the whole hold each
|
||
crossing degenerates back to the O(loaded) scan whenever streaming never settles (measured
|
||
2.47 ms/crossing in the first packaged capture) — keeping a tile a few crossings longer is
|
||
always hole-safe, and every held tile passes under the cursor within a few crossings. The
|
||
SET is authoritative membership; the queue may hold stale keys (lazily dropped on scan).
|
||
Same hole-free semantics, O(delta + budget) per crossing.
|
||
- **Budgeted teardown** (`PendingUnload` + `ProcessUnloadQueue`, called from `Tick` after the apply
|
||
drain; `VoxelSettings::MaxUnloadsPerFrame`): the cull APPROVES removals (strict load-before-unload) but
|
||
doesn't destroy in place — it queues them. `ProcessUnloadQueue` runs at most `MaxUnloadsPerFrame`
|
||
`UnloadTile`s/frame (scaled up to 4× with backlog, capped so a huge backlog can't re-spike). WHY: a
|
||
fast traversal culls a whole shell's worth of tiles in ONE frame, and each `UnloadTile` does
|
||
`DestroyComponent` + (level 0) `ContentManager::ClearChunk` → `Destroy()` of every decoration actor —
|
||
an unbudgeted burst = a game-thread spike ("stuff torn down behind you" at speed). Mesh APPLIES were
|
||
already budgeted; this matches it for DESTROYS. Re-desired tiles are cancelled out of the queue (still
|
||
loaded → no reload). `PendingUnload` is cleared in `RegenerateAllChunks`/`EndPlay` (tiles already gone).
|
||
- **Collision only at LEVEL 0** (`ApplyMeshToTile`): `UpdateSectionConfig(..., Tile.Level==0)`. Far tiles
|
||
are unreachable; cooking their Chaos collision is waste. (Was T1.c, now per-tile-level.)
|
||
- **No shadows on far tiles (draw cut)** (`ApplyMeshToTile`): `SetCastShadow(Tile.Level <= 1)`. Each
|
||
shadow-casting tile emits a second shadow-pass draw; the far coarse tiles don't need it. NOTE: fps is
|
||
RENDER-side (draws ≈ visible tile count × passes); generation cost (workers) and tile *resolution*
|
||
(cuts triangles, not draws/components) don't move the game thread — tile COUNT does (hence the clipmap).
|
||
- **Trivial-empty tile reject (T1.d) — v2 SHIPPED (2026-07-05); v1 was reverted 2026-06-26.**
|
||
`UVoxelGenerator::ClassifyTile(Origin, Step, Cells)` runs on the gen worker BEFORE the density
|
||
pre-sample (`LoadTile` task, scope `VoxelForge_ClassifyTile`); `AllSolid`/`AllAir` ⇒ GenerateMesh is
|
||
skipped and the tile stays `bEmpty`. Motivation: the 2026-07-05 Insights trace showed **84 % of
|
||
GenerateMesh calls produced empty tiles** (83 925 gens vs 13 227 meshes — ~500 s of 617 s worker CPU
|
||
wasted) and gen throughput had become the felt gameplay limit ("standing waiting for generation").
|
||
**Why v1 failed & how v2 avoids it:** v1 used a GLOBAL analytic ceiling bound — not conservative when
|
||
the cap hangs low (`CeilingRoughness`/`RidgeStrength`) → holes in the roof. v2 makes NO amplitude
|
||
guesses: it evaluates `ComputeSurfaceColumn` (the SAME function as the density path, via the SHARED
|
||
`GSurfColCache`) **on the exact lattice the mesher would sample** (margin ring included) — same
|
||
functions + same inputs ⇒ the same floats ⇒ the verdict is exact at the lattice, not an estimate.
|
||
Per-z rules: gap chunk = solid; surface seal band (ApplyBoundarySeal inequalities, `BaseDensity>0`)
|
||
= solid; surface interior z: air ⇔ `TerrainZ ≤ z ≤ CeilSurf` (MC `D ≥ 0`); ANY other archetype /
|
||
out-of-layout chunkZ ⇒ `Mixed` (cave interiors are not provable in v1 of this classifier — a future
|
||
extension could use "SDF cache empty + worm network mask" for deep TunnelNetwork rock).
|
||
**Conservative guards** (anything that can carve/fill): player mods (`HasAnyModInChunkRange`) ⇒
|
||
Mixed; passages (`AnyPassageNearBox`, bounding spheres + carve blend pad) and the (0,0) spine
|
||
(circle/box XY) kill AllSolid; disturbance chasms kill AllSolid, bridges/ridges kill AllAir.
|
||
A false `Mixed` only costs CPU; the code must NEVER emit a false AllSolid/AllAir (that's a hole).
|
||
Capture tiles (`bWantCapture`, density-volume shadow window) always generate — the volume wants the
|
||
grid even for uniform cells. A sparse ~5×5 column pre-pass exits Mixed fast on surface-crossing
|
||
tiles; a Mixed verdict leaves its columns warm in `GSurfColCache` for the GenerateMesh that follows.
|
||
- **Worker-built StreamSet (T1.f)** (`BuildTileStreamSet`, `LoadTile` task → `FChunkResult::Streams`):
|
||
the RMC vertex/index buffers (`FRealtimeMeshStreamSet`) are built ON THE GEN WORKER, not on the game
|
||
thread. The per-vertex builder loop was the dominant game-thread streaming cost (measured: game
|
||
thread >6 ms while moving, GPU/Draw idle — purely game-bound). `BuildTileStreamSet` touches ONLY the
|
||
POD `FVoxelMeshData` arrays (no UObject, no generator) so it's worker-safe; `ApplyMeshToTile` now only
|
||
resolves material/ceiling (O(1)), gets/creates the component, and hands the finished streams to
|
||
`CreateSectionGroup(MoveTemp(...))` (which already uploads async via its `TFuture`). `FChunkResult`
|
||
carries the streams as a `TSharedPtr` (forward-declared in the header) so it stays movable through the
|
||
MPSC queue; the worker `Enqueue(MoveTemp(Result))` (no payload copy). Don't move the builder loop back
|
||
onto the game thread. Geometry is byte-identical — only WHERE it's built changed. Empty/all-air tiles
|
||
carry no streams (`bEmpty`) → no component. NOTE: RMC collision is already async-cooked
|
||
(`bUseAsyncCook=true`), so level-0 collision (T1.c) is NOT a game-thread spike. Remaining per-apply
|
||
game cost is `NewObject`+`RegisterComponent` for new tiles → component pooling (T2.c) is the next lever
|
||
IF a trace still shows `ApplyMeshToChunk` cost.
|
||
- **Insights scopes** `VoxelForge_GenerateMesh` / `VoxelForge_BuildStreams` (worker) /
|
||
`VoxelForge_ApplyMeshToChunk` (game-thread apply, Perf 0) bracket the worker gen + stream build +
|
||
game-thread upload — capture a trace to see if we're density-, build-, or upload-bound.
|
||
- **Float SIMD noise core (T2.a)** (`Public/VoxelNoise.h`): the density hot path uses
|
||
`VoxelNoise::Perlin3D` (single-sample, float, table-free hash-gradient) and `VoxelNoise::FBM` /
|
||
`Ridged` (octaves evaluated **4-wide via SSE** `Perlin3D_x4`) — NOT `FMath::PerlinNoise3D`
|
||
(double-precision, the old ~6.6 ms/chunk noise cost). `FractalNoise3D` / `RidgedNoise3D` in
|
||
`VoxelGenerator.cpp` are now thin wrappers over it; every call site is unchanged. It's a
|
||
DIFFERENT noise field than FMath's ⇒ a ONE-TIME world re-tune (fBm/Ridged contracts/[-1,1] are
|
||
identical). Pure function of (x,y,z) ⇒ every box-validity cache stays valid. Scalar `Perlin3D`
|
||
and SSE `Perlin3D_x4` are op-for-op identical (bit-identical on x86) — the SIMD path is a free
|
||
speedup; `#define VF_NOISE_USE_SIMD 0` falls back to scalar with no re-tune if a toolchain
|
||
rejects the SSE4.1 intrinsics. StrateManager's passage/transition Perlin calls were left on
|
||
`FMath` (layout-time, not per-voxel). Don't reintroduce `FMath::PerlinNoise3D` on the density path.
|
||
- **LOD-aware octave drop (T2.b, opt-in)** (`VoxelGenLOD` in `VoxelGenerator.h`, guard in
|
||
`GenerateMesh`): coarse tiles (Step>1) drop `Settings->LODOctaveDrop × log2(Step)` octaves from
|
||
the generator's PER-VOXEL volumetric noise via a `thread_local` bias — sub-cell octaves can't
|
||
shape a coarse isosurface. Default **0 = off = byte-identical**; LOD0 is never biased. The bias
|
||
is `TGuardValue`-scoped to the tile, so deco snapping / density-volume fill / game-thread
|
||
queries always see 0. Deliberately NOT applied to XY-field noise (heightfield, ceiling, relief,
|
||
moisture): those feed box-validated caches that outlive a tile task on the same thread, and
|
||
climate/biome must stay LOD-independent. Keep any new per-voxel fractal call site on
|
||
`VoxelGenLOD::Eff(N)` and any new cached-field call site OFF it.
|
||
- **Tile component pool (T2.c)** (`TileComponentPool` + `Acquire/ReleaseTileComponent`,
|
||
`VoxelWorld`): unloading parks the tile's RMC component (geometry+collision stripped via
|
||
`RemoveSectionGroup`, hidden, still registered) instead of `DestroyComponent`; applies pop from
|
||
the pool instead of `NewObject`+`RegisterComponent`. Also: `ApplyMeshToTile` now reuses the
|
||
component's existing `URealtimeMesh` (`GetRealtimeMeshAs`) — `InitializeRealtimeMesh` allocates
|
||
a NEW mesh object every call, so calling it per apply (the old code) orphaned one UObject per
|
||
re-mesh to the GC. A parked component MUST have its section group removed (hidden ≠ collision
|
||
off) — don't "optimize" that away. Pool is bounded (`MaxPooledTileComponents`); overflow is
|
||
destroyed for real.
|
||
- **`ProcessQueue` MUST be `EQueueMode::Mpsc`** (`VoxelWorld.h`): up to `MaxConcurrentTasks`
|
||
`ChunkGen` worker threads `Enqueue` concurrently; the game thread is the sole consumer.
|
||
The default `Spsc` is single-producer — concurrent enqueues race the tail link and silently
|
||
DROP results, leaking `PendingChunkCoord` slots until the budget is exhausted and streaming
|
||
stalls for good (intermittent; worst during the completion bursts right after the player moves).
|
||
|
||
### 8.11 Live tuning & debug (`AVoxelWorld`, CallInEditor / PIE)
|
||
- `RebuildStrates` — re-reads ALL of `VoxelSettings` and rebuilds layout/gap/passages/spine +
|
||
regenerates. Use after changing those (plain `RegenerateAllChunks` keeps the old layout/passages).
|
||
- `ValidateDeterminism` (F2) — one-click §8.4 regression test: samples chunk-boundary points under
|
||
two different thread_local cache alignments (left-chunk warm vs right-chunk warm) + a repeat
|
||
pass; every delta must be EXACTLY 0. Run it after any hot-path refactor that claims
|
||
bit-identity (~1 s, game thread, PIE).
|
||
- `bDebugDrawPassages` — draws every passage (cyan path, green=upper / red=lower endpoints).
|
||
- `EditorCarveSphere`/`EditorFillSphere` + `EditorBrush*` props — manual carve/fill in PIE.
|
||
|
||
### 8.12 Authoring a strate (data asset)
|
||
1. Create `UVoxelStrateDefinition`, pick `GeneratorType` → its param group appears; tune it.
|
||
2. `PassageConfig` → how THIS strate connects DOWN (count / style / tapered width / length / placement).
|
||
3. `Disturbances` for chasms/bridges/ridges; `bHasWater`+`WaterMaterial`(+`WaterLevelRelative`) for water.
|
||
4. Atmosphere: `FogColor/Density`, `AmbientLight*`, `bVolumetricFog`, or a full `AtmosphereActor` BP;
|
||
`CeilingLayerActor`/`FloorLayerActor` (+offsets/rotations) for cloud seas.
|
||
5. `Decorations`/`AmbientActors` (placement rules) for content + lights.
|
||
6. (Optional) `Biomes[]` + `BiomeMapParams` to vary terrain/content within the strate (§8.14).
|
||
Author `UVoxelBiomeDefinition` assets (climate box + modulation + content), then tune layout
|
||
with `AVoxelWorld::BakeBiomePreview`. Turn `ReliefStrength` down when biomes drive elevation.
|
||
7. Reference from `VoxelSettings` (`StratePool`/`FixedStrates`). Global knobs there:
|
||
`OriginSpineRadius`, `bOpenSurfaceEntry`, `InterStrateGapChunks`, view distances, LOD, carving budget.
|
||
|
||
### 8.13 New files this redesign
|
||
`Public/Private/VoxelContentManager.h/.cpp` (§8.5) · `Public/Private/VoxelAtmosphereManager.h/.cpp` (§8.6) ·
|
||
`Public/VoxelBiomeTypes.h` + `Public/VoxelBiomeDefinition.h`/`Private/VoxelBiomeDefinition.cpp` (§8.14).
|
||
Everything else extended existing files: `VoxelStrateTypes.h` (archetype params, disturbance,
|
||
`FStratePassageConfig`, enums), `VoxelStrateDefinition.h`, `VoxelGenerator.h/.cpp` (archetype
|
||
density fns + spine/disturbance/param-cache), `VoxelStrateManager.h/.cpp` (per-archetype getters,
|
||
passages, gap, atmosphere Z helper), `VoxelWorld.h/.cpp` (managers, streaming perf, brush API,
|
||
editor buttons), `VoxelDiffLayer.h/.cpp` (brush shapes), `VoxelSettings.h`, `VoxelCaveMorphology.cpp`
|
||
(two-region determinism). Status: compiles & runs in-editor.
|
||
|
||
### 8.14 Biome system (Stage 1 — climate-driven, full-param overrides)
|
||
Biomes vary terrain **and** content WITHIN a strate. A biome is a **"mini-strate-variant"**: it
|
||
can carry a FULL archetype param override (its own `FSurfaceGenerationParams`, …) plus a content
|
||
profile, placed by a deterministic, window-invariant world-XY field. Empty `Biomes[]` ⇒ bit-identical
|
||
to the pre-biome world. (Replaces the earlier `FBiomeModulation` scalar bag — full params let a biome
|
||
change *anything*, e.g. frequencies, which scalar multipliers couldn't.)
|
||
|
||
- **Assets/data.** `UVoxelBiomeDefinition` (one per biome): `DebugColor`, climate box (relief,
|
||
moisture), `bOverrideTerrain` + `GeneratorType` + the matching archetype param struct (Surface
|
||
wired), content profile (decorations/atmosphere/water). + `UVoxelStrateDefinition::Biomes[]` &
|
||
`BiomeMapParams`. Types in `VoxelBiomeTypes.h` (§3.8).
|
||
- **The field (pure XY, window-invariant — §8.4).** `SampleBiomeAt` (VoxelGenerator.cpp): warped
|
||
**Voronoi** over a jittered grid → dominant cell + nearest neighbour (F1/F2) + border blend weight.
|
||
Each cell's biome is chosen by `ClassifyBiomeAtSite` from the site's **climate** = `SampleRelief`
|
||
(the relief map M, shared with SurfaceWorld terrain) + `SampleMoisture`, matched against each
|
||
biome's (relief, moisture) box → coherent geography. **Climate must vary much slower than
|
||
`CellSize`** (~4-6 cells/feature) or it's salt-and-pepper.
|
||
- **Per-chunk resolution (perf — §8.10).** `ResolveBiomeSampleAt`/`RebuildBiomeGrid` build a
|
||
`FChunkBiomeCache`: the expensive cell classification is done ONCE into a small grid; per voxel only
|
||
a warp + 3x3 lookup, returning `FBiomeSample` (dominant + neighbour + weight). **Cache validity is a
|
||
world-XY BOX + ChunkZ + Seed (NOT a chunk key)** — gradient-normal + boundary samples stay inside
|
||
the box and don't thrash the noise-heavy rebuild (same as the SDF cache). Bit-identical to
|
||
`SampleBiomeAt`, so the baked preview matches the terrain. `GetBiomeContextForChunk` supplies the
|
||
flattened POD context per chunk (thread-local `CP_BiomeCtx`).
|
||
- **Consumption — SURFACE (output-blend).** Per chunk, `CP_SurfaceBiomeParams[]` holds each biome's
|
||
resolved surface params (its override when `bOverrideTerrain` + GeneratorType matches, else the
|
||
strate's) with **structural fields forced from the strate** (Z bounds, seal, base density, water
|
||
level). Per voxel: `ResolveBiomeSampleAt` → dominant `PD` (+ neighbour `PN`); `GetSurfaceDensity`
|
||
computes `ComputeSurfaceTerrainZ` for `PD` and, in the border band, for `PN`, and **lerps the
|
||
resulting HEIGHTS**. Blending heights (not params) is seamless across *any* difference (frequencies
|
||
included) — what per-param blend never could. `PD==PN`, weight 0 ⇒ bit-identical, no biomes.
|
||
- **Consumption — CAVES: structural overrides are NOT applied (determinism).** Rooms/tunnels are
|
||
decided over a wide COLLECT region spanning chunks (§8.4); making room params vary by region would
|
||
need the biome sampled per *room site* inside `BuildChunkCache`, or it breaks window-invariance
|
||
(a room near a border resolves differently per querying chunk → seams/holes). So SDF archetypes
|
||
(Tunnel/Maze/Shaft/Islands) keep strate-level structure; biomes affect them via **content +
|
||
atmosphere only** (below). Per-room-site biome params = a future deep task.
|
||
- **Consumption (content/atmosphere).** ContentManager DECORATIONS resolve the biome **per column** on the
|
||
worker (`ResolveBiomeSampleAt`, box-cached) → organic borders (§8.5); a column rolls only its biome's
|
||
decorations (else the strate's). `GetDominantBiomeAt(x,y,chunkZ)` (game-thread, uncached) → biome ASSET is
|
||
still used for the cheaper single-point picks: ContentManager water material + AtmosphereManager player
|
||
dominant biome fog/sky (`bOverrideAtmosphere`). Works for ANY archetype.
|
||
Water LEVEL stays strate-global (continuous plane); biomes retint material only.
|
||
- **Preview tool.** `AVoxelWorld::BakeBiomePreview()` (CallInEditor) bakes biome / relief / moisture
|
||
to `Saved/BiomePreview.png` via a transient generator (no PIE). Needs the `ImageWrapper` module.
|
||
- **Status:** A (field+asset+preview), B (terrain), C (content/atmosphere) verified in-editor.
|
||
Full-param redesign (surface output-blend) ✅ BUILT & WORKING (ticked 2026-07-27). Cave structural biomes
|
||
deferred (determinism, see above). Per-voxel biome warp (+2 Perlin) & content `GetDominantBiomeAt`
|
||
are future T1.a column-cache candidates.
|
||
|
||
### 8.15 Biome material identity — vertex-colour palette (F6, Stage 1)
|
||
A biome re-skins the terrain SURFACE (not just content/atmosphere) through a single master material,
|
||
with NO extra draw calls / material slots and NO per-tile material swap (which would seam at tile
|
||
borders). The biome's `MaterialPaletteIndex` (0-255) is **baked into the mesh vertex colour** and a
|
||
master triplanar material switches/blends its layers on it. Works for ANY archetype (it rides the
|
||
generic biome field), not just SurfaceWorld. Empty `Biomes[]` ⇒ all-zero colour ⇒ bit-identical look.
|
||
|
||
- **Vertex-colour layout** (`FVoxelMeshData::Colors`, packed in `UVoxelMarchingCubesMesher::GenerateMesh`
|
||
`GetOrCreateVertex`): **R** = dominant biome `MaterialPaletteIndex`; **G** = slope (`1-|N.z|`: 0 flat
|
||
floor/ceiling, 1 vertical wall — for rock-on-cliffs); **B** = biome border blend weight (0 deep in a
|
||
cell → ~0.5 at the border); **A** = NEIGHBOUR biome `MaterialPaletteIndex`. The master material does
|
||
`lerp(layer[R], layer[A], B)` for a seamless cross-fade along the biome field's own border (B peaks at
|
||
~0.5 = 50/50 at the border; the identities swap across it, so 50/50 both sides ⇒ no discontinuity —
|
||
do NOT rescale B to reach 1.0 or the swap becomes a hard seam).
|
||
Height/snow-line is derived in-material from `WorldPosition.Z` (no channel needed). Skirt verts inherit
|
||
their source vertex's colour (`AddSkirtVert` takes the colour) so the `Colors` array stays parallel.
|
||
- **Data path.** `UVoxelBiomeDefinition::MaterialPaletteIndex` → `FBiomeResolved::MaterialPaletteIndex`
|
||
(set in `StrateManager::GetBiomeContextForChunk`) → `UVoxelGenerator::GetBiomeMaterialAt(x,y,z →
|
||
dominant/neighbour palette + weight)`. That method mirrors `GetDensityAt`'s biome caching: a
|
||
thread_local per-chunk `FBiomeContext` + box-validated `FChunkBiomeCache`, so the noise-heavy classify
|
||
is reused across a tile's vertices. Resolved per UNIQUE vertex (after dedup), not per triangle corner.
|
||
Window-invariant (`ResolveBiomeSampleAt`, bit-identical to `SampleBiomeAt`).
|
||
- **Apply.** `AVoxelWorld::ApplyMeshToTile` calls `Builder.EnableColors()` + `Vertex.SetColor(...)`.
|
||
The terrain material slot is still strate `OverrideMaterial` / `Settings->VoxelMaterial` — author THAT
|
||
as the master palette material. No biome terrain-material asset field (palette index is the contract).
|
||
- **Perf.** Free where a strate has no biomes (`GetBiomeMaterialAt` early-outs to palette 0). Otherwise
|
||
one biome resolve per unique vertex, bounded by the per-chunk biome cache (don't feed it a chunk key —
|
||
keep the box validity, §8.10). Coarse far tiles have few vertices.
|
||
- **Status:** C++ ✅ BUILT & WORKING (ticked 2026-07-27). The master material graph is still
|
||
editor-side work and is deliberately NOT ticked — that half is Jahni's, not the code's.
|
||
|
||
## 9. Multiplayer model (listen-server first, dedicated-friendly)
|
||
|
||
> **Status: DESIGN ONLY — nothing is networked in-tree yet** (no `Replicated`/`HasAuthority`/RPCs; a
|
||
> single `GetPlayerPosition()` center; a local diff layer). This section locks in the invariants so the
|
||
> streaming / AI / carve systems are built network-aware from the start instead of retrofitted. Target
|
||
> **now = listen server** (the host is a player AND the authority); **dedicated server = future / out of
|
||
> scope**, but the abstractions below (anchor *policy* + *role*) already cover it so it's additive later.
|
||
|
||
### 9.1 The core invariant — determinism means you NEVER replicate geometry
|
||
The world is a pure function of **(seed, strate layout)** (§8.4). So terrain is reconstructed identically
|
||
on every peer from a tiny amount of shared state — it is **never streamed as geometry over the wire**:
|
||
- Replicate the **effective seed + strate layout** ONCE (at join). Every client's `UVoxelGenerator` +
|
||
`UVoxelStrateManager` then generate byte-identical terrain locally. (Today the seed lives on the data
|
||
asset / `UVoxelSettings::Seed`; MP must propagate the *host's* effective seed to joiners so their
|
||
generators match — a mismatch = divergent worlds. The strate layout is deterministic from seed, so it
|
||
syncs implicitly once the seed does.)
|
||
- The **diff layer is the ONLY non-deterministic terrain state** (§3.9, [[voxelforge-difflayer-threading]])
|
||
→ it is the only thing that must sync. Since carving is a minor feature, this traffic is small.
|
||
|
||
### 9.2 Authority — server-authoritative diff, deterministic local re-mesh
|
||
- A carve/fill is a **request**: client → `Server_RequestModification(FVoxelModification)` → the authority
|
||
(the host) validates it (`DiffLayer` budget / anti-cheat, §3.9 `CanModify`) → applies to the
|
||
**authoritative diff layer** → **multicasts the small `FVoxelModification`** (center/radius/strength ~a
|
||
few floats) → every peer applies it to its LOCAL diff layer and re-meshes locally via the existing
|
||
`ApplyModification` path (§3.5). Geometry never crosses the wire; only the edit event does.
|
||
- On the **listen server** the host is also a player, so a host carve applies directly (still through
|
||
validation) then multicasts. Remote clients only ever send requests.
|
||
- **Season / seed change** (`ChangeSeed`, `RegenerateAllChunks`) bumps a **local** `GenerationEpoch` today
|
||
— in MP this must become a **server-driven multicast event** (everyone bumps epoch + regenerates from the
|
||
new seed). Epoch stays a per-peer local counter; the *trigger* is networked, the counter is not.
|
||
|
||
### 9.3 Multi-anchor streaming — the backbone, not just an AI feature
|
||
**IMPLEMENTED 2026-07-07 (the streaming/collision half; the collision-only render-skip §9.4 is still
|
||
pending).** `AVoxelWorld::RegisterStreamingAnchor(Actor, Policy, RadiusChunks)` / `UnregisterStreamingAnchor`
|
||
(BlueprintCallable) add an actor to `StreamingAnchors`. `UpdateChunksAroundPosition` prunes dead anchors +
|
||
detects chunk crossings (rebuilds the desired set when any anchor crosses a level-0 boundary — same cadence
|
||
as player movement, coalesced into one rebuild). `AddAnchorDesiredTiles` (inside `BuildDesiredTiles`, after
|
||
the player clipmap + sheet ring) folds each anchor's Chebyshev box of **level-0** tiles into the SAME
|
||
`DesiredStamped`/`DesiredSorted` set (deduped vs the clipmap by stamp) → the existing delta cull releases an
|
||
anchor's tiles automatically when it moves away / unregisters. Zero cost when no anchors (empty loop). The box
|
||
defaults to a THIN shape (its chunk + 1 horizontal ring + 1 chunk below for ground safety, nothing above —
|
||
`XYRadiusChunks`/`ZBelowChunks`/`ZAboveChunks`, per-register). `CollisionOnly` anchor tiles are hidden (§9.4).
|
||
Anchor tiles sort by distance-to-*player*, so one far from every player streams last (fine for now; a
|
||
per-anchor priority is a later tweak).
|
||
|
||
The general model MP requires — **N centers**: the authority streams around **every connected player + every
|
||
AI**, because that's how a remote pawn gets server-side collision / movement authority. The registry of
|
||
**anchors**:
|
||
- **Anchor = { actor, policy }**, `policy ∈ { CollisionOnly, FullVisual }`, plus a **role** on the world
|
||
(client / listen-host / [future] dedicated).
|
||
- **Listen-host role:** `FullVisual` anchor on its OWN camera (it renders for itself) + **`CollisionOnly`**
|
||
anchors around every REMOTE player + AI (it needs their collision for authority, not their pixels).
|
||
- **Remote-client role:** `FullVisual` anchor on its own camera + collision around its own pawn (local
|
||
prediction). It does not stream other players' far tiles.
|
||
- **[Future] dedicated role:** ALL anchors `CollisionOnly` — no visual mesh anywhere server-side. The
|
||
listen-host's `CollisionOnly` path IS this path, so dedicated is just "no local FullVisual anchor."
|
||
- Keep today's single-player fast path exactly when the registry has one FullVisual anchor and no others.
|
||
|
||
### 9.4 Collision-only tiles — render-skip (IMPLEMENTED 2026-07-07)
|
||
A level-0 tile that ONLY a `CollisionOnly` anchor wants (the player clipmap did not stamp that exact key this
|
||
crossing) goes into `CollisionOnlyTiles`; `ApplyMeshToTile` cooks its collision but `SetVisibility(false)` —
|
||
**no draw, no VSM, no shadow** — killing the cost of terrain around AI / remote players far from the local
|
||
camera. If the clipmap (or a `FullVisual` anchor) also wants the tile, it renders normally. Visibility flips
|
||
on ALREADY-LOADED tiles (player walks toward/away from a cluster) are handled by `ReconcileAnchorTileVisibility`
|
||
diffing `CollisionOnlyTiles` vs its previous set each crossing (bounded by the small anchor set, no O(loaded)
|
||
scan). Collision is independent of visibility in UE, so a hidden tile still collides.
|
||
- **Still on the frame:** the geometry streams are built on the worker (`BuildTileStreamSet`) even for hidden
|
||
tiles — off the frame, but it's CPU+memory. A deeper "cook collision without building render streams" path
|
||
(true `CollisionOnly`, and the future dedicated-server terrain) is a later optimization.
|
||
- `SetCanEverAffectNavigation(false)` stays — nav is function-based (§9.6), not Recast, so collision tiles
|
||
never feed a navmesh.
|
||
|
||
### 9.5 Late join
|
||
A joiner receives the seed/layout (regenerates everything locally) + a **compacted diff snapshot** replayed
|
||
into its diff layer. Nothing else needs transfer — the rest of the world is a function. The diff layer is
|
||
already chunk-keyed and lock-guarded ([[voxelforge-difflayer-threading]]); a serialize/replay path is the
|
||
main new piece.
|
||
|
||
### 9.6 AI is authority-side + function-based nav (see the AI-nav plan)
|
||
AI runs on the authority (host now, dedicated later). Nav is **function-based** — a coarse A* + funnel +
|
||
spline route over `GetVoxelSurfaceHeightAt`/`GetDensityAt` (+ the diff layer so AI sees carves), followed by
|
||
a steering component for smooth (non-robotic), cheap locomotion. Crucially it queries the world FUNCTION, so
|
||
it needs **zero loaded geometry** — ideal for the authority side and mandatory for a future headless
|
||
dedicated server (which has no meshes). Recast is rejected: it would need cooked collision everywhere AI
|
||
roams, server-side, re-cooking on every dig. Build order: multi-anchor collision streaming (§9.3) FIRST
|
||
(now MP-foundational), then the function nav.
|
||
|
||
### 9.7 What's NOT built (greenfield checklist)
|
||
Seed/layout replication at join · `Server_RequestModification` RPC + multicast of applied mods · ~~anchor
|
||
registry~~ (DONE 2026-07-07, §9.3) + ~~`CollisionOnly` render-skip~~ (DONE 2026-07-07, §9.4 — hide-based; the
|
||
deeper no-stream-build path still open) + role awareness · networked season/seed (epoch multicast) ·
|
||
diff-layer serialize/replay snapshot for late join · server-side AI + function nav. All additive on top of
|
||
today's deterministic single-player core.
|