Getting Started

Learn how to set up Modularity Engine and create your first project.

Overview

Modularity is a native C++ engine with an integrated editor. The core is built around:

A scene graph made of SceneObject instances with component-style flags/data.
An OpenGL renderer with post-processing and UI rendering.
A scripting system that supports high-level ModuCPP authoring, raw native C++/C shared-library scripts, and managed C# via Mono.
Optional PhysX-based 3D physics, plus a lightweight built-in 2D simulation.
Audio via miniaudio with spatial playback and reverb zones.

Scripting Stack

Language	Best Use	Current Strengths	Current Limits
`ModuCPP`	Preferred gameplay/editor authoring	High-level class syntax, generated inspectors, object-list editors, dialogue/menu/interactable inspector widgets, helper facades for input/audio/sprite/2D movement	Still compiles down to native C++, so native build toolchain is required
`Native C++`	Lowest-level engine-adjacent scripts	Full ScriptContext, direct ImGui/editor hooks, all current runtime helpers, easiest place to add new engine-side APIs	More boilerplate than ModuCPP
`Native C`	Small/runtime-only bridge scripts	Stable Modu_* hook names, basic transform/physics/animation/settings/sprite inspector helpers	Smaller surface than C++/ModuCPP; does not expose the full helper layer or the new custom inspector DSL
`Managed C#`	Tooling-heavy scripts or teams that want managed code	Mono-hosted ModuCPP.Context, auto-inspector support, object/UI/physics/audio/sprite APIs, Vec2 and RaycastHit, bridge ABI version 6	Requires Mono-enabled build and managed project output

Editor Interface

The Modularity Engine editor provides a comprehensive workspace with multiple panels for scene editing, asset management, and project configuration.

Viewport

The central 3D viewport displays your scene with full navigation controls. Use the mouse to look around and WASD keys to move. Transform gizmos appear when objects are selected, allowing you to manipulate position, rotation, and scale directly in the scene.

Hierarchy Panel

The Hierarchy panel shows all objects in your current scene in a tree structure. Objects can have children, creating parent-child relationships. Use the search bar at the top to quickly find objects by name.

Inspector Panel

The Inspector displays detailed properties of the selected object or asset. For scene objects, you can edit transform values, component settings, and script parameters. Materials show shader properties and texture slots with live previews.

Project Browser

The Project browser provides access to all project assets including scenes, scripts, models, materials, and shaders. Assets are organized in folders that mirror your project directory structure. You can switch between grid and list views, and use the filter to search for specific files.

Project Settings

Access Project Settings from the top menu to configure build targets, platform settings, and scenes to include in your build. The settings window allows you to select build configurations, manage compression options, and export your project.

Build and Run

Primary Build Scripts

Use the provided scripts for a full editor + player build:

build.sh (Linux/macOS) and build.bat (Windows)

These scripts handle the following:

Initializes git submodules.
Builds the editor in build/.
Builds a player-only target in build/player-cache/.
Copies built libraries into Packages/Engine and Packages/ThirdParty inside each build folder.

CMake Options

These options are defined in CMakeLists.txt:

CMAKE

1	`MODULARITY_BUILD_EDITOR # default ON - build the editor target`
2	`MODULARITY_ENABLE_PHYSX # default ON - enable PhysX integration`
3	`MODULARITY_USE_MONO # default ON - enable Mono embedding for managed scripts`
4	`MONO_ROOT # explicit Mono runtime path if not using the bundled one`

Entry Points

Editor: src/main.cpp
Player: src/main_player.cpp

Both set the working directory to the executable location before engine init.

Project Layout

New projects are created with a consistent directory structure (see Project::create):

Project Structure

TEXT

1	`YourProject/`
2	`Assets/`
3	`Scenes/`
4	`Scripts/`
5	`Runtime/`
6	`Editor/`
7	`Models/`
8	`Shaders/`
9	`Materials/`
10	`Library/`
11	`CompiledScripts/`
12	`InstalledPackages/`
13	`ScriptTemp/`
14	`Temp/`
15	`ProjectUserSettings/`
16	`ProjectLayout/`
17	`ScriptSettings/`
18	`Scripts/`
19	`Managed/ # optional, created when managed C# scripting is set up`
20	`project.modu`
21	`scripts.modu`
22	`packages.modu`

Key Files

project.modu - Project name + last opened scene.
scripts.modu - Native script build configuration (legacy Scripts.modu is still detected).
packages.modu - Script dependency manifest.
Scenes live in Assets/Scenes with extension .scene.