Carleton University - School of Computer Science Honours Project
Winter 2024
Procedural Mesh Fragmentation for Real-time Games
George Power
SCS Honours Project Image
ABSTRACT
The visual fidelity of video games has advanced tremendously in recent decades. Creating intricate visual effects and realistic virtual worlds is no simple task, often involving a multitude of interdependent systems. A prominent feature present in many games is the simulation of destructible objects, which can intrigue players both visually and interactively. Some commercial game engines, such as Unreal, have tools built in to create destructive environments. The Godot engine has no tools relating to destructible environments and often relies on the community to develop plugins and addons to extend its functionality. This project introduces a procedural mesh fragmentation algorithm tailored for the Godot game engine, leveraging Voronoi Subdivision Trees (VSTs) to generate a range of unique and diverse fragmentation patterns rapidly. Any convex polyhedra can be subdivided recursively, generating a set of unique fragments each time the algorithm is run. The approach involves precomputing fragment geometry beforehand, allowing for flexibility in how each fragment is arranged in the game world. Ideally, this project will act as a reliable basis for anyone attempting to add realistic, procedural destruction to the Godot engine.