Clutter Engine is an educational, tooling-first, ECS-based game engine shaped for Nintendo 3DS homebrew development. Inspired by modern workflows, it features a clear separation between the runtime core and a dedicated PC-based editor.
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Data-Driven Architecture: Powered by
EnTTfor maximum performance and cache-friendly Entity Component System (ECS) management. -
Native C++ Reflection & Serialization: A custom-built reflection system (
clt::meta::Reflector) that automatically serializes any component, nested struct, or standard container (std::vector,std::unordered_map) into human-readable JSON files usingnlohmann/json. -
Strict Editor/Runtime Separation:
ClutterCore(clt::): The lightweight engine runtime.ClutterEditor(editor::): A comprehensive ImGui-based toolchain.
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Modern Graphics Pipeline: Built with Vulkan/OpenGL and GLFW (Currently PC-first, serving as an emulator/editor for the 3DS target).
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Smart Asset Management: (WIP) Lazy-loading asset system with Handle/Registry architecture for optimal RAM usage on constrained hardware.
Clutter Engine is under active development. Here is the path forward to achieving a complete, production-ready 3DS toolchain:
- Core ECS architecture with
EnTT. - Custom Reflection & Serialization system (
nlohmann/json). - ImGui Editor integration (
editor::). - Auto-generated UI (Inspector) based on C++ reflection data.
- Scene Hierarchy panel and basic entity manipulation.
- Abstract Renderer API (OpenGL initially, with Vulkan/3DS abstraction in mind).
- Basic Real-time Lighting (Directional & Point lights, Forward Rendering).
- Smart
AssetManagerwith Lazy-Loading and memory caching. - Offline Asset Cooking (e.g., converting
.ttfto Bitmap Atlases via the Editor). - Multi-threaded asynchronous asset loading.
- Offline Lightmapper (Baked Lighting): Pre-computing light bounces into lightmap textures for maximum 3DS runtime performance.
- Visual HUD/UI Editor (Unreal UMG / Unity Canvas style) for rapid interface building.
- 2D and 3D Physics engine integration (e.g., Box2D / JoltPhysics).
- Audio engine abstraction (BGM, SFX, spatialization).
- Dual-Screen Framebuffer rendering (Top: 400x240, Bottom: 320x240).
- Editor tools to simulate 3DS hardware (Gyroscope gimbals, Touch screen inputs).
- Play/Pause/Step simulation states.
- Build system integration with
devkitARMandlibctru. - Native 3DS rendering backend (PICA200 / citro3d).
- Hardware Abstraction Layer (HAL): Clean C++ wrappers for 3DS specific features (
PlaySound(), Camera, Gyro, Mic, etc.). - Network API: Wrappers for local wireless play and online sessions.
- C++20 Compiler (GCC 13+ / MinGW-w64 recommended)
- CMake 3.20+
- Vulkan SDK (1.4+)
Since this project may use submodules in the future, it's recommended to clone recursively:
git clone [https://github.com/Mathys-Hymon/ClutterEngine.git](https://github.com/Mathys-Hymon/ClutterEngine.git)
cd ClutterEngine
### Building (Windows / MinGW)
The project uses CMake. You can open it directly in IDEs like **CLion** or **Visual Studio**, or build it via the command line:
```bash
mkdir build && cd build
cmake -G "MinGW Makefiles" ..
cmake --build . --target ClutterEditor -j 14The engine strictly enforces domain boundaries to keep the codebase clean and portable:
| Module | Namespace | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ClutterCore | clt:: |
The core engine library. Contains Level, Actor, Math, and rendering logic. |
| Meta / Utils | clt::meta:: |
Deep engine tools like the Serializer and Reflector. |
| ClutterEditor | editor:: |
The PC toolchain. Contains ImGui panels, EditorLayer, and dev tools. |
A huge thanks to the open-source community. Clutter Engine stands on the shoulders of:
- EnTT (ECS)
- nlohmann/json (Serialization)
- Dear ImGui (Editor UI)
- stb_image (Texture loading)
- GLFW & Vulkan (Windowing & Graphics)
This project is open-source and available under the MIT License. Feel free to learn from it, fork it, and use it in your own projects!