DCL-Edit V3 Improved Modelling Workflows and UI-Editor

by 0x58754d9b3dbb4ddf5ac3502acb963743b15e6398 (METAGAMEHUB)

Should the following $39,127 grant in the Platform category be approved?

Abstract

This grant proposal seeks funding for the development of DCL-Edit, a visual scene editor for Decentraland, by METAGAMEHUB DAO (MGH). The project scope has been adjusted after a previous rejection to align with the new Decentraland Editor from the foundation. MGH will focus on specific areas identified through collaboration with the official Decentraland development team, ensuring compatibility between the editors with shared data structures. This compatibility allows for seamless switching between the editors and promotes the growth of both platforms. The Decentraland development team recognizes the value of DCL-Edit and provides active support for its development.

Grant size

39,127 USD in DAI

Project duration

4 months

Beneficiary address

0x2a9Da28bCbF97A8C008Fd211f5127b860613922D

Email address

camilo.echeverri@thedac.info

Description

This proposal focuses on aligning and enhancing specific areas where DCL-Edit diverges from the official Decentraland Editor. Together with the Decentraland team, we have identified these key areas of improvement:

• Live Model Update: make changes to models visible in real-time without the need to re-import them or reload the scene, which greatly simplifies and accelerates scene building, especially when working in parallel in a larger team
• Compatibility for different model formats, eliminating the time and effort required for exporting and importing
• A Code-Free UI Editor for empowering non-coders in creating visually appealing and interactive UI experiences (the Decentraland foundation is working on enabling developers to create UI using React code, which is great, but which still requires coding skills)

DCL-Edit V3 will be able to load any created 3D scene from the official Decentraland Editor and vice-versa. We are working together on an intermediate data structure that is being used by both editors, making them inherently compatible. As it turned out, we already have a good basis for that in our editors.

DCL-Edit V3 will fully support Decentraland SDK 7. An update for DCL-Edit V2 to support SDK7 is planned as well.

DCL-Edit will continue to serve as a cornerstone in the Decentraland development environment, offering features comparable to established game engines like Unity and Unreal Engine. The current V2 has a nice set of features that make it a powerful tool for developers already (see a full feature list here).

To optimize costs, scope reduction and skipping the planned QA phase from the last proposal are proposed. Community approval and involvement will drive DCL-Edit's improvement and stability over time.

A detailed overview of the planned features can be found in this document

See a cost breakdown and a timeline for the above in this sheet.

Additionally, contributions beyond DCL-Edit will continue to be executed, including "Builder of the Month", bi-weekly coding sessions, and tutorial sessions for creating games in Decentraland. The goal is to foster an attractive environment for expert developers.

The importance of having an editor capable of accommodating professionals and non-coders cannot be overstated. It is crucial for gaining traction and attracting a diverse user base to the Decentraland platform.

Roadmap and milestones

Below are the planned milestones including the planned intermediate releases for each month. More details about each step can be found here.

June 2023 - Version 2.1

• SDK 7 compatibility
• VS Code extension (launch DCL-Edit within VS Studio)

July 2023 - Version 3 Alpha I

• Render like Decentraland client
• new GUI design

August 2023 - Version 3 Alpha II

• Live Model Update and improved modelling workflows scene optimizations

September 2023 - Version 3

• UI Editor
  • Text, Buttons, Progress Bars, Images

This proposal is summarized due to technical limitations. To view it complete and vote on it, visit the DCL DAO Governance dApp