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The Toolshed
notes, guides, digests, each marked by build stage (idea, sketch, prototype, blueprint, or field-ready) instead of a publish date pretending to be final.
- All topics47
- Game Engine24
- Asset Pipeline19
- Tool UX18
- C++12
- Machine Learning12
- Automated Testing10
- Open Source10
- Procedural10
- Automation9
- DCC9
- Version Control9
- VFX9
- Animation8
- Continuous Integration8
- Iteration Time8
- Level Design7
- Node Graph6
- Perforce6
- Profiling6
- Immediate Mode GUI5
- Scene Description5
- Qt4
- USD4
- Ux4
- Game Data3
- Python3
- Tools3
- Tools Tutorial Day3
- Undo/Redo3
- DDL2
- Design2
- Engineering2
- Game Tools Development2
- Iteration2
- Lore2
- Return On Investment2
- Roles2
- The Toolsmiths2
- Visual Arts2
- Bitmapped Image1
- Computer Graphics1
- Determinism1
- Edit Time1
- Game Data Merging1
- Git1
- Headless Architecture1
- Interchange Format1
- Investment1
- Level Art1
- Longevity1
- Pipeline1
- Product1
- Production1
- Support1
- Toolsmiths1
- Vision1
- Web Tech1
- Workflow1
Lore for Git users: a TLDR mapping
A short cheat sheet that maps Git and Git LFS concepts and commands to the Lore version control system from Epic Games.
Lore for Perforce users: a TLDR mapping
A short cheat sheet that maps Perforce (P4 / Helix Core) concepts and commands to the Lore version control system from Epic Games.
Bottlenecked on vision
David Heinemeier Hansson on why most organizations aren't bottlenecked on implementation -- they're bottlenecked on ideas, vision, and taste.
GDC 2026: Game Tools Developer Guide
At GDC 2026, you'll have access to an expansive lineup of sessions, tutorials, and events, with many containing "tool" or similar terms. Finding the most relevant ones can be overwhelming.
Designing the User Experience of Game Development Tools, Second Edition
The second edition of David Lightbown's book on tool UX is out from CRC Press, and Game Developer has published an excerpt that borrows lessons from RTS and fighting games.
GDC 2025: Game Tools Developer Guide
At GDC 2025, you'll be able to explore more than 730 sessions, tutorials, and events. Since 340 of them mention "tool" or related terms, narrowing down the right ones can feel daunting.
GDC 2024: Game Tools Developer Guide
The GDC 2024 agenda spans more than 650 sessions, tutorials, and events. Of these, 350 highlight "tool" or similar concepts, which can make finding the ones that match your expertise a demanding task.
GDC 2023: Game Tools Developer Guide
With more than 700 sessions, tutorials, and events at GDC 2023 and 386 centered on "tool" or related topics it's easy to feel adrift while searching for the right ones.
Git makes complicated things possible
Jason Batchkoff on the trade-off Git makes between power and simplicity.
Build a system three times
Nick Porcino on building systems three times: exploration, over-architecture, and finally what actually works.
When you know how to build it
Geoff Evans on the moment you actually know how to build something.
Only branch what feeds the build
Geoff Evans on which assets belong in branches: only the things that feed the build.
GDC 2022: Game Tools Developer Guide
There are around 600+ sessions/tutorials/events at GDC 2022, finding the sessions that a tools developer would be interested in takes time. Below you will find a list of sessions that can be used as a guide for your tools developer GDC 2022 experience, whether you plan on attending or you will be viewing after the fact.
GameDev Tools Weekly - Issue 15 - May 24th, 2021
Originally published on The Toolsmiths.
GameDev Tools Weekly - Issue 14 - May 17th, 2021
Originally published on The Toolsmiths.
GameDev Tools Weekly - Issue 13 - May 10th, 2021
Originally published on The Toolsmiths.
GameDev Tools Weekly - Issue 12 - April 3rd, 2021
Originally published on The Toolsmiths.
GameDev Tools Weekly - Issue 11 - April 26th, 2021
Originally published on The Toolsmiths. GameDev Tools weekly made by Alexander Pirogov and Victor Stepanov.
GameDev Tools Weekly - Issue 10 - April 19th, 2021
Originally published on The Toolsmiths. GameDev Tools weekly made by Alexander Pirogov and Victor Stepanov.
GameDev Tools Weekly - Issue 9 - April 12th, 2021
Originally published on The Toolsmiths. GameDev Tools weekly made by Alexander Pirogov and Victor Stepanov.
GameDev Tools Weekly - Issue 8 - April 5th, 2021
Originally published on The Toolsmiths. GameDev Tools weekly made by Alexander Pirogov and Victor Stepanov.
GameDev Tools weekly - Issue 7 - March 28th, 2021
Originally published on The Toolsmiths. GameDev Tools weekly made by Alexander Pirogov and Victor Stepanov.
GameDev Tools weekly - Issue 6 - March 21th, 2021
Originally published on The Toolsmiths. GameDev Tools weekly made by Alexander Pirogov and Victor Stepanov.
GameDev Tools weekly - Issue 5 - March 14th, 2021
Originally published on The Toolsmiths. GameDev Tools weekly made by Alexander Pirogov and Victor Stepanov.
GameDev Tools weekly - Issue 4 - March 7th, 2021
Originally published on The Toolsmiths. GameDev Tools weekly made by Alexander Pirogov and Victor Stepanov.
GameDev Tools weekly - Issue 3 - February 28, 2021
Originally published on The Toolsmiths. GameDev Tools weekly made by Alexander Pirogov and Victor Stepanov.
GameDev Tools weekly - Issue 2 - February 21, 2021
Originally published on The Toolsmiths. GameDev Tools weekly made by Alexander Pirogov and Victor Stepanov.
GameDev Tools weekly - Issue 1 - February 14, 2021
Originally published on The Toolsmiths. Hey! This is the first issue of GameDev Tools weekly made by Alexander Pirogov and Victor Stepanov.
Notes for 'What is USD: A Primer' SIGGRAPH 2019
Related: the 2019 GDC guide season and the USD glossary entry.
Notes for "Procedural World Generation of 'Far Cry 5'" GDC2018
Notes from the 2018 GDC guide season.
Notes for "Tools for 'Marvel's Spider-Man' Editing with Immutable Data" GDC2019
Notes from the 2019 GDC guide season.
Notes for "The Future of Scene Description on 'God of War'" GDC2019
Notes from the 2019 GDC guide season.
Notes for "Bungie's Force Multipliers - Production Engineers" GDC2019
Notes from the 2019 GDC guide season.
Notes for "Pipeline Support for Feature Branches in 'Destiny'" GDC2019
Notes from the 2019 GDC guide season.
Toolsmiths GDC 2019 Guide
There are around 760+ sessions/tutorials/events at GDC 2019, finding the sessions that a tools developer would be interested in takes time. Below you will find a list of sessions that can become the base for your tools developer GDC 2019 experience, whether you plan on attending or you will be viewing post-factum.
The origin of the path
After finishing the work on the first draft of the Tools Engineer Learning Path, I decided to write a short story behind the learning path and the thought process I went through when I was creating this resource.
Roles in Game Tools Development
Today in Game Development there are several roles that take part in creating new Game Tools and developing the existing ones.
Notes for "A Tale of Three Data Schemas"
GDC 2018, Tools Tutorial Day, Ludovic Chabant, Senior Software Engineer @ Electronic Arts Vancouver shared the know-how of the Frostbite engine team when it comes to designing the game's data.
The efficiency ratio for game tools improvements
Last Update on July 22nd, 2018 Game Tools as an investment Having a Game Tools Development Team (GTDT) is an investment and when you are investing you want to get as much Return On Investment (ROI) as you possibly can.
The Toolsmiths Codex Launch
It's not always easy to find information regarding Game Tools Development on the Internet. There isn't just one place where you can go and find information regarding a particular topic. With the insight and knowledge of The Toolsmiths Community, with developers from around the world, we have made an excellent online resource for Game Tools Developers, and it is called The Toolsmiths Codex.
One workflow for everyone
Robin-Yann Storm on why a single workflow rarely works for everyone, and when giving options helps.
Toolsmiths GDC 2018 Guide
There are around 650+ sessions at this year's GDC, and it isn't easy to find sessions that you as a tools developer might enjoy. I have tried to find and collect most of the talks that a tools developer would be interested in attending or watching after the fact.
Shovels for the gold rush
John Harris on toolsmiths as the people making shovels in the game development gold rush.
Invest in tools or don't bother
Tim Sweeney on why companies should either invest significantly more in tools or not bother at all.
Natural selection of interactions
David Lightbown on how software interactions evolve: difficult ones die off, simple successful ones get reused and refined.
What widely-used software does this?
Jonathan Adamczewski on the questions to ask when designing a feature, especially one with UI.
Tools live longer than games
John Romero on the lifespan of tools compared to the games they help build.