What's new in Voxel Play 3?

Revamped Voxel Play Environment Inspector

The inspector for the Voxel Play Environment gameobject has been redesigned for improved ease of use. Options are now organized into vertical tabs, which not only streamlines the editor’s workflow but also makes it easier to add new sections—such as the world editor.

New World Editor Tools with SceneView and Undo/Redo Support

A new editor section now lets you modify the voxel-generated world directly within the SceneView. In previous versions, world editing was limited to Play Mode. Now you can adjust terrain, add details, sculpt voxels, and even generate models and voxel definitions right from the scene.

New Model Definition Creation Workflow via World Editor Tools

The builder mode in Play Mode has been reimagined for simplicity and practicality in the SceneView. This new tool—available in the world editor section—lets you place a virtual grid anywhere on the generated terrain and start sculpting a new model. Once completed, you can export the model as a model definition for later use. This means you no longer need to enter Play Mode, and you can see how your model will look directly in the desired area of the world.

Microvoxels Support with Customizable Sizes (2, 4, 8, or 16 Subdivisions)

Voxel Play 3 now supports the generation of smaller voxels, or microvoxels. First, you define the resolution for these microvoxels in the Voxel Play Environment inspector under the Voxel Generation section. This resolution sets the smallest possible microvoxel size. However, the tools and APIs for adding microvoxels also accept a size or radius parameter, allowing you to create larger microvoxels. Essentially, the resolution only limits the minimum size.

Voxel Definitions Can Now Store Microvoxels (Preview Displayed in Inspector)

Using the world editor tool, you can add microvoxels directly to your designs. When you export the contents of a traditional voxel (now composed of microvoxels) into a voxel definition, the microvoxels are stored. Later, when the voxel definition is placed in the scene, the captured microvoxels are rendered. This export option is available directly within the world editor.

New Savegame Format (v16) Featuring Microvoxels Data and Incremental Region Saving

The new version 16 savegame format now supports microvoxels. In addition, instead of generating a single file, the world is divided into regions with each region saved as a separate file. When a region is updated, only its corresponding file is modified. More detailed information on this new format is available in the documentation.

Biomes Now Support Additional Top, Dirt, and Lake Bed Voxels

Biomes have been enhanced to support multiple variants for both surface and underground voxels (previously, only one type was available). You can now also specify extra details such as underwater vegetation and cave features, allowing for richer and more varied terrain.

Ability to Render Far Chunks Using a Raymarching Method

Voxel Play 3 introduces a new rendering option called Far Chunks Rendering, which you can enable in the Rendering Options section of the Voxel Play Environment inspector. This option uses a raymarching technique to render the voxel world, achieving a much greater view distance (up to the horizon) without generating actual chunks. Note that, at this time, the system renders terrain only and does not support other elements such as buildings or caves.

SRP Batcher Optimizations

The URP shaders in Voxel Play 3 have been optimized to take full advantage of the SRP Batcher. This improvement significantly reduces the number of draw calls, leading to better overall performance.

Other Minor Improvements and Fixes

• URP Mode is Now Automatically Configured
  There is no longer any need to manually enable URP in the Voxel Play Environment inspector. The system now automatically detects when URP is in use and applies the necessary internal adjustments when the scene loads.
• Connected Textures Can Now Be Used Simultaneously with Texture Variations
  The connected textures system has been enhanced to allow the simultaneous use of texture variations. This upgrade offers virtually endless possibilities for creating complex constructions. Texture variations only affect the displayed texture without altering the underlying voxel data, and they can be defined or changed at any time— enabling aesthetic tweaks without the need to replace voxels.
  
• Added "waterSpreadsInBuildMode" Option to World Definition
  A new option has been added to the World Definition allowing water to be affected by gravity when build mode is active. Enabling this option causes water to spread naturally in build mode.
• Middle Mouse Button Now Selects the Voxel Definition Under the Crosshair Along with Its Tint Color
  The default character controllers have been improved so that clicking the middle mouse button automatically selects the voxel definition under the crosshair—including any tint color it might have.
  
• API: A new event, OnBeforeWorldLoad, has been introduced. This event allows you to modify world sengs before the world is initialized.
• Fix: Connected Textures — Resolved an issue related to the loading order of voxel definitions.