Voxel Builder

Voxel-based 3D Modeling Application

Model . Render . Export
This application is suitable for rapid prototyping, speed modeling, creating small assets in large numbers, importing MagicaVoxel models, or simply playing around and learning 3D modeling.

https://nimadez.github.io/voxel-builder/

Changelog
Installation
Wiki
Known Issues
FAQ
Bug Report

Open source, but not open contributions
It's great if you have suggestions or bugs to report in the Issues section, but Pull Requests will not be approved.

Features

File I/O

• Save and load JSON
• Import MagicaVoxel VOX
• Export to GLB, GLTF, OBJ, STL, PLY
• Localstorage, snapshots, quicksave, undo
• Backup and share snapshots in a ZIP archive

Model and Paint

• High performance voxel engine
• Generators (terrain, cube, sphere, isometric...)
• Interactive modeling toolsets
• Symmetric drawing and painting
• Voxel transforms and manipulation
• Color groups and visibility options

Rendering

• Three.js Sandbox
• Three.js GPU path tracer
• Basic PBR rendering

Voxelization

• Fast BVH method
• Model voxelizer (GLB, OBJ, STL, PLY)
• Image voxelizer
• Text voxelizer (unicode & emoji)

Export Meshes

• Bake voxels to editable meshes
• Unbake exported GLB back to voxels
• glTF compatible editor

Extensibility

• ES modules
• User startup project
• Blender importer script

More

• Average startup time 300 ms (after the first launch)
• Unique handcrafted user-interface
• Minimum dependency, portable, online and offline
• Vanilla open-source, no compressed or encrypted code
• Ad-free, no trackers, no logging, no loading screens

Installation

Install Electron (recommended)

electron-v*-linux-x64.zip
electron-v*-win32-x64.zip

Clone

git clone https://github.com/nimadez/voxel-builder
cd voxel-builder

Run

# Start with Electron:
electron .

# Start with Node.js:
node server.js

Update

cd voxel-builder
python3 update.py

Supported Browsers

• Electron (recommended)
• Google Chrome
• Mozilla Firefox

• PWA A2HS-ready (add to home screen)
• For the best experience, a tablet with pen or Wacom is recommended

Enable Unsafe WebGPU

• Electron:
  • Start Electron with --enable-unsafe-webgpu
  • In Linux, add --enable-features=Vulkan for hardware acceleration
  • $ electron --enable-unsafe-webgpu --enable-features=Vulkan .
• Chrome:
  • Use chrome://flags to enable "Unsafe WebGPU Support"
  • In Linux, start Chrome with --enable-features=Vulkan for hardware acceleration
• Firefox (dev edition):
  • Use about:config to enable "dom.webgpu.enabled"
  • It may not work

✔️ If WebGPU is supported in your browser, the option to enable it will be available in the Preferences menu.

Known Issues

Low FPS at higher voxel volumes

Electron is recommended for working with a large number of voxels.
Also, the FPS depends on many factors, such as the material (CEL is faster) and the distance between the camera and the model. Rendering a dense Thin volume at close range greatly increases GPU load.

• Use "Minimal UIX" to save battery on mobile devices.
• Do not enable "Frosted Glass UI"
• Use XFORM > "Optimize" to reduce the volume of voxels.

Delay in drawing strokes

If you draw and it doesn't, it means the builder is working, you are drawing faster than your hardware and browser will allow. (latency >150 ms)

Error: Exceeded the quota

Browser storage is limited, use Electron for much higher capacity.

Import GLB:

Attributes error (voxelization)

Multiple meshes need to have the same properties or they won't merge, the only solution is to merge meshes before exporting to GLB.

Morphtarget error (voxelization)

We do not support geometry animations.

Import PLY: Throw RangeError (voxelization)

They are often a piece of a larger model data from the Stanford 3D repository.

Wacom tablet crashes randomly and throws warning on Chrome (Linux:GNOME)

Warning: BJS - Max number of touches exceeded. Ignoring touches in excess of 2.
This problem is related to Babylon.js and nothing can be done.

FAQ

How to merge vertices after export to GLB?

1- Open exported GLB file in Blender
2- Go to "Modeling" tab and choose vertex selection mode
3- Select all vertices (Ctrl + A)
4- Mesh > Clean Up > Merge by Distance

How to run Blender importer script?

1- Save project to JSON
2- Open Blender and go to "Scripting" tab
3- Click "Open" and select "blender-importer.py"
4- Run the script and select a JSON file

How to go back to the previous version?

git clone https://github.com/nimadez/voxel-builder
cd voxel-builder
git log -2 (copy the hash of the previous commit)
git reset --hard $HASH

History

↑ A major upgrade and overhaul
↑ Unsafe WebGPU support
↑ Core initialization!
↑ Rendering was left to Three and three-gpu-pathtracer
↑ ES6 (the original index.html playground was moved)
↑ x1.5 faster startup (2s to 300ms)
↑ Migrating to Linux: Firefox ready
↑ High performance GPU picking system
↑ Voxel engine updated to thin-instances (64k to 512k)
↑ The world moved (from 0.0 to 0.5 center to avoid 0.5)
↑ Real-time GPU path tracing
↑ Introducing ES modules
↑ Advancing to the next level (bakery)
↑ Changed default handiness to right-handed coordinate
↑ New SPS particles to build the world
↑ 2019 - I wrote a playground for learning Babylon.js

"If AI can do this, I won't call it AI anymore."

Version 3.0.0 (BJS 4) to 4.2.2 (BJS 6)

License

Code released under the MIT license.

Credits

• Babylon.js
• Three.js
• Three-mesh-bvh
• Three-gpu-pathtracer
• Electron
• MagicaVoxel
• Google Material Icons
• Reinvented Color Wheel
• JSZip
• Blender
• Sketchfab
• KhronosGroup
• Shadertoy
• vengi

• Allen Hastings
• David Catuhe
• Erich Loftis
• Eric Heitz
• Evan Wallace
• Garrett Johnson
• Inigo Quilez
• knightcrawler25
• Mr.doob

Available in Babylon.js community demos