Modular GPU Compute Workflow for Procedural VFX Authoring in Godot - Design and Evaluation of a Data-Driven Staged Workflow Prototype for Complex Procedural Visual Effects

Abstract

Real-time visual effects in modern game engines are commonly driven by GPU compute pipelines. This is also the case with the GPUParticles system in the open-source engine Godot, where the functionality is abstracted behind a parameter-driven approach that hides the underlying compute dispatch from the user. The system offers accessible configuration at the cost of flexibility and of support for certain types of visual effects, primarily complex procedural simulations. This thesis investigates whether exposing a modular, staged, data-driven GPU compute workflow at the editor level addresses the limitations of authoring such simulations in Godot compared to existing workflows. A prototype system, ComputeVFX, was developed as a Godot extension. The system exposes compute passes, data buffers, and simulation and rendering logic as modular, editor-configurable components, allowing effects to be authored largely within the editor while retaining direct access to the GPU pipeline. The prototype was evaluated by implementing a boids flocking simulation, a representative case of complex inter-particle behaviour, and comparing the authoring workflow against three alternatives: Godot’s manual RenderingDevice compute pipeline, Unity’s VFX Graph, and Unreal Engine’s Niagara. The results show that the prototype provides a feasible largely in-editor approach to authoring complex effects, supporting inter-particle interaction and multi-pass simulation that are not achievable in the native GPUParticles system due to its lack of particle buffer access and the single-pass execution model. While the prototype lacks the breadth of built-in visual features offered by mature systems such as VFX Graph and Niagara, its modular design provides a transparent and extensible foundation for compute-based VFX authoring.