Linden Engine
Welcome to Linden Engine
Linden Engine is a modern desktop game engine built with ElectronJS, TypeScript, React, and WebGPU. Inspired by industry-leading engines like Unreal Engine and Unity, Linden Engine provides an intuitive visual editor, powerful scripting capabilities, and cross-platform support — all wrapped in a web-first architecture.
Whether you're a solo indie developer, a student learning game development, or a team building the next big hit, Linden Engine gives you the tools to bring your creative vision to life.
With Linden Engine, you can:
- Build in real-time with a professional 3D viewport and live editing
- Script with TypeScript for advanced gameplay logic with hot-reload support
- Build HUDs and menus in plain HTML/CSS (HtmlUI)
- Let the AI agent help — it writes scenes, scripts and UI for you, then playtests them headless
- Deploy everywhere — Windows, macOS, Linux, and Web
Note: Linden Engine is currently in active development (v0.1 Alpha). Features and APIs may change. We welcome contributions and feedback from the community!
🎯 Core Features
Professional Editor
A complete editing environment with all the tools you need:
- Scene Viewport: Real-time 3D rendering with transform gizmos
- Hierarchy Panel: Organize entities in a tree structure
- Inspector Panel: Edit properties and add components, including PBR materials (preset dropdown, sliders, live preview)
- Scene Settings: Environment lighting (HDR/EXR), tone mapping, exposure, fog, shadows and post-processing per scene
- Asset Browser: The project's
assets/ with thumbnails for glTF/GLB/OBJ models and HDR environments
- Console: Debug output and error tracking
Modern Architecture
- ECS (Entity Component System): Scalable and performant game world management
- WebGPU Rendering: Next-gen graphics with Three.js fallback
- TypeScript: Type-safe scripting with full IDE support
- Hot Reload: See changes instantly without restarting
- Plugin System: Extend the engine with custom features
Cross-Platform
Build once, deploy everywhere:
- ✅ Desktop: Windows, macOS, Linux (via Electron)
- ✅ Web: Export to HTML5 for browser playback
- 🚧 Mobile: Android & iOS support (coming soon)
📚 Table of Contents
Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:
Optional but recommended:
- TypeScript knowledge - For advanced scripting
- Basic 3D concepts - Understanding of vectors, transforms, etc.
Installation
1. Clone the Repository
git clone https://github.com/AlStartlight/LindenEngine.git
cd LindenEngine
2. Install Dependencies
npm install
This will install all required packages including:
- React 18 & React DOM
- Three.js (3D rendering)
- Electron (desktop app)
- TypeScript
- Tailwind CSS
- And more...
3. Verify Installation
npm run dev
If everything is set up correctly, you should see:
VITE v5.0.8 ready in 423 ms
➜ Local: http://localhost:5173/
➜ Network: use --host to expose
Open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:5173 to see the editor!
Quick Start
Running the Editor
There are two ways to run Linden Engine:
Option 1: Web-based Editor (Faster for development)
npm run dev
Then open your browser to http://localhost:5173
Pros:
- Faster hot-reload
- Easier debugging with browser DevTools
- No Electron overhead
Option 2: Desktop Editor (Full Electron experience)
npm run electron-dev
This will open the editor in a native desktop window.
Pros:
- Native window controls
- Better performance
- File system access
- Production-ready experience
Your First Project
Let's create a simple scene with a rotating cube:
Step 1: Start the Editor
npm run dev
This is the beginning of the README. Read the rest at the original. Read the full README ↗
