Overview#
I implemented a procedural navigation mesh generation system that fundamentally changed how designers could build game environments. What previously took days of manual work became automatic.
This system demonstrates transferable skills in computational geometry, algorithm design, and developer tooling.
The Problem#
Navigation meshes (navmeshes) define where and how AI characters can move in a game world. Traditionally, these were hand-built by designers who would manually place polygons across every walkable surface.
Pain points:
- Building navmesh by hand took hours or days per area
- Any environment change required manual navmesh updates
- Inconsistencies between art and navmesh caused AI bugs
- Iteration was slow and error-prone
The Solution#
I built a system that automatically generates navigation data from environment collision geometry.
For the time being, I am not able to publish details publically about its implementation.
Designer Customization#
Auto-generated navmeshes aren’t always perfect or aware of gameplay requirements. I added support for designer-driven customization:
For the time being, I am not able to publish these details publically.
Runtime Re-tessellation#
For dynamic environments, I implemented runtime navmesh modification:
For the time being, I am not able to publish details publically about its implementation.
Impact#
Before:
- Days of manual work per area
- Constant maintenance as environments changed
- Frequent AI navigation bugs
After:
- Automatic generation in seconds
- Self-updating when room changes
- Consistent, reliable navigation
Skills Demonstrated#
C++ Computational Geometry Algorithm Design Developer Tooling Systems Architecture