Custom C++ 3D Engine & Luau VM
Role: Engine Developer
Timeline: Sep 2023 - Mar 2024
Overview
Built a custom 3D game engine from scratch in C++ to understand engine internals directly. Implemented a Vulkan graphics pipeline, cache-friendly data structures with EnTT (ECS), and rigid-body physics with ReactPhysics3D. Embedded a sandboxed Luau runtime with custom C++ bindings to support live script hot-reloading without restarting or recompiling the binary.
Stack
C++VulkanEnTT (ECS)ReactPhysics3DLuau VMImGuiCMake
The Hard Part
Keeping the Vulkan render loop synchronized with physics ticks without frame stutter, and hot-reloading Luau game scripts without crashing native state.
How It Was Handled
Separated physics updates into a fixed-timestep loop, pushed render work through a dedicated command queue, and isolated Luau state with safe snapshot restoration.