| name | placeholder-asset-pipeline |
| description | Define creation, naming, and replacement rules for placeholder assets so the game is testable before final art exists. |
| origin | everything-game-dev-code |
| category | art-audio-content |
Placeholder Asset Pipeline
Purpose
Define creation, naming, and replacement rules for placeholder assets so the game is visually testable and gameplay-verifiable before final art, audio, or VFX assets are produced.
Use When
- core systems are implemented but no final assets exist yet
- the game needs to be runnable for playtesting or QA before art delivery
- new entities are added and need immediate visual representation for testing
- final assets are being swapped in and the drop-in replacement path needs validation
Inputs
- entity list from the GDD or milestone plan (player, enemies, collectibles, environment, UI)
- gameplay scale and collision requirements per entity
- folder structure and naming convention from the art bible or project setup
- target platform constraints (resolution, texture budget)
Process
- inventory all entities that need visual representation for the current milestone
- generate placeholder assets (colored sprites for 2D, flat-color 3D primitives for 3D, procedural audio for sounds) at correct gameplay scale
- place placeholders in the same folder path and with the same file name that final assets will use
- wire placeholders into prefabs or scenes so the game is immediately playable
- document the replacement checklist — what to swap, where, and how to validate after swapping
Outputs
- placeholder assets for all milestone entities (sprites or 3D primitives, prefabs/scenes, procedurally generated audio clips)
- drop-in replacement guide (file paths, naming, validation steps)
- scene or prefab configuration with placeholders wired and playable
- replacement validation checklist
Quality Bar
- every placeholder uses the exact name and path that the final asset will use — zero code changes on swap
- placeholder scale matches gameplay requirements — colliders and physics work correctly
- the game is fully playable with placeholders alone — no missing references or null errors
- the replacement guide is complete enough that a non-programmer can swap assets
Common Failure Modes
- placeholder names that do not match the final asset convention, causing rework on swap
- incorrect scale that makes gameplay testing unreliable
- missing placeholder for an entity that blocks testing of a system
- placeholders wired into code by reference rather than by name, breaking the drop-in path
Related Agents
- 2d-artist
- technical-artist
- unity-reviewer
- godot-reviewer
- web-reviewer
Related Commands
- unity-placeholders
- godot-placeholders
- web-placeholders
- scene-bootstrap
- art-2d-pass
Related Skills
- generated-raster-asset-pipeline
- ai-asset-generation
Notes
- Keep this skill aligned with the relevant rules layer and current project documentation.
- If engine-specific constraints materially change the workflow, hand off to the matching engine skill or engine-specific reviewer.
- This skill is engine-neutral. Engine-specific placeholder commands (e.g.
/unity-placeholders) implement the concrete generation step using this skill's standards.
- Tracked asymmetry: Unity, Godot, and web have concrete placeholder generation commands (
/unity-placeholders plus /scene-bootstrap, /godot-placeholders, /web-placeholders), each covering 2D sprites, 3D primitives, and procedural audio. An Unreal equivalent is a deliberate pending decision, not an oversight — until it exists, apply this skill's standards manually there.
- 3D placeholders are procedural primitives (box, sphere, capsule, plane) with one flat-color material per entity category, at correct gameplay scale with matching collision so physics, navigation, and camera framing are testable before final models exist.
- Audio placeholders should be procedurally generated (sine waves, square waves, noise, pitch sweeps) — not silent stubs. A placeholder sound that represents the intended audio event (e.g. a rising tone for a coin collect, a short burst for a jump) makes gameplay testing far more effective than silence.
- If placeholders are later replaced with generated raster art, hand off to
generated-raster-asset-pipeline before acceptance so transparency and runtime-size issues are caught during the swap.
- This placeholder pipeline is the DEFAULT and always-available asset path. AI generation (
ai-asset-generation + /generate-assets) is an optional upgrade that only applies when a provider API key is present; when it is absent, this pipeline is the complete workflow, unchanged. Generated assets, when used, drop onto the exact names and paths produced here.
