foundation-asset-resource-pipeline

name	foundation-asset-resource-pipeline
description	Foundation rules for deterministic asset import, resource ownership, and reproducible content pipeline behavior.
tier	core
godot_version	4.6+
doc_anchors	["godot-docs/tutorials/assets_pipeline/index.rst","godot-docs/tutorials/io/runtime_file_loading_and_saving.rst","godot-docs/classes/class_resource.rst"]
tags	["assets","resources","pipeline"]
depends_on	[]

Foundation Asset and Resource Pipeline

Use When

• Adding/changing models, textures, audio, animations, translations, or large data assets.
• Designing content workflows for teams.
• Resolving import/reimport consistency issues.

Outcomes

• Asset classes have explicit source-of-truth formats and import ownership.
• Resource boundaries are stable between authored data and runtime instances.
• Import/reimport behavior stays reproducible across machines.

Required Rules

• Define import ownership and source-of-truth format per asset class.
• Keep import settings deterministic and version-controlled where possible.
• Separate source assets from generated/imported outputs.
• Use resource types intentionally (Resource vs scene nodes) with explicit ownership.
• Validate asset changes against runtime memory and loading constraints.

Workflow

1. Create asset-class policy (source format, importer, owner, destination).
2. Lock import presets and document allowed per-class overrides.
3. Separate authored source files from generated outputs in project structure.
4. Declare which data lives as Resource versus scene/node state.
5. Run reimport and runtime loading checks for changed asset classes.

Validation

• Reimport of changed assets yields expected deterministic outputs.
• Runtime load test confirms no missing resources or path drift.
• Resource ownership map matches runtime mutation boundaries.

Failure Modes

• Source and generated assets are mixed, causing accidental overwrite churn.
• Import settings drift between contributors and break visual/audio parity.
• Runtime logic mutates authored resource assets unintentionally.

Local Doc Anchors

• godot-docs/tutorials/assets_pipeline/index.rst
• godot-docs/tutorials/io/runtime_file_loading_and_saving.rst
• godot-docs/classes/class_resource.rst