placeholder-asset-pipeline

Original：🇺🇸 English

Translated

Define creation, naming, and replacement rules for placeholder assets so the game is testable before final art exists.

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Sourcemrcalderon3d/everything-game-dev-code

Added on2026-09-02

NPX Install

npx skill4agent add mrcalderon3d/everything-game-dev-code placeholder-asset-pipeline

SKILL.md Content

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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.