Godot Meetup Tokyo Vol.6

Workflow Note

This summary was produced by:

Transcription: Capturing the Japanese audio via Buzz 1.4.2.
Model: Utilizing the RoachLin/kotoba-whisper-v2.2-faster model for superior Japanese character error rates and GPU-accelerated speed.
Refinement: Passing the raw transcript through Gemini 3 Thinking to extract themes, correct technical jargon, and provide a structured narrative.

📢 Event Opening & Godot Updates

The event kicked off with a community greeting and news regarding the Godot Engine ecosystem:

Godot 4.4 Release: The speakers highlighted the release of Godot 4.4, noting it contains critical security fixes and important PR corrections.
Community Contributions: Specific community members, including Otoki-san and Koma-minto-san, were recognized for their contributions to the official Godot code.
Code of Conduct: Attendees were reminded to remain respectful and avoid “engine bashing” (lowering the reputation of other game engines to praise Godot).

⚡ Lightning Talk Summaries

1. Beginner Scene Construction (Mao-san)

Mao-san shared a “Level 1” approach to creating conversation scenes, emphasizing that even those with minimal programming knowledge can finish a game.

Workflow: Uses Google Sheets or Excel to manage scenario data, which is then exported as a CSV.
Logic: The system processes data line-by-line; each line triggers a specific “category” (e.g., Name, Message, or Fade) to handle character portraits and text updates.

2. Industrial XR & Godot (Kado-san, Ixtal Co., Ltd.)

This talk focused on why Godot is becoming a preferred choice for industrial XR (Extended Reality) applications over other engines.

OpenXR Support: Godot is now used as a testbed for OpenXR, providing a significant advantage for hardware integration.
Longevity: Industrial projects often require 30 years of maintenance; Godot’s open-source nature allows companies to maintain and fix the engine themselves.
Robotics: Integration with ROS 2 (Robot Operating System) was demonstrated, showing real-time communication between Godot and physical robotic devices.

3. Optimization & 2D Lighting (Choco-minto-san)

A technical deep dive into optimizing a “Survivor-like” game with high sprite counts.

Draw Call Reduction: Explained the use of AtlasTextures to allow the engine to “batch” multiple sprites into a single draw command.
Lighting Workarounds: Godot’s default 2D lighting can break batching; the speaker demonstrated a custom solution using a background canvas and additive blending to maintain performance.

4. AI & Live Coding (Toshiina-san)

An exploration of how AI is changing the development workflow.

Tools: Mentioned using Claude, ChatGPT, and Cursor for rapid prototyping.
MCP (Model Context Protocol): Discussed the use of MCP to connect AI services with local tools and services to allow AI to perform more complex operations directly on the developer’s machine.

5. 3D Animation & Skeleton Modifiers (Koma-minto-san)

A detailed look at the new SkeletonModifier3D features introduced in Godot 4.4 and planned for 4.5.

New Modifiers: Introduction of Inverse Kinematics (IK), LookAt, and “Jiggle” (Spring) bones for more dynamic character movement.
Real-time Retargeting: Improvements to how animations are transferred between different character models, allowing for easier use of VRM models and motion tracking.
Bone Constraints: New features coming in 4.5 to prevent “skin collapsing” when limbs bend sharply.

🏢 Venue & Logistics

CyberAgent Hosting: The event was held at CyberAgent’s XR Lab. Rules included no photography in certain office areas (elevators/cafe) and specific instructions for navigating the “dungeon-like” office layout.
Networking: The latter half of the event was dedicated to a 50-minute social mixer for developers to exchange ideas.

Game in the Brain