Architecture: Core vs. Content

**Architecture: Core vs. Content. Solving the Problems of Monolithic Architecture in UE5 Projects.**

Traditionally, many Unreal Engine 5 projects are built as monoliths. All logic, functionality, and content are tightly intertwined and compiled into a single entity. It's like a huge concrete block: to change one small part, you have to break the entire block.

**The Problem of a Monolith: "All or Nothing"**

The update process for such a project looks like this:

1.  **Compilation:** A programmer makes a tiny change to the code. To test it, the entire project must be rebuilt, which can take from 15 minutes to several hours.

2.  **Build:** A new version of the executable file is created.

3.  **Deployment:** This version goes through testing and is rolled out to users. The update can weigh gigabytes, as the entire executable file changes.

This cycle — **Compile, Build, Deploy** — is extremely resource-intensive, slow, and expensive. Under such conditions, fixing minor bugs or making targeted improvements becomes economically unviable, leading to project "stagnation" and the accumulation of unfixed errors.

**Solution: The "Core vs. Content" Architecture**

The solution is a clear separation of the project into two independent layers, creating a flexible and stable system where user content is not broken by core updates.

*   **Core (Core):** This is the program's foundation, written in C++. It contains critical, low-level functionality (rendering, physics, networking, memory management). The core changes rarely — only to add new functionality or fix critical bugs. It's the operating system for your project.

*   **Content:** All user logic, data, assets, worlds, interface settings, and functional modules are moved to a separate, independent layer. This layer can consist of data (JSON, XML) or scripts (Lua, Python) that can be edited without recompiling the entire project.

**VR Constructor: All Complexity is in the Core, All Creativity is in the Content**

The ideal example of such an architecture is a general-purpose **VR Constructor**. All technical complexity — working with graphics, physics, data input, supporting VR equipment, and the runtime system — is handled by a powerful and stable **Core**.

Users (both end-users and businesses) are left with the most interesting part — creating and populating their own virtual interactive immersive spaces, without being distracted by low-level programming.

**Key principles implemented by the Core of such a constructor:**

1.  **VR as a headset is optional.** The project's essence is creating digital interactive and immersive spaces. A VR headset is **not mandatory** for work or creativity.

2.  **Universal Control.** Input is handled in any convenient way: keyboard and mouse, hand tracking, manipulators — these are all optional modules that the core handles uniformly.

3.  **Universal Output.** The result can be viewed on a monitor, projector, VR headset, or AR glasses. The core abstracts content from the output device.

4.  **No Compile, Build, Deploy.** Complete rejection of the monolithic cycle. The entire creative process happens at **Runtime**.

5.  **Runtime Editing.** Ability to edit the world directly within the running application, seeing all changes immediately.

6.  **Runtime Content Import.** Dynamic loading of new assets and models without stopping work or restarting the project.

7.  **Runtime Scripting.** Ability to add and change interactive logic using simple scripts directly while the application is running.

**Advantages of this approach:**

*   **Update Freedom:** Users can update the core without fear that their projects and content will stop working.

*   **Stability and Longevity:** Created worlds are protected from changes in the core. A project can live for years, accumulating new content.

*   **Instant Fixes and Live Tuning.** Changes are made on the fly, without gigabyte-sized patches.

*   **Independence from UE and Hardware.** The architecture allows for abstraction from the engine version and specific input/output devices.

*   **Lower Entry Barrier.** Creating complex immersive spaces does not require programmers and long builds. Creativity becomes primary.

**Analogy:**

The **Core** is a computer with Windows. The **Content** is documents, photos, and programs. A **VR Constructor** is, for example, the Microsoft Office suite for creating virtual worlds. You update Windows (the Core), but your documents (Content) and Word (the Constructor) keep working, allowing you to create without thinking about drivers and CPU architecture.

**Conclusion**

The problem of "unfixed bugs" and "stagnant" projects is a question of architecture. The **"Core vs. Content"** approach transforms a project from an unwieldy monolith into a living, breathing ecosystem. As in the case of a VR Constructor, all technical complexity is encapsulated in a stable core, opening limitless possibilities for creativity and business in creating digital universes, without the need to delve into the intricacies of programming and building.