A modular-architecture tower/citadel that generates itself via Wave Function Collapse — each play creates a new spatial configuration. Built in Unreal Engine 5 with AI-generated brutalist textures and PolyHaven materials. 324 MB demo video, 16 GB of final assets, UE5 executable delivered.
Hook
Level design at scale. Rather than authoring a single level, author the generator: tiles + adjacency constraints + WFC solver → infinite valid spatial configurations. Each run of Aurora Citadel produces a different navigable tower from the same module vocabulary.
Context
Course: 62-706 Generative System Design, Spring 2025 — final project. Role: team project (David confirmed — collaborators TBD; need to recover team members’ names from class submissions or group emails).
Theoretical grounding (readings in the submission folder):
- Served and Servant Spaces (Louis Kahn, 2.6 MB) — architectural theory of primary vs. supporting spaces
- The Shadow of Information (3.4 MB) — information-theoretic framing of architectural legibility
These readings informed the module system: some tiles are “served” (primary programmatic spaces), others “servant” (circulation, infrastructure).
Approach
Module vocabulary:
- 14 FBX module tiles: corners, modules, sockets (24–61 MB each)
- Each tile tagged with adjacency constraints (which tiles can connect on which face)
- Total vocabulary scales to an infinite constraint-satisfying tower
WFC pipeline:
- Define tile set + adjacency rules
- Seed empty grid; pick random starting tile
- Propagate constraints; collapse least-entropy cells first
- Continue until grid fully collapsed → navigable level
Assets:
- AI-generated textures (4+ PNGs):
A_floating_ultra_r_0219223947_texture.png,A_hypermodern_brutal_0219223632_texture.png,Futuristic_Cube_Drone_0219222254_texture.png,Interstellar_Cargo_Cr_0219223150_texture.png— brutalist / futuristic architectural textures - PolyHaven materials — brick floor + 6 texture-map channels
- Megascans integrations
Stack:
- Unreal Engine 5 — rendering + level scripting
- WFCPlugin-main 5.4 — Wave Function Collapse plugin (the procedural core)
- Blueprints (likely — no C++ source indicated)
Outcomes
- Playable tower — compiled UE5 executable in
Final_Submission_Citadel/ - 5-minute demo video —
Game_Design_Final_Video_Demo.mp4(324 MB) - Complete asset library — 16 GB of modules + textures + materials + UE5 project files
- Theoretical integration — Kahn’s served/servant space theory mapped onto module typology (nice move for a design-school game class)
Artifact size (why not on GitHub)
16 GB of UE5 binaries + 324 MB video demo exceeds any reasonable git repo size — Git LFS would help but was out of scope. Stays local only. For portfolio: embed the 5-minute demo video on the site (hosted on YouTube or Vimeo — David to upload).
David — confirm
- Team members’ names — David confirmed this is a team project; need collaborator names (from Canvas group, email, or class roster)
- YouTube / Vimeo upload — the 5-minute demo video exists locally (324 MB); David plans to find the public upload link when time permits
- Any final presentation slides separate from the video?
Links
- Local project:
W:\CMU_Academics\2025 Spring\62706 Gen Game\Aurora Citadel\ - Final submission:
W:\CMU_Academics\2025 Spring\62706 Gen Game\Final_Submission_Citadel\ - Demo video (local only, 324 MB):
Final_Submission_Citadel\...\Game_Design_Final_Video_Demo.mp4 - WFCPlugin (plugin used) — reference for the WFC integration
- Readings in vault:
/assets/aurora-citadel-gen-game/Served and Servant Spaces.pdf,/assets/aurora-citadel-gen-game/The_Shadow_of_Information.pdf
Related cards
None direct — this is an outlier in David’s portfolio (game / procedural, not AI/design-tool). That isolation is actually useful: shows range.
Card built 2026-04-23 from Explore agent Spring 2025 scan. Minimal external-facing content right now (no GitHub, no video URL). Card becomes portfolio-ready once David uploads the demo video to YouTube and confirms team composition.
