ReadMe

Author: ItsTanPI

README.md

@@ -1 +1,104 @@
-## Under Construction
+# PiEngine 
+Made with love, learning, and long sleepless nights.
+
+PiEngine is a modular, component-based Java game engine built from scratch for 2D and (eventually) 3D games. It was created as a college project with a focus on learning, customization, and full control over the game development pipeline.
+
+![Editor Screenshot](docs/screenshots/Editor.png)
+![RenderGraph Screenshots](docs/screenshots/RenderGraph.png)
+
+## Features
+
+- Component-based architecture (just extend `Component`)
+- Built-in ImGui editor (Scene view, Game view, Inspector)
+- Node-based rendering pipeline with external GLSL shader support
+- Modular JSON-based scene saving and prefab system
+- Hot-loadable components (runtime script loading)
+- Input abstraction system
+- Asset loader for 2D sprites/images
+- Fully open-source under MIT License
+
+## Folder Structure
+
+```
+Pi-Engine/
+├── src/
+│   └── main/
+│       └── java/
+│           └── org/PiEngine/   # Core engine code
+├── resources/
+│   ├── shaders/                # External GLSL shaders
+│   └── Test.json               # Sample scene
+├── build.gradle                # Gradle setup
+
+```
+
+
+## Getting Started
+
+### Requirements
+
+- Java 17 or newer
+- Gradle
+- Windows (tested; Linux/Mac support unverified)
+
+### Build & Run
+
+```bash
+git clone https://github.com/ItsTanPI/Pi-Engine.git
+cd Pi-Engine
+./gradlew run
+```
+lternatively, run the `Main.java` file from your IDE.
+
+## Creating Components
+
+To create a new component, extend the `Component` base class and implement your logic. Components are automatically serialized and can be hot-loaded during runtime.
+
+## Scene System
+
+Scenes are saved as hierarchical JSON files. Prefabs are supported by saving a scene and instancing it as an object. Object references are path-based (e.g. `/main/player/hand/weapon`).
+
+Example: [`resources/Test.json`](https://github.com/ItsTanPI/Pi-Engine/blob/main/src/main/resources/Test.json)
+
+## Rendering System
+
+- Node-based render passes (input/output images and shaders)
+- Uses external GLSL shader files (`resources/shaders/`)
+- Basic passes available; system is designed to be extended easily
+- Built with future 3D support in mind
+
+## Roadmap
+
+- Physics system
+- 3D model import (GLTF/OBJ)
+- Scene transitions
+- UI system
+- Audio support
+- Cross-platform testing
+- Scripting (interpreter-based)
+- Vulkan + C++ rewrite in the future
+
+## Credits
+
+PiEngine is a personal and collaborative project created with dedication, curiosity, and lots of late nights.
+
+**Developed by:**
+- [Shri Hari (TanPi)](https://github.com/ItsTanPI)
+- [Gunavarthan](https://github.com/Gunavarthan)
+
+We started this project as part of our college work, and it became a dream journey into game engine development. This engine represents our first step toward learning how real engines are built — and we’re excited to keep improving it with the help of the open-source community.
+
+
+## Contributing
+
+This project is open-source and we welcome contributions. If you're interested:
+
+1. Fork the repository
+2. Make your changes
+3. Submit a pull request
+
+We (the original developers) will review and merge contributions. The goal is to build a community-driven, custom game engine like Blender or Godot.
+
+## License
+
+This project is licensed under the MIT License. See the [LICENSE](https://github.com/ItsTanPI/Pi-Engine/blob/main/LICENSE) file for details.