Exporting a Project¶

Exporting turns editor-authored scenes, resources, scripts, and shaders into a shippable build — either a buildable source project or a compiled binary, depending on the mode you choose.

Choose an export mode¶

File → Export opens with three modes:

Source Code — generates a self-contained C++ project (engine included) you build yourself with CMake or the platform toolchain. It supports Android, iOS, Web, Windows, macOS, and Linux. Pick this for mobile targets, CI pipelines, or when you want to customize the build.
Desktop — compiles a ready-to-run executable for the OS the editor runs on and copies it, with assets/ and lua/, to your destination folder. Needs CMake and a C++ compiler installed. Choose OpenGL or Vulkan on Linux; Direct3D 11, Vulkan, or OpenGL on Windows; and Metal or OpenGL on macOS.
Web — compiles an HTML + JavaScript + WebAssembly build with Emscripten. Needs the Emscripten SDK installed (auto-detected, or point the window at your emsdk folder once) and uses WebGL 2.

Desktop and Web reuse the Source Code pipeline internally, building inside .doriax/export/ in your project — the first export compiles the engine and is slow, later ones are incremental and fast.

Export checklist¶

Before exporting, verify:

All scenes are saved.
The intended startup scene is selected.
Resource paths are inside the project or otherwise reachable by the exporter.
Lua and C++ entry points are configured so only the intended startup path creates the main scene.
Target platform dependencies are installed.
The output folder is outside the source asset folders you edit by hand.

What the exporter prepares¶

The editor export pipeline can prepare:

Output	Purpose
Scene code/data	Serialized scene hierarchy, components, bundles, and child scene references
Resources	Textures, models, fonts, audio, and other project assets
Scripts	Lua files and generated C++ glue for script entry points
Shaders	Shader data compiled for each selected graphic backend
Build files	CMake, Gradle, Xcode, Emscripten, or platform-specific project files

Shader output¶

The exporter supports shader output formats configured by the editor's shader export settings. Use the default unless you are debugging shader packaging or integrating a custom build step.

Build after export¶

Desktop and Web mode exports are already built — run the executable from the destination folder, or serve the web files with any local web server (python3 -m http.server).

Source Code exports are built with CMake:

cmake -S . -B build -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release
cmake --build build --config Release

Android, iOS, macOS, and HTML5 have additional platform requirements. See the Export Window section and the target-specific guide.

Troubleshooting¶

Symptom	Check
Scene does not load	Startup scene, scene ID/name, exported scene list
Blank window	Active camera, canvas size, render backend, asset paths
Missing textures	Resource folder, texture path case, unsupported source format
Script starts twice	`NO_CPP_INIT` / `NO_LUA_INIT` configuration
Shader errors	Target backend, shader compiler output, generated shader files
Slow or unusually large C++ build	Large inline mesh data; prefer a GLTF or OBJ asset

Exporting without the GUI¶

You can run the same export from a terminal with the doriax-editor CLI — handy for build servers and automated releases:

doriax-editor export --project ./MyGame --out ./build/MyGame --backend "vulkan,opengles"

See Command-Line Tools for all options.

Continue with Export Window and Build Options.