Card FX Lab

Card FX Lab is a Godot 4.7 playground for experimenting with modular card and booster-pack visual effects.

The project is built around self-contained effect modules that can be previewed, configured, and combined without embedding effect logic into a card scene.

What You Can Do

• Browse a catalog of card effects from the main scene.
• Open an effect in a live preview area.
• Adjust exported configuration values from the side panel in real time.
• Copy the current configuration as YAML.
• Switch between effect libraries, including card effects and booster-pack effects.

Small demo

You can test the asset in your browser on itch.io.

Project Layout

• scenes/main.tscn - main UI and effect browser.
• resources/effect_catalog.tres - effect catalog resource that registers the available modules.
• scripts/main.gd - main controller that loads and swaps effect previews.
• scripts/effects/ - shared effect infrastructure such as EffectPreview, EffectDefinition, and the property editor.
• effects/ - standalone effect modules, each in its own directory with its own scene, scripts, shaders, and assets.
• scenes/effects/ - additional effect scenes used by the catalog.
• shaders/ - shared shaders used by multiple effects.
• assets/ - sample card and booster textures.

Available Effects

The current catalog includes:

• Hard Hover
• Card Dissolve
• Drag & Drop
• Cinematic Burning
• Samurai Slash
• Vortex Absorption
• Card Boost
• Booster Pack Opener
• Booster Pack Opener 2

Running The Project

1. Open the project in Godot 4.7.
2. Run the main scene defined in project.godot.
3. Use the effect list to select an effect and edit its properties in the preview panel.

Effect Module Rules

Each effect is designed to be:

• Self-contained in its own directory.
• Optional, so it can be added or removed independently.
• Exposed through a clear scene or script entry point.
• Configurable through Inspector-visible exported properties.
• Live-updating in the preview when configuration changes.

Shared logic that is not effect-specific should live in reusable infrastructure rather than being copied between modules.

Adding A New Effect

1. Create a dedicated folder under effects/ or scenes/effects/.
2. Add a scene that extends EffectPreview.
3. Export any tunable properties so they appear in the configuration panel.
4. Register the scene in resources/effect_catalog.tres.
5. Provide a title and description so it shows up in the main browser.

Notes

• The project target is Godot 4.7.
• The main scene uses a live preview host and a property editor, so changes are visible immediately.
• Effects should not depend on implementation details from other effects.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.