TrackForge

Overview

TrackForge is a procedural generation proof of concept for building playable 3D racecourses in Unity. The generator accepts a size constraint, then repeatedly places and validates modular course sections until the target length is reached. This removes much of the manual work of designing racecourses while creating a different layout each time the tool runs.

The Problem

Designing race tracks by hand can be both time-consuming and difficult to scale. While handcrafted levels allow for carefully designed experiences, creating enough unique content to keep players engaged requires significant development time. Procedural generation offers an attractive alternative, but generating tracks that are both varied and playable presents a challenging algorithmic problem.

A procedural racecourse generator must ensure that every newly placed track piece connects correctly, avoids intersecting existing sections, and leaves enough space for future expansion. As the course grows, the number of valid placement options decreases, making it increasingly difficult to generate complete, error-free tracks.

My Role

I designed and implemented every aspect of the project, including the procedural generation algorithm, Unity systems, gameplay mechanics, and debugging tools. I was responsible for designing the data structures that represented track pieces, implementing placement validation and collision detection, and iteratively refining the generation logic to produce varied and reliable racecourses.

The Solution

I developed a procedural generation system in Unity that constructs unique 3D racecourses from modular track pieces. The generator incrementally evaluates every potential placement for the next segment, validates that it does not intersect existing track sections, and selects a valid continuation.

The generation process continues until the desired course length is reached or no valid placements remain. This approach produces playable, varied tracks while reducing the need to manually design every racecourse.

Key Features

• Generates a unique racecourse for every session
• Builds tracks from reusable modular pieces
• Prevents overlapping or intersecting track sections
• Validates connections between adjacent track pieces
• Allows configurable course lengths
• Creates fully playable layouts without manual level design

Technologies

• C#
• Unity

Engineering Highlights

Procedural Generation Algorithm

The core of the project is a procedural generation algorithm that constructs unique racecourses from modular track pieces. Rather than following a predefined layout, the generator continuously evaluates valid placement options, ensuring each new segment connects correctly while maintaining a playable course.

Internally, each track piece is defined by a MapSection object that specifies its geometry and connection points. The size constraint is represented by a 3D boolean matrix that tracks which grid cells are occupied by existing track pieces.

Collision & Placement Validation

Before adding a new track piece, the system verifies that it does not intersect any existing geometry. This validation step prevents impossible or overlapping layouts and helps the generator produce complete racecourses without manual intervention.

Modular Track System

Each track segment is designed as a reusable module with predefined connection points. This modular approach allows new track pieces to be added without changing the generation algorithm, making the system easily extensible for future content.

Challenges

One of the biggest challenges was balancing randomness with playability. Simply selecting random connecting pieces often produced awkward layouts or impossible tracks, so the generator needed rules that maintained variety while ensuring every generated course remained navigable and enjoyable to play. These rules introduced small restrictions that limited randomness, but were necessary to keep generated racecourses playable.

Lessons Learned

This project strengthened my understanding of procedural generation, algorithm design, and Unity development. I learned how breaking a complex problem into smaller validation steps made the process easier to understand and debug. It also demonstrated how relatively simple rules can combine to produce complex and unpredictable results.

If I continued this project, I would expand the generation system with weighted track selection, biome-specific themes, and smarter pathfinding techniques to create more varied, natural-looking racecourses.

Gallery

Future Improvements

• Introduce biome-specific themes and environments
• Implement weighted track selection for more natural layouts
• Improve generation performance for larger racecourses
• Export generated tracks for reuse or sharing

Project Links