Question: Is Godot good for 3D games?

Answer

Godot is a versatile game engine that supports the development of both 2D and 3D games. While it is well-known for its robust 2D capabilities, its 3D engine has seen significant improvements over the years.

In 3D game development, Godot offers many of the essential features you would expect:

1. Physics Engine: Godot provides a built-in physics engine for handling 3D collision detection, rigid body dynamics, and character motion.

2. Rendering Features: It includes standard rendering features such as dynamic lighting, shadows, shaders, and materials. Additionally, advanced rendering techniques like HDR, SSAO, and PBR are supported to create visually striking scenes.

3. Importing Assets: The engine supports importing assets from various 3D modeling software via the industry-standard FBX or Collada formats, among others. This makes it easy to incorporate detailed models and animations into your game.

4. Node-Based Architecture: Similar to its 2D engine, Godot uses a scene tree and node system which allows for an organized structure in developing games, making the management of game elements straightforward.

5. GDScript and Visual Scripting: For scripting, Godot offers GDScript, a Python-like language tailored for the engine, as well as Visual Scripting for those who prefer a more graphical approach to coding logic.

6. Animation System: A powerful animation system with an animation editor that allows animating any property of any object, including function calls.

However, when comparing to other engines specifically known for their 3D capabilities (like Unity or Unreal), Godot might lag behind in certain areas:

• Performance: For very complex 3D scenes with high fidelity graphics, Godot might not perform as well as its competitors, particularly on lower-end hardware.

• Marketplace and Third-party Tools: The asset store and third-party plugins for Godot are growing but still don’t match the extensive libraries available for more popular engines.

• Community and Documentation: The community is smaller, which means fewer tutorials and less support compared to more established engines.

In conclusion, Godot can be a good choice for 3D game development, especially for indie developers or small teams looking to create less graphically-intensive 3D games. It's free, open-source, and continually improving. Developers should evaluate the specific needs of their project against Godot’s capabilities to determine if it is the right tool for them.