metaverseDubai/CONTRIBUTING.md

Contributing to Dubai Metaverse

Thank you for your interest in contributing to the Dubai Metaverse project!

Code of Conduct

• Be respectful and inclusive
• Provide constructive feedback
• Follow project standards and conventions
• Test your changes before submitting

Getting Started

1. Read the Documentation:

   • README.md - Project overview
   • docs/planning/PROJECT_CHARTER.md - Project vision
   • docs/setup/GETTING_STARTED.md - Setup guide
   • docs/NAMING_CONVENTIONS.md - Naming standards
   • docs/PIPELINE.md - Development workflow

2. Set Up Development Environment:

   • Install Unreal Engine 5.4 (see docs/setup/UE5_INSTALLATION.md)
   • Configure Git LFS (see docs/setup/VERSION_CONTROL.md)
   • Review project settings (see docs/setup/PROJECT_SETTINGS.md)

Contribution Guidelines

Asset Contributions

Naming Conventions

• Follow docs/NAMING_CONVENTIONS.md
• Use consistent prefixes and suffixes
• Organize assets in proper folder structure

Asset Quality

• Meet performance targets (see PERFORMANCE_TARGETS.md)
• Follow art style guide (see docs/ART_BIBLE.md)
• Include proper LODs for non-Nanite assets

Asset Validation

• Run validation scripts before committing
• Check asset naming and structure
• Verify performance impact

Code Contributions

Code Style

• Follow Unreal Engine coding standards
• Use consistent formatting
• Add comments for complex logic
• Document public APIs

Scripts

• Follow script standards (see scripts/STANDARDS.md)
• Include error handling
• Add usage documentation
• Test scripts before committing

Documentation Contributions

Documentation Standards

• Follow documentation template
• Include table of contents
• Add prerequisites section
• Include troubleshooting section
• Cross-reference related docs

Updating Documentation

• Update last modified date
• Add to documentation index
• Verify all links work
• Test all code examples

Development Workflow

1. Create Feature Branch

git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name
# or
git checkout -b fix/your-bug-fix

2. Make Changes

• Follow project standards
• Test your changes
• Update documentation if needed
• Run validation scripts

3. Commit Changes

git add .
git commit -m "Description of changes"

Commit Message Format:

• Use clear, descriptive messages
• Reference issue numbers if applicable
• Follow conventional commits format:
  • feat: Add new feature
  • fix: Fix bug description
  • docs: Update documentation
  • refactor: Refactor code
  • test: Add tests

4. Push and Create Pull Request

git push origin feature/your-feature-name

Then create a pull request with:

• Clear description of changes
• Screenshots/videos if applicable
• Reference to related issues
• Testing notes

Pull Request Process

Before Submitting

• Code follows project standards
• All tests pass
• Documentation updated
• No merge conflicts
• Validation scripts pass
• Performance impact assessed

Pull Request Template

## Description
Brief description of changes

## Type of Change
- [ ] Bug fix
- [ ] New feature
- [ ] Documentation update
- [ ] Performance improvement
- [ ] Refactoring

## Testing
Describe how you tested your changes

## Screenshots/Videos
If applicable, add screenshots or videos

## Related Issues
Closes #issue-number

Review Process

1. Automated Checks: CI/CD will run validation
2. Code Review: Team members will review
3. Testing: Changes will be tested
4. Approval: Requires at least one approval
5. Merge: Changes merged to main branch

Reporting Issues

Bug Reports

Include:

• Description of the bug
• Steps to reproduce
• Expected behavior
• Actual behavior
• System information
• Screenshots/videos if applicable

Feature Requests

Include:

• Description of the feature
• Use case
• Proposed implementation (if any)
• Related issues

Questions?

• Check documentation
• Review FAQ (if available)
• Open an issue for discussion
• Contact project maintainers

License

By contributing, you agree that your contributions will be licensed under the same license as the project (see LICENSE).

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Thank you for contributing to Dubai Metaverse!