Version control and collaboration in XR projects

Effective version control and team collaboration are critical for XR development due to large binary assets and complex scene dependencies. Here’s a comprehensive guide tailored for VR/AR/MR teams:

1. XR-Specific Version Control Strategies

A. Asset Management

File Type	Recommended Approach	Tool Example
3D Models (.fbx)	Git LFS (Large File Storage)	Git + Git LFS
Textures (.png/.tga)	Per-platform variants in VFS	Plastic SCM/VFS
Scenes (.unity/.umap)	Split into modular sub-scenes	Unity Scene Manager
Blueprints	Text-based serialization	Unreal Git DDC

B. Optimal Repository Structure

project_root/
├── Assets/
│   ├── 3D/               # Git LFS tracked
│   ├── Materials/         # Small files
│   └── Scenes/           # Modular scene chunks
├── ProjectSettings/       # Critical for consistency
├── Packages/             # UPM/manifest.json
└── Docs/
    └── XR_Design_Spec.md  # Living documentation

2. Collaboration Workflows

A. Scene Editing Patterns

graph TB
    subgraph "Unity Scene Workflow"
    A[Main Scene] --> B[Environment Subscene]
    A --> C[Lighting Subscene]
    A --> D[UI Subscene]
    end

    subgraph "Team Access"
    Dev1 -->|Edits| B
    Dev2 -->|Edits| C
    Artist -->|Edits| D
    end

B. Merge Conflict Resolution

• For binary assets: Use “theirs” strategy for art files
• For scene files:

  # Unity YAML merge tool
  git config merge.unityyamlmerge.name "Unity YAML merge"
  git config merge.unityyamlmerge.driver "unityyamlmerge merge -h -p %O %B %A %A"

3. Specialized Tools for XR Teams

A. XR-Optimized Solutions

Tool	XR-Specific Features	Best For
Plastic SCM	Gluon for artists, lock binary files	Large asset teams
Perforce Helix	Handle millions of files efficiently	Enterprise XR studios
Git LFS + Fork	Visual merge for prefabs	Small indie teams

B. Real-Time Collaboration

• Unity Scene Sync: Live link editing sessions
• Unreal Multi-User Editing: Simultaneous level design
• NVIDIA Omniverse: USD-based real-time sync

4. Handling Large XR Assets

A. Asset Pipeline Optimization

# Pre-commit hook for asset optimization
import os
from PIL import Image

def optimize_textures():
    for root, _, files in os.walk("Assets/Textures"):
        for file in files:
            if file.endswith(('.png','.jpg')):
                img = Image.open(os.path.join(root, file))
                img = img.convert('RGB').quantize()
                img.save(os.path.join(root, file), optimize=True)

B. Smart Storage Techniques

• Texture Atlases: Combine multiple textures
• Asset Bundles: Platform-specific delivery
• Delta Compression: For frequent asset updates

5. Documentation Standards

A. XR-Specific Docs

## Interaction Spec
### Grab Mechanics
- **Rigidbody Settings**:
  - Mass: 1.5kg (real-world equivalent)
  - Drag: 0.5
- **Haptic Feedback**:
  - OnGrab: 0.3s pulse at 80% intensity

B. Automated Docs Generation

// Unity DocFX integration
[XRInteractionDocumentation(
    Category = "Locomotion",
    Description = "Teleportation with parabolic arc")]
public class XRTeleport : MonoBehaviour { ... }

6. CI/CD for XR Projects

A. Automated Testing Pipeline

# GitLab CI example
stages:
  - build
  - xr_test

quest_build:
  stage: build
  script:
    - unity -buildTarget Android -executeMethod BuildPipeline.BuildQuest

vr_perf_test:
  stage: xr_test
  script:
    - adb shell am start -n com.Company.App/com.unity3d.xr.TestRunner
    - python parse_frametimes.py

B. Platform-Specific Builds

#!/bin/bash
# Build switcher for different HMDs
case $1 in
  "quest")
    unity -buildTarget Android -xrPlatform Oculus
    ;;
  "vive")
    unity -buildTarget Win64 -xrPlatform OpenVR
    ;;
esac

Key Recommendations

1. Asset Strategy: 1GB repo → Use Git LFS, 10GB+ → Use Plastic/Perforce
2. Scene Architecture: Divide into functional sub-scenes (max 200MB each)
3. Merge Safety: Implement pre-commit validation hooks
4. Documentation: Maintain VR interaction specs separate from code docs
5. CI/CD: Include XR-specific tests (FPS validation, interaction checks)

Emerging Solutions:

• USD-based versioning (Omniverse, Pixar)
• Blockchain for asset provenance (NFT-style tracking)
• AI-assisted conflict resolution (Auto-merge prefabs)