Can Rust Make 3D Games?

Published on December 7, 2024

The world of game development has evolved rapidly over the past few decades, with game engines and programming languages constantly improving to meet the demands of both developers and players. Among the many programming languages available for game development, Rust has emerged as a relatively new contender. Known for its focus on performance and safety, Rust has garnered significant attention in the software development community. However, one question that often arises is: Can Rust make 3D games?

In this article, we will explore Rust’s capabilities in game development, particularly in the context of creating 3D games. We will examine Rust’s features that make it suitable for 3D game development, compare it to other popular game development languages and engines, and discuss the challenges and advantages of using Rust in game creation. By the end of this article, you will have a clearer understanding of whether Rust can effectively be used to build 3D games. Let’s find out more details with Cho Greatdane!

What is Rust?

The Origins and Purpose of Rust

Rust is a systems programming language that was first designed by Graydon Hoare at Mozilla in 2006. It was created with the goal of providing developers with a language that combined the low-level control and performance of languages like C and C++ with modern features aimed at safety, concurrency, and ease of use. Rust’s emphasis on preventing memory-related bugs, such as null pointer dereferencing and data races, makes it an attractive choice for many types of applications, including game development.

Rust’s ownership model, which ensures that memory is managed safely without needing a garbage collector, is one of the key features that set it apart from other languages. This makes it particularly well-suited for performance-critical applications, such as game engines, where minimizing resource usage and avoiding performance bottlenecks is crucial.

Rust’s Growing Popularity in Game Development

While Rust was not initially designed with game development in mind, its growing popularity in the software development community has led to increased adoption in various fields, including game development. Rust’s speed, memory safety, and modern features have made it an appealing choice for developers who want more control over their code without sacrificing performance. As a result, many developers are now considering Rust for building not only 2D but also 3D games.

Rust and 3D Game Development

The Key Benefits of Using Rust for 3D Games

1. Performance and Speed

One of the most critical factors in 3D game development is performance. 3D games often require complex calculations, such as physics simulations, AI behaviors, and rendering of detailed environments, which can be very demanding on system resources. Rust is known for its excellent performance due to its compiled nature and low-level control over hardware resources. It allows developers to write highly optimized code that runs efficiently on a variety of platforms.

The lack of a garbage collector in Rust means that developers have full control over memory management, which can reduce the overhead often associated with other high-level languages like Java or Python. This low-level control, combined with its safety features, makes Rust an ideal candidate for performance-critical applications like 3D games.

2. Memory Safety Without a Garbage Collector

Memory safety is another major consideration when developing 3D games, as improper memory management can lead to bugs and crashes. Rust’s ownership model ensures that memory is automatically freed when no longer needed, preventing common issues like memory leaks and dangling pointers without the need for a garbage collector. This makes it a safe and reliable language for managing the complex data structures used in 3D game development.

3. Concurrency and Parallelism

Modern 3D games often require multi-threading and parallelism to efficiently manage tasks such as rendering, physics simulations, and AI. Rust’s built-in concurrency features allow developers to write multi-threaded code safely, without the risk of data races, which can cause unpredictable behavior and bugs. This makes Rust an excellent choice for 3D game development, where performance and smooth gameplay are paramount.

Tools and Libraries for 3D Game Development in Rust

While Rust is a relatively new language in the game development space, several tools and libraries have been developed to help game developers create 3D games using Rust. These tools provide the necessary frameworks and resources for rendering, physics simulations, and other aspects of 3D game development. Here are some of the key tools and libraries that make 3D game development in Rust feasible:

1. Bevy

Bevy is an open-source, data-driven game engine written in Rust. It is designed to be fast, modular, and easy to use, making it a great choice for both beginners and experienced developers. Bevy provides tools for handling 3D rendering, physics, input handling, and more. Its flexible architecture allows developers to build complex 3D games without being bogged down by unnecessary complexity.

Bevy’s focus on high performance and scalability makes it well-suited for creating 3D games that run smoothly across different platforms. The engine uses the wgpu library, which enables it to leverage the power of modern GPUs for rendering, providing developers with the tools they need to create visually stunning 3D worlds.

2. Amethyst

Amethyst is another game engine for Rust that is focused on creating 2D and 3D games. While it is more complex than Bevy, it provides a comprehensive set of tools for game development, including a powerful entity-component system (ECS) for managing game objects, physics integration, and advanced rendering capabilities. Amethyst is built on top of the specs ECS library, which makes it highly scalable and suitable for large 3D game worlds.

Amethyst is still actively developed and offers many features for creating 3D games, including support for OpenGL rendering, audio, and more. While it has a steeper learning curve compared to Bevy, it provides a more complete solution for developers who want to dive deeper into 3D game development in Rust.

3. ggez

While ggez is primarily known as a 2D game library for Rust, it can also be used for simpler 3D games or for creating 3D game prototypes. ggez provides an easy-to-use API for game development, and while its primary focus is on 2D, it has enough flexibility to accommodate basic 3D game development needs. Developers interested in quickly prototyping 3D games might find ggez a useful tool to get started before diving into more complex engines like Bevy or Amethyst.

The Challenges of Using Rust for 3D Game Development

While Rust offers many advantages for 3D game development, there are also some challenges that developers may face when using it to create 3D games.

1. Steep Learning Curve

Rust is a systems programming language that prioritizes performance and safety, which means that developers need to understand concepts like ownership, borrowing, and lifetimes to write efficient and safe code. For developers who are new to Rust, the learning curve can be quite steep, particularly when transitioning from other languages like C# or C++ that may be more familiar in the game development community.

2. Limited Game Development Ecosystem

Although Rust has some great tools and libraries for game development, its ecosystem is still relatively young compared to more established game development languages like C++ and C#. Popular game engines like Unreal Engine and Unity have been around for years and have massive communities and resources to support developers. Rust’s game development ecosystem is still growing, meaning that developers may encounter limitations in terms of available tools, documentation, and support.

3. Smaller Talent Pool

Since Rust is still a relatively new language in the gaming world, there is a smaller pool of developers who specialize in Rust game development compared to more established languages like C++ or JavaScript. This can make it more difficult for studios to find experienced developers or to build large-scale teams for 3D game projects. However, as Rust continues to gain popularity, this issue is likely to diminish over time.

Conclusion

So, can Rust make 3D games? The answer is yes! Rust is a powerful language that offers a range of benefits for 3D game development, including exceptional performance, memory safety, and concurrency support. Tools like Bevy and Amethyst have made it easier than ever to develop 3D games using Rust, and the language’s growing popularity in the game development community suggests that it will continue to play an important role in the future of game development.

However, there are still challenges to overcome, particularly related to Rust’s steep learning curve and its relatively small game development ecosystem. For developers who are willing to invest the time and effort to learn Rust and navigate its game development landscape, the language provides an exciting opportunity to create high-performance, safe, and modern 3D games.

In conclusion, while Rust may not yet have the same widespread adoption as other game development languages, its unique features and growing support make it an excellent choice for developers looking to build 3D games with a focus on performance and safety. As Rust’s ecosystem continues to expand, we can expect to see even more incredible 3D games built using this powerful language.