construct3-pdf-scaffold

Create a new Construct 3 source project scaffold from a PDF story/activity document using the bundled goat project as the default template and the local pdf skill for PDF reading/rendering. Use when C

SKILL.md

GitHub

Construct 3 PDF Scaffold

Purpose

Use this skill to turn a story/activity PDF into a Construct 3 project shell that follows the current project conventions:

  • MainLayout
  • GlobalSheet
  • Loader
  • L_Scene1, L_Scene2, ...
  • ES_Scene1, ES_Scene2, ...
  • parent layers named Scene1, Scene2, ...
  • scene-specific child/global layers such as S1_Game, S2_Game, S2_Activity
  • common layers Video, UI, Overlay, Loader_BG

The skill creates the scaffold. It does not invent complete game logic for every PDF activity unless the user asks for implementation after the scaffold.

Required Inputs

  • PDF path
  • Output folder path
  • Optional template Construct 3 project folder path

By default, use the bundled goat template at assets/goat-template. Only pass a custom template folder when the user explicitly asks to use a different base project.

Workflow

  1. Back up or leave the template untouched.
  2. Use the local $pdf skill to inspect the PDF and identify scene count and activity names.
  3. Create a scene-plan.json.
  4. Run scripts/scaffold_from_template.js.
  5. Validate JSON.
  6. Inspect generated MainLayout, GlobalSheet, and every ES_SceneN.
  7. Tell the user to open the new project in Construct and preview the Loader/MainLayout first.

PDF Scene Analysis

Use $pdf first when the user provides a PDF. Read C:\Users\Abhinav\.codex\skills\pdf\SKILL.md if it is available, then follow its workflow:

  • Extract text with pdfplumber or pypdf for quick scene/story/activity identification.
  • Render pages to PNG with pdftoppm when layout, screenshots, activity cards, image placement, or visual sequence matters.
  • Inspect rendered pages before finalizing the scene count if the PDF has visual activities or weak text extraction.
  • Keep temporary PDF extraction/rendering files under tmp/pdfs/ or another clear temp folder, and remove them when they are no longer needed.
  • If PDF dependencies are missing, install or use the $pdf fallback guidance before guessing scene count.

Extract enough text or page images from the PDF to identify:

  • story/video sections
  • interactive activity sections
  • repeated scene headings
  • per-scene game/activity labels

If the PDF has explicit scene headings, use them. If it only has pages, infer one scene per clear activity/story beat and include a short note in the final answer.

Do not build scene-plan.json from filename alone. Use extracted text and, when needed, rendered page images so the plan reflects the actual PDF.

Scene plan format:

{
  "projectName": "New Construct 3 Project Name",
  "scenes": [
    {
      "title": "Intro",
      "layers": ["S1_Game"],
      "notes": "Opening story scene"
    },
    {
      "title": "Color Activity",
      "layers": ["S2_Game", "S2_ColorActivity"],
      "notes": "Interactive color matching activity"
    }
  ]
}

Layer rules:

  • Always include at least S{n}_Game.
  • Always include S1_StartUI for Scene 1 and preserve its startbtn instance from the bundled goat template.
  • Add PDF-specific activity layers as S{n}_ActivityName, e.g. S3_TracingActivity, S4_Read, S5_MatchingActivity.
  • Use concise Construct-safe names: letters, digits, and underscores.
  • Keep scene layer names unique.

Scaffold Script

Run:

node C:\Users\Abhinav\.codex\skills\construct3-pdf-scaffold\scripts\scaffold_from_template.js --out "C:\path\to\empty-output-folder" --scene-plan "C:\path\to\scene-plan.json"

Optional:

node ...\scaffold_from_template.js --out ..\NewC3Project --scenes 6 --project-name "My New C3 Game"
node ...\scaffold_from_template.js --template "C:\path\to\other-template-project" --out ..\NewC3Project --scenes 6

The script:

  • Copies the bundled goat template project folder to the output folder unless --template is provided
  • Keeps shared images/assets and icons
  • Prunes unused template object types and families after generation
  • Keeps object types that are placed in generated layouts, plus object types/families directly referenced by generated event sheets so Construct events remain valid
  • Prunes unused template scripts, sounds, music, and videos from both project.c3proj and the physical project folders
  • Keeps only media referenced by generated event sheets/layouts, such as shared star reward audio and preserved video sources
  • Preserves MainLayout common layers exactly, including their existing object instances
  • Preserves the first scene layout's common/global Video, UI, and Overlay layers with their instances
  • Rebuilds project.c3proj layout and event sheet lists
  • Rebuilds layouts/MainLayout.json scene parent layers
  • Creates layouts/L_SceneN.json for each scene
  • Creates eventSheets/ES_SceneN.json for each scene
  • Copies GlobalSheet.json and adjusts includes to the generated scenes plus Loader
  • Updates SetSceneLayersActive total scene count when present
  • Keeps Loader.json intact

Per-Scene Event Sheet Standard

Each generated scene sheet should include:

  • include GlobalSheet
  • a scene state variable:
    • Scene 1: sceneState
    • Scene N: sceneNState
  • Setup group
    • System: On start of layout
    • set scene state to 0
  • Gameplay group
    • Scene 1 includes an enabled start-button block:
      • Touch: On touched startbtn
      • inverted Video: Is playing
      • currentScene = 1
      • request fullscreen with stretch letterbox scale
      • reset and play Video
      • hide and disable S1_StartUI
      • show UI
      • play bright garden music looping at -10 dB
      • set progress animation frame to currentStars
    • placeholder scene state = 2 + Trigger once while true example
    • browser log or harmless placeholder action
  • Video And Scene Flow group
    • Video: On can play through
    • Video: Is playing + currentScene = N
    • Video: On ended + Trigger once while true
    • disabled by default so the user can enable or replace the placeholder video flow intentionally
  • Functions group, initially empty unless the scene needs helper functions

These examples are scaffolding only. Keep them easy to replace.

MainLayout Standard

MainLayout must include:

  • Video
  • Scene1 through SceneN parent layers
  • each parent layer has the scene-specific child layers from the plan
  • UI
  • Overlay
  • Loader_BG

Copy Video, UI, Overlay, and Loader_BG from the template MainLayout as full layers, with instances intact. This is required for shared UI such as star holders, progress UI, retry/next buttons, arrow prompts, loading visuals, overlay visuals, and any other universal helper objects already placed in MainLayout. Do not rebuild these layers from empty names unless the template layer is missing.

For Scene1, make the parent visible only when it matches the template convention; generally scene parents start invisible and are activated by SetSceneLayersActive.

Common Object Preservation

The goat template stores some universal objects on L_Scene1 global/common layers rather than directly on MainLayout. Preserve these too:

  • L_Scene1 Video: keep the video object and global layer settings when present.
  • L_Scene1 UI: keep stars, star holders, progress, retry/next controls, and other shared UI instances exactly as placed.
  • L_Scene1 Overlay: keep fade/overlay objects exactly as placed.
  • L_Scene1 S1_StartUI: keep the start button layer and its startbtn object exactly as placed.

For later generated scene layouts, create matching empty common layers unless the template convention requires otherwise. Do not duplicate shared UI instances into every scene layout; keep the template's global-layer ownership pattern so Construct can manage the shared objects cleanly. After generation, remove unused template object types and families so scene-specific leftovers such as old template activity objects do not remain in the project unless they are actually placed or referenced by generated event sheets.

GlobalSheet And Loader Standard

GlobalSheet:

  • Include every generated ES_SceneN
  • Include Loader
  • Preserve shared variables and functions from the template
  • Update any hardcoded total scene count in SetSceneLayersActive
  • Keep star, retry, scene routing, and video-layer routing logic from the template
  • Keep only the sound/music files directly referenced by retained shared event logic

Loader:

  • Copy exactly from the template unless the user asks to change loader visuals
  • Preserve Loader_BG, loading progress, video-ready transition, and first-scene startup behavior

Project files:

  • Remove unused template scripts, sounds, music, and videos files after generated layouts and event sheets are written.
  • Keep video files referenced by generated layout video object properties such as primary-source or secondary-source.
  • Keep audio files referenced by generated event sheet Audio actions.
  • Remove template JavaScript project files unless generated layouts/event sheets explicitly reference them.
  • Do not prune images or icons in this pass because retained object types and app metadata may reference them indirectly.

Validation

Always parse all generated JSON:

@'
const fs=require("fs"), path=require("path");
const files=["project.c3proj"];
function addJsonFiles(dir) {
  if (!fs.existsSync(dir)) return;
  for (const f of fs.readdirSync(dir)) {
    const full = path.join(dir, f);
    if (fs.statSync(full).isDirectory()) addJsonFiles(full);
    else if (f.endsWith(".json")) files.push(full);
  }
}
for (const dir of ["layouts","eventSheets","objectTypes","families","timelines","flowcharts"]) {
  addJsonFiles(dir);
}
for (const f of files) JSON.parse(fs.readFileSync(f,"utf8"));
console.log(`Parsed ${files.length} JSON files successfully.`);
'@ | node -

Then verify:

  • project.c3proj lists all L_SceneN
  • project.c3proj lists all ES_SceneN
  • GlobalSheet.json includes all scene event sheets and Loader
  • MainLayout.json has Scene1..SceneN
  • MainLayout.json common layers Video, UI, Overlay, and Loader_BG have the same object instances as the template
  • generated L_Scene1.json common/global layers Video, UI, and Overlay keep the same shared object instances as template L_Scene1
  • each L_SceneN.json uses ES_SceneN
  • project.c3proj object type lists contain only generated-layout object types plus event-sheet-only runtime dependencies such as Audio, Browser, or Touch
  • unused template families are removed; retained families contain only retained object type members unless the family itself is explicitly referenced by generated event logic
  • project.c3proj rootFileFolders.script, sound, music, and video lists contain only files referenced by generated layouts/event sheets
  • physical scripts, sounds, music, and videos folders contain no unused template files
  • no stale references to removed scene numbers remain

Safety Notes

  • Do not overwrite the bundled template project.
  • The output folder may be missing or empty. If it exists and contains files, stop instead of merging into it.
  • Do not delete template assets unless the user asks for cleanup.
  • Do not generate detailed activity logic from guesses; scaffold first, then implement scene logic in a separate pass.
  • If the PDF scene count is ambiguous, create a scene plan and explain the inference before running the script.

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