🧱Core Concepts

Learn how Bonfire organizes experiences and defines interactive behaviors — essential building blocks to get you started with confidence.

▶️ Watch the Video Guide: UI and Experience Creation

Bonfire is structured using a Book metaphor:

A Book is the top-level container for an interactive experience. It might represent a game, a learning module, a simulation, or any interactive application.

A book isn’t just an app—it’s an experience. Books are made up of chapters, chapters hold maps, and Sparks are placed on top of those maps.

Player decisions in a Book are built using a system of Causes, Effects, and Modifiers — the core of Bonfire's interactivity system.

Each Book is divided into Chapters, which act like levels in a game or lessons in a course.

Maps are the 3D environments where the action takes place:

Maps live within Chapters and serve as the setting for user interaction.
Map Sparks include terrain, props, boundaries (e.g., walls, trees), and environmental settings.
The default map in Bonfire Builder starts as a simple green terrain — a blank canvas for your ideas.

Bonfire’s Behavior system drives interaction.

Causes are the triggers — like “user presses a button” or “player enters a zone.”
Effects are the outcomes — such as “open a door,” “play a sound,” or “show a message.”
Modifiers adjust how or when Causes and Effects apply, such as adding conditions or randomness.

This system allows creators to build rich interactivity without writing code.

Traits are editable characteristics of any Spark (interactive object):

Examples include size, color, position, rotation, or movement speed.
Traits can be changed manually or programmatically using Behaviors.
This allows Sparks to be reused and customized flexibly by creators of all skill levels.

Understanding these core concepts will help you:

Last updated 1 month ago

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