Graphics Settings and Ray Tracing Roadmap

Hari Hybrid: graphics settings and ray tracing

Status: requested roadmap, not implemented or validated. Updated 2026-10-06.

This is the graphics to-do page for Minecraft-Vulkan-Hybrid, the canonical Hari Hybrid repository. Home retains current engineering evidence; migration PR #1 remains a draft. Add future graphics requirements here and link their tracking issues.

1. Full Oculus-style settings experience

• Inventory the complete Oculus settings experience and track each applicable control to a Hari equivalent, with explicit status.
• Add an integrated graphics/shader settings screen: shader-pack selection, enable/disable, pack folder access, reload, per-pack options, search, presets, tooltips and reset-to-defaults.
• Provide quality/performance controls and per-profile persistence, import/export and clear apply/cancel behavior.
• Explain unsupported settings honestly; distinguish hot-apply settings from changes requiring resource reload or restart, and let the user choose when to restart.
• Validate keyboard navigation, scaling, localization, repeated switching, failed reload recovery and settings persistence across launches.
• Test actual shader behavior and visual parity in representative scenes, not only the presence of a menu.

The goal is the full user-facing convenience of Oculus settings implemented for Hari's native Vulkan path. The existing native-only requirement stays in force; this roadmap does not silently re-enable the incompatible OpenGL Oculus renderer.

2. Optional Caustica ray-tracing mode

• Integrate a clearly labeled ray-tracing on/off control backed by Caustica, alongside Hari's normal native Vulkan mode.
• Pin and evaluate an upstream revision, map renderer ownership and version/loader APIs, and implement the adapter or backport required for Hari's target version.
• Detect GPU/driver Vulkan ray-tracing support before activation; show the reason if unavailable and keep the normal Vulkan renderer usable.
• Expose supported Caustica quality controls, with hardware-gated options and truthful explanations.
• Preserve UI, gameplay and original mod content; test entities, custom geometry, particles, transparency, lighting, dimensions, resource reloads and world transitions.
• Handle switching, failed initialization and restart requirements safely without corrupting settings or silently changing renderer backend.
• Validate ray tracing on and off with matched scenes, frametimes, GPU/CPU measurements, VRAM/RAM, screenshots and crash/reload checks. Do not claim full-pack compatibility or FPS gains without evidence.
• Preserve upstream attribution, applicable source licenses and third-party notices. Record the scope of the author permission supplied by the project owner before redistributing components under any special grant.

Integration baseline

Upstream Caustica currently targets Minecraft 26.2/Fabric and the Vulkan backend; Hari's documented development baseline is Minecraft 1.20.1/Forge. Integration therefore includes version and renderer adaptation, not an assumption that the upstream JAR can be dropped into the current pack. Upstream describes the renderer as experimental.

The project owner reports direct permission from the Caustica author. This records that permission statement without claiming independent verification or extending it to third-party components.

Sources: Caustica repository, CurseForge project. Check current upstream requirements and notices when implementation begins.

Completion criteria

• Settings inventory has implementation and test evidence for every applicable control.
• Caustica mode works on supported hardware; normal native Vulkan mode remains functional with ray tracing off.
• Existing gameplay, assets and user profiles are preserved; known incompatibilities are documented.
• Repository issues, this wiki and release notes agree on what is planned, implemented and actually tested.

No code changes, release promotion or PR merge are implied by adding this roadmap.