# Voxel Plateau of Pyramids

- Collected by: petergpt (collection) (original author unknown)
- Card: Verified rebuild
- Theme: Dioramas & voxel scenes
- Stack: Three.js CDN · three@0.170.0
- Interaction: Pointer
- Licence: prompt is a credited link (Shared publicly by the author; full text with credit, removed on request); rebuild code MIT
- Verified: 2026-11-09
- Original post: https://github.com/petergpt/3d-prompt-collection/blob/HEAD/README.md#prompt-17

## Original prompt

```text
#### OBJECTIVE

- Construct a "Hyper-Fidelity" Voxel Simulation of the Giza Plateau at the height of the Old Kingdom.
- The scene must be awe-inspiring, featuring the Pyramids in their original pristine state (polished white limestone with solid gold capstones), a lush, living Nile river delta, and the Great Sphinx.

---

#### VISUAL TARGET

- This is not a "ruin" simulator. This is Ancient Egypt in its prime.
- The resolution must be high enough to distinguish individual palm fronds and the architectural setbacks of the temples.
- Daytime lighting must not feel flat or dull-maintain strong cinematic contrast (especially on the pyramids) and keep the Nile looking vibrant and "alive" across all times of day.

---

#### USER CONTROLS

- **Camera:** Cinematic Orbit with smooth damping.
- **Lighting Control:** On-screen buttons for Dawn / High Noon / Golden Hour / Starry Night + a Cycle button. (Keyboard shortcuts optional fallback, not required.)
- **Tour Mode:** On-screen button to toggle an auto-flyover following the causeway from the Nile to the Great Pyramid.
- **Default lighting preset:** Golden Hour.

---

#### WORLD GENERATION LAYOUT (West to East)

#### The Deep Desert (Background)

- **Topography:** Rolling, undulating sand dunes (use noise functions for height). NOT a flat plane.
- **Color:** Deep gold/orange sand.

#### The Plateau (Mid-Ground)

#### The Great Pyramids (3 Main, several Queens')

- **Geometry:** Massive scale. Use a stepped-voxel algorithm but at a high density so the slopes appear smooth from a distance.
- **Placement:** Ensure the main pyramids (and Queens' pyramids) are clearly separated with non-overlapping footprints and readable spacing.
- **Material:** Polished White Limestone (Main body) + Solid Gold Pyramidions (The top capstone must shine/emit light).

#### The Great Sphinx

- Must be positioned accurately guarding the causeway.
- High-detail voxel modeling for the paws, nemes headdress, and face.
- Painted details (traces of red/blue) if possible.

#### The River Valley (Foreground)

- **The Nile River:** A wide, flowing body of water.
- **Water Effect:** Voxel blocks must use a translucent blue/green palette with a shimmer animation and convincing specular/reflection so it doesn't look dull.
- **Vegetation Belt:** EXTREMELY DENSE placement of Date Palms and Papyrus reeds along the banks.
- **The Harbor:** Stone quays where boats (simple voxel barges) are docked.

---

#### ARCHITECTURAL DETAILS (The "Impressive" Factors)

- **Causeways:** Long, covered stone corridors connecting the Valley Temples (at the river) to the Mortuary Temples (at the pyramid base).
- **Obelisks:** Tall, needle-like spires placed at temple entrances, tipped with gold (electrum) to catch the light.
- **Civilization:** Small clusters of mud-brick worker houses near the river to show scale.

---

#### ATMOSPHERE & LIGHTING

- **The "Ra" System:** The sun must be the dominant force.
- **High Noon:** Blinding white light, short shadows, the limestone pyramids should look almost glowing white (avoid a dull/flat look-use cinematic fill/reflection to keep form and sparkle).
- **Golden Hour:** Long purple shadows, the sand turns deep orange, the gold tips sparkle (this should be the default).
- **Night:** Dark blue sky, torchlight (orange point lights) flickering at the temples.
- **Reflections:** If possible in the render budget, approximate the reflection of the Pyramids in the Nile.

---

#### TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS

- **Output:** Full implementation.
- **Engine:** Three.js (inlined via Import Map) or raw WebGL2.
- **Performance Strategy:**
  - InstancedMesh is Mandatory: You must instance the "Sand Voxel," "Water Voxel," and "Palm Tree Voxel." Do not draw 100,000 individual meshes.
  - Matrix Transformation: Use matrix manipulation to scale the Pyramids without killing memory (one giant pyramid made of instanced blocks, or a single procedural mesh).
  - Occlusion: Do not render the inside of the pyramids.
- **Color Palette:** Use a rich, saturated palette. Avoid "muddy" default colors.
  - Gold: Hex #FFD700 (High specular).
  - Limestone: Hex #F0F0E0 (High brightness).
  - Nile: Hex #2E8B57 (Deep green/blue).

---

#### IMPLEMENTATION GUARDRAILS

- **No External Assets:** All textures/models must be code-generated.
- **Solid Geology:** The sand dunes must mesh seamlessly with the river banks. No gaps in the world.
- **Planning:** Ensure the Sphinx is not buried in a dune; flatten the terrain specifically where buildings are placed.
- **UI:** Keep the on-screen HUD minimal and functional (no extra commentary text).

---

#### FINAL INSTRUCTION

- Generate the full output.
- Focus heavily on the contrast between the lush green riverbank and the stark, blinding white/gold perfection of the Pyramids.
- Make the scale feel "Monumental."
```

Known issue: The Sphinx face is a coarse voxel mask that reads cartoonish when the tour passes close.

Prompt collected by petergpt; original author unknown (https://github.com/petergpt/3d-prompt-collection/blob/HEAD/README.md#prompt-17) via 3dmotion.io/e/voxel-plateau-of-pyramids