the symptom, in your words

"s&box project folder layout"

✓ verified on 26.07.08e

lane Getting set upposted Jul 11, 2026

▸ SYMPTOM

Files scattered in the wrong place; editor doesn't see scenes; generators write where the engine won't compile; you're copying a working project and don't know which folders are load-bearing.

▸ CAUSE

s&box projects follow a small fixed layout. Assets are compiled from Assets/; game code lives in Code/ against a csproj that references the Steam install; ProjectSettings/ holds input/collision/platform config; tools/ is optional offline generation.

▸ FIX

snippet

<project>/
├── <project>.sbproj
├── Assets/
│   ├── scenes/*.scene          # StartupScene points here (no Assets/ prefix in sbproj)
│   ├── models/…/*.obj + .vmdl
│   └── materials/…/*.png + .vmat
├── Code/
│   ├── Assembly.cs
│   ├── <project>.csproj
│   └── <domain>/*.cs + UI/*.razor(.scss)
├── Editor/                     # editor-only assembly (usually untouched)
├── ProjectSettings/
│   ├── Input.config
│   └── Collision.config / Platform.config
└── tools/                      # python: Blender gen_models + pure-python gen_assets

Conventions:

Resource paths in code are root-relative forward slashes, no Assets/ prefix (models/foo/bar.vmdl).
Loose PNG/MP3/JSON that must ship need Resource Files registration at publish time (loose-resource-files-publish).
Keep Blender-only scripts vs pure-python asset emitters split under tools/ for fast iteration (blender-headless-pipeline).

▸ WHY IT WORKS

The editor mounts the project root and compiles known trees. Matching this layout means scenes, code, and settings resolve without custom path hacks, and generators can target the same places every project expects.

Verified on engine 26.07.08e: seen in a real project.

s&box moves fast; an undated fix is a liability. Spot a stale detail?

related gotchas

Getting set up: new project skeleton

.sbproj + Assets/Code/ProjectSettings/tools layout, 4-object scene + Bootstrap, dotnet build before anything else.

First successful Play: what to verify after the skeleton

Folders → sbproj → Assembly.cs → 4-object scene → green dotnet build → tagged logs on Play, then optional art tools.

A complete Blender-headless → s&box pipeline

Two-stage flow: Blender headless emits Y-up OBJ, then pure Python writes vmats/vmdls and a C# model catalog.

Loose resource files don't auto-publish

PNG/WAV/MP3/JSON must be listed in Project Settings → Resource Files without an assets/ prefix: #1 editor-vs-publish break.