GSoC 2026 Proposal Submission – Extension of Sandbox Toolkit for Simplifying Marine AR Module Development (Unity)

[Anurag Rai]

Dear Mentors,
Hope you're doing well!

I'm writing to let you know that I've successfully submitted my GSoC 2026 proposal for the International Catrobat Association under the project idea "Extension of Sandbox Toolkit for simplifying the Development of Marine based AR Modules."

The proposed toolkit is structured as two layers: a UPM package providing the shared data layer (behavior templates, serializer, validator, curriculum tagging) reusable by any Catrobat AR initiative, and a set of improvements to mARine's existing runtime mobile builder that consumes the same package. This way, non-technical educators continue creating modules on their phones as today, while developers prototype and validate in the Unity Editor Window. This evolution ensures the mARine project isn't just a single simulation, but a scalable platform that allows the Catrobat community to build and share their own interactive marine lessons globally.

Beyond the written proposal, I also completed the required entry task. It includes:

1. Shape and behavior selection with inter-scene state management
2. AR plane detection, anchor placement, and runtime behavior attachment
3. Live parameter control panel for adjusting behavior speed and axis post-spawn
4. Distance-based auto-scaling relative to camera position at spawn
5. Unity Test Runner PlayMode tests for speed control button limit behavior
6. Custom Blender-modelled assets with Figma-designed UV textures
7. Android back navigation and Unity Editor simulation support

To further strengthen the proposal, I have put together detailed descriptions:

1. A complete architecture and implementation plan across a 13-week, 350-hour timeline
2. A ScriptableObject Behavior Template System design with a concrete MarineBehaviorSO hierarchy
3. A detailed Marine Module Editor Window design with UI mockups
4. A versioned Module Serializer with a .marine format and round-trip fidelity test plan
5. A Module Validation Suite covering missing assets, unassigned behaviors, and mobile performance budgets
6. A Firebase Cloud Sync architecture replacing QR byte-limited payloads with cloud-hosted modules
7. A full UPM package structure with split Runtime and Editor assemblies
8. A Test-Driven Development workflow demonstrated through the entry task
9. A screen capture demo video and a public GitHub repository

Entry Task GitHub Repo: github.com/R-Anurag/ShapeARModule
Demo Video: Google Drive Link

I'm genuinely excited about this project and what it could mean for making marine biology education more accessible. I'll be honest, I don`t have all the answers yet. There are parts of this I'm still learning, but I've put serious effort into the research and architecture to make sure I'm not going in blind. My hope is to leave mARine as a platform the Catrobat community can keep building on long after this summer. This project means a lot to me and I plan to stick around well beyond GSoC.

Would really appreciate any feedback on the proposal, architecture, or implementation plan. Happy to iterate and refine based on your thoughts!

Thanks so much for your time and for the opportunity to contribute!
Warm regards,
Anurag Rai