Godot 4.7 dev 5 Snapshot: AssetLib Redesign, Selective Export Templates, and Rectangular Area Lights

Forum topic · ✨步子哥 · 2026-04-18

Summary

The Godot 4.7 dev 5 development snapshot introduces a range of creator-focused improvements as the engine approaches feature freeze. The AssetLib is migrated to a new API (GH-112992), delivering a cleaner interface with visible metadata, ratings, full descriptions, changelogs, and in-page version switching. Export templates can now be downloaded selectively per platform inside the editor (GH-117072), eliminating full multi-gigabyte downloads. RichTextLabel's [img] tag supports em-based width and height scaling (GH-112617), so inline images resize with font size. The shader editor gains inline text preview (GH-117726) for real-time feedback. Rendering adds rectangular AreaLight3D lights (GH-108219) that support real-time shadows and global illumination, ideal for windows, screens, and neon panels. Further changes include vertex snapping for sub-gizmos, a redesigned audio bus UI, resizable embedded Android game windows, Android custom splash screens, a new GDExtension Variant::get_type_by_name method, Wayland touch input support, and ray-tracing pipeline refactoring. In total, 71 contributors merged 135 fixes; the snapshot builds on commit a8643700c, with standard builds supporting GDScript and GDExtension and .NET builds adding C# support.

Godot 4.7 dev 5 Dev Snapshot: A Creator-Focused Leap Forward

The Godot 4.7 dev 5 snapshot arrives near the feature-freeze deadline, bringing a set of changes aimed squarely at developer quality of life rather than mere bug fixing.

AssetLib Upgraded to a New API

Michael Alexsander's PR GH-112992 migrates the asset store to a new API. The main selection interface is cleaner, each asset shows layout, metadata, and current ratings at a glance, and individual asset pages include the full description and historical changelog. Version switching is now possible directly from the asset page, dramatically lowering the barrier for new developers deciding whether a plugin is compatible with their Godot version.

Selective Export Template Downloads

Tomasz Chabora's GH-117072 reuses the existing chunked distribution system to allow downloading only the export templates you need, from inside the editor. Instead of waiting for a full multi-platform bundle, developers can pick just the platforms they target — for example Android and Web — cutting download times from half an hour to minutes.

Em-Based Image Scaling in RichTextLabel

Malcolm Anderson's GH-112617 lets the [img] tag scale images using em units for width and height, so inline icons follow font size:

> "Do you have [img height=1em]coin.png[/img] a coin? ...I said, [font_size=50]do you have [img height=1em]coin.png[/img] a coin?![/font_size]"

This makes dialogues, tutorials, and in-game text more polished, bringing responsive-layout thinking from web design into Godot's GUI.

Inline Preview in the Shader Editor

Yuri Rubinsky's GH-117726 adds inline text preview within the shader editor. Instead of repeatedly compiling and switching scenes, developers see rendered results next to the code, greatly speeding up iteration on text shaders.

Rectangular AreaLight3D

Emil Dobetsberger's GH-108219 introduces rectangular area lights, enabling realistic illumination for windows, screens, and neon panels — with support for real-time shadows and global illumination. This is a major improvement for architectural visualization, interior design games, and cinematic scenes.

More Highlights

GH-117922: vertex snapping for sub-gizmo points in 3D
GH-118266: overhauled audio bus UI
GH-118417: embedded Android game windows can now be moved and resized
GH-118192: refined remote/local SceneTreeDock button appearance
GH-114671: custom splash screen option for Android export
GH-117160: new Variant::get_type_by_name in the GDExtension interface
GH-113886: Wayland touch input support
GH-118079: embedded-window option moved to a three-dot menu with HDR info displayed
GH-118044: ray-tracing refactoring in the rendering pipeline

Availability

The snapshot contains 135 fixes from 71 contributors and is built on commit a8643700c. The standard build supports GDScript and GDExtension; the .NET build additionally supports C#. It is downloadable now, and can be experienced via the Web editor, XR editor, or Android editor (test group application required).

References

1. Thaddeus Crews. Dev snapshot: Godot 4.7 dev 5. Godot Engine Official Blog, 17 April 2026. 2. Godot Engine Team. Interactive Changelog for Godot 4.7. GitHub Godot Interactive Changelog, 2026. 3. Godot Foundation. Godot 4.7 Development Roadmap and Feature Freeze Notes. Godot Docs, 2026. 4. Michael Alexsander et al. AssetLib New API Implementation (GH-112992). Godot GitHub Repository, 2026. 5. Emil Dobetsberger et al. Rectangular AreaLight3D Addition (GH-108219). Godot GitHub Repository, 2026.