A client can read the text from account data and reconstruct the model immediately.
ON-CHAIN 3D ASSET FORMAT
We designed NCM so Solana games can own their 3D assets on-chain.
NCM is NiceChunk's compact 3D asset format for Solana and other chains. We are building deeper R&D around this format because it can compress voxel assets into tiny text records that clients fetch directly through RPC, verify publicly, and keep available without IPFS.
Format prefix
NCM2:
Palette, box count, signed positions, and dimensions encoded as compact varints.
The asset is stored with the program state, not hidden behind a mutable external gateway.
Same-color voxels are merged into boxes before encoding to reduce storage size.
NCM is plain text, so the same asset format can be used beyond one runtime.
WHY WE DESIGNED NCM
A Solana game asset should be part of the state, not a URL attached to it.
NiceChunk is building around NCM because a voxel object can be small enough to live directly inside a program-owned PDA. The asset, its rules, and its ownership can move together, so a game item or NFT does not depend on an external gateway staying online.
Peasant girl source file
Same model as PDA-friendly text
Peasant guy source file
About a 400-byte class payload
PDA-native resources
NCM turns small characters, props, equipment, and block decorations into account data that Solana clients can read through normal RPC calls.
Safer NFT trading
When the visual asset is stored with the asset record, buyers do not need to trust that an IPFS gateway, metadata server, or mutable JSON link will keep resolving later.
Useful compression research
NCM is also the base for our NCM-DNA exploration: searching for shorter deterministic genes that reproduce the same model and can turn asset compression into useful computation.
VOX TO NCM
Browser local converter
Upload a MagicaVoxel .vox file. The file is parsed locally in your browser and converted into NCM text.
Sample attribution
Sample VOX characters are from OpenGameArt, created by JoshMckay, licensed under CC-BY 4.0.
LIVE PREVIEW
No model loaded
NCM OUTPUT
Compact chain text
Store this payload in account data or a program-owned asset record. Clients can decode it without IPFS.
Ready.