Infernux: A Python-Native Game Engine with JIT-Accelerated Scripting

TL;DR

Infernux is an open-source Python-native game engine that integrates JIT compilation and batch data transfer to improve scripting performance, demonstrated through comparisons with Unity.

Contribution

It introduces a novel cohesive integration of batch data transfer and JIT compilation within a game engine to enhance Python scripting efficiency.

Findings

Infernux achieves performance improvements over traditional Python engines.

The engine effectively combines batch data transfer with JIT compilation for real-time applications.

Comparison with Unity highlights differences in shading, batching, and tooling.

Abstract

This report describes Infernux, an open-source game engine that pairs a C++17/Vulkan real-time core with a Python production layer connected through a single pybind11 boundary. To close the throughput gap between Python scripting and native-code engines, Infernux combines two established techniques - batch-oriented data transfer and JIT compilation - into a cohesive engine-level integration: (i) a batch data bridge that transfers per-frame state into contiguous NumPy arrays in one boundary crossing, and (ii) an optional JIT path via Numba that compiles annotated update functions to LLVM machine code with automatic loop parallelization. We compare against Unity 6 as a reference on three workloads; readers should note differences in shading complexity, draw-call batching, and editor tooling maturity between the two engines. Infernux is MIT-licensed and available at https://chenlizheme.github.io/Infernux/.