QORPOHow to document source material for AI-assisted game assets
Keep a source record next to each AI-assisted game asset. Record the references and inputs that actually shaped it, where they came from, which use was approved, and which exported file the review covers. The record should let another person trace a specific texture, sound or model back to its inputs without asking an artist to reconstruct a month of work.
Record the inputs before they vanish into an export
Start at the moment someone chooses a reference or imports source material. Give the entry a name you can search for, such as the crate prop or its base colour map. Save a stable source link or an internal library ID, and note whether the input was used as a visual reference, directly transformed, or carried into the output. Those roles are different from an approval status.
If a team feeds an approved image into a tool, record the image and the tool operation separately. If someone paints over the result with a photo texture, capture that photo as another input. The exported image can look like one complete surface, yet the reviewer still needs to understand which sources contributed to it. The QORPO texture import checklist covers the next technical stage.
Distinguish a source label from a release decision
Consider a model example. A designer builds a weathered supply crate using a studio-made concept, a licensed wood material and an AI-assisted pass that proposes chipped paint. The materials register can record the concept's internal location, the paid material's acquisition record, the tool and operation used for the paint pass, and the exported revision under review. It can also point to the internal approval that covers the selected use.
Keep the approval specific. A preview may be approved for an internal build, while promotional use or distribution still needs a separate review under the applicable terms. Write down what was approved and by whom, and link the place where that decision lives. If a contributor cannot identify a source, leave the entry marked for review and flag the exact input. This gives the reviewer a fixable problem to resolve.
For a pattern for attaching information to individual files, see the REUSE specification and SPDX guidance on handling license information. A file-level identifier can support search and automation. Projects handling proprietary material can take the same idea into their internal asset inventory.
Tie the record to the file that ships
Name the reviewed export, or point to a stable revision, import ID or asset identifier. It is easy to approve a preview and end up importing a slightly different render from a folder full of variants. One reproducible check is to match the approved file to the imported asset, then open the place where it appears in a build.
For the crate example, inspect it in the level with the assigned material and confirm that the texture is the approved revision. If the artist changed the wood or added a stock decal after review, update the record with the new source. The review can focus on that changed component and how it is used. The AI game texture guide then offers a separate check of the texture at play distance.
Make open questions easy to action
Use a short status such as source confirmed, usage reviewed or review needed. Each open item should say what evidence is missing. “Need source for the decal on the side panel” can go straight to the right owner. “Asset pending” leaves the whole team to guess. Keep private contract details in the team's approved storage and point to the record from the inventory.
A final pass should answer three questions. Can a reviewer identify the inputs? Can they locate the approval for the intended release use? Can they match it to the file loaded by the game? If the answer to one question is unclear, write what would settle it before marking the task done.
Where should a team start?
Use one asset with a real handoff coming up. Ask a second person to trace its records from the exported file to the source entries. If they get stuck, improve how the evidence is attached before applying the template to a whole library. The AI-generated game code review guide applies a similar idea to changes that need a clear owner and evidence in a real build.