Project unexpectedly converted to Engine v2 after Chrome restart

Help & Support
1

Hello,

I would like to report a behavior that concerns me regarding automatic engine conversion.

Yesterday I had multiple Chrome windows open, including two different PlayCanvas projects in the visual editor (both running on Engine v1), along with several code editor tabs.

Chrome indicated that an update was available. I clicked the update button and, as usual, Chrome restarted and restored all previously opened tabs.

However, after the restart, the project that happened to be active in the selected Chrome tab displayed a message stating that the project was being converted to Engine v2. I did not initiate any engine switch manually. I did not press the “Upgrade to v2” button in the editor.

The second project (which was open in another Chrome window but not the active tab) was not affected.

The conversion appeared to proceed automatically without any prior confirmation dialog. I immediately exported the project and created a fork as a precaution. Still, this behavior was unexpected and quite concerning.

I experienced something similar before when opening a PlayCanvas demo project. When attempting to open it in the visual editor, I repeatedly received a message stating that the project was being converted to Engine v1. Since demo projects cannot be modified, the editor reloaded in a loop and the project could not be opened at all.

This makes me suspect there may be a bug where projects are automatically flagged for engine conversion under certain conditions, possibly related to session restoration or cached state after a browser restart.

Given that the editor explicitly warns users that upgrading engine versions carries risks and recommends creating a snapshot beforehand, I believe automatic conversion without explicit user confirmation should not occur.

Has anyone experienced similar behavior?

Is this a known issue?

Is there any way to prevent automatic engine version conversion?

Thank you.

2

Hi @jro , so sorry about this.

There was an issue introduced about a week ago to cause this, but it has been fixed since. But it seems there still might be some case where this happens, @KPal will investigate.

In the meantime, please simply switch your project back to V1. There is no data conversion happening, so this is completely safe to switch between them as needed.

3

Just out of curiosity, how come you haven’t switched to v2 already? We’ve already given devs a year to flip the switch. As @mvaligursky says, no data conversion happens when you switch - all V1 projects now have V2 data. We’re about to announce the date when all projects will be switched to V2 (probably about 3 months from now).

4

Thanks for the question.

The reason I haven’t switched to v2 yet is primarily related to gemstone rendering in my projects. I’ve been refining the visual appearance of gemstones for many years, continuously improving the look in increments. The setup is highly tuned and based on visual outcome rather than strict physical correctness.

While scripts and models work after switching to v2, the visual behavior of the gemstones changes. Even subtle differences in shading, reflections, refraction response or tone mapping affect the final appearance. Since the look is the core value of my work, re-tuning this system represents a non-trivial effort.

I see my work more from the perspective of an artist than a software engineer. For me, rendering is not only a technical implementation but a visual language that has evolved over time. Small engine-level changes can therefore have a disproportionately large impact on the final result.

At this point, I don’t see a clear production benefit from v2 for my specific use case. I understand the need to move the platform forward and I’m not opposed to upgrading in principle. My hesitation is simply due to the time required to re-establish a carefully developed visual standard that has evolved over many years.

5

OK, understood. But we gave developers ~1 year to work with us to address any problems before we migrated everybody to V2. We are extending this by another ~3 months. So please to engage with us to ensure a timely, smooth switch. We’re here to help! :smile:

6

I appreciate the extended timeline and the support. I’ll make sure to prioritize the transition on my side now that I know the time is running out. :sweat_smile:

7

Thanks that made me realize also a side project of mine is still V.1 will convert that also. Thanks!

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