Welcome panel: show when opening Studio with no project
Goal
Show a welcome panel when the Studio opens (instead of the default hierarchy + scene view layout) displaying recent projects, links to documentation, community posts, changelog, and other useful resources — similar to what Zed, VS Code, Rider, Godot, and Unreal Engine display on startup.
Context / integration points
- Studio startup flow: currently opens with hierarchy and scene view panels by default.
- Project dropdown / recent projects list already exists.
- Browser/webview capability or link handling for documentation/changelog.
- Theme system already exists for styling.
Design
The welcome panel should display:
- Recent projects: List of recently opened projects with quick-open action. Show path and last opened timestamp.
- New project / Open project: Prominent buttons to create or open a project.
- Documentation & community: Links to online documentation, blog posts, changelog, Discord/community.
- Version info: Current Turian engine version.
- Quick tips: Rotating tip of the day (optional, phase 2).
Layout inspiration:
- Godot's welcome dialog: recent projects list on the left, actions on the right.
- VS Code's welcome page: centered layout with quick actions and recent files.
- Unreal's project browser: grid of recent projects + tabs for new/open.
The panel should be a DVUI panel (like other Studio panels) so it can be docked, but it should be the default view when no project is open. The panel should disappear once a project is opened.
Tasks
- Design the welcome panel layout (reference Godot, VS Code, Unreal, Rider)
- Implement the welcome panel as a dockable DVUI panel
- Add recent projects list with quick-open
- Add New Project / Open Project buttons
- Add documentation/community links
- Show engine version
- Make it the default panel set when no project is loaded
- Auto-hide when a project is opened
- Add option to show/hide welcome panel from View menu
Acceptance criteria
- Welcome panel shows on Studio startup when no project is open.
- Recent projects are listed and clickable to open.
- New Project and Open Project buttons work.
- Links to documentation/blog/changelog are present.
- Panel auto-hides when a project is opened.
- Can be reopened from the View menu.