For a live demo of this code, click here
This template is intended for students in the COMP-3520 Introduction to Computer Graphics course at the University of Windsor, however it should serve as a useful template for anyone interested in getting started with the SDL2 library quickly on non-Windows platforms. In contrast to the Visual Studio template, this version uses dynamic linking by default and uses your installed system libraries.
The following dependencies are required:
- CMake
- SDL2
- SDL2_ttf library for easy text rendering
- freetype2 which
SDL2_ttfuses for the actual work
It's very easy to get started with SDL2 on most linux distributions. Just ensure you have the above packages installed along with their header files (usually requires a -dev package)
On Debian based systems, the packages will probably be called libsdl2-dev and libsdl2-ttf-dev.
On Arch Linux, look for the packages sdl2 and sdl2_ttf.
Mac users should be able to use Homebrew or a similar package manager to install the needed dependencies. If you need help, just send me an email.
This repository contains source code for some 2.5D rendering functions written for software rendering. The code needs a bit of cleaning up, but otherwise should work fine. Pull requests are welcome to improve the code.
The code is written in mostly C such that students without a C++ background can more easily understand it. More C++ parts may be added over time. There are some parts that need to be overhauled, like the conversion from floating point coordinates to integer coordinates. However, the basic ideas should be evident. In class, we'll discuss how this would have been implemented using fixed-point arithmetic.
A live demo compiled using Emscripten and WebAssembly is available here
Mouse - look left/right W, A, S, D - move forwards, backwards, upwards, downwards T, G -- raise and lower height Y, H -- adjust focal distance (distance to screen plane)
Once you've installed these packages, you'll be all set to start your first assignment. Clone this repository somewhere using Git (in a shell):
git clone https://github.com/InBetweenNames/SDL2TemplateCMake.git
cd SDL2TemplateCMake
Next, enter the build directory:
cd build
Run CMake:
cmake ..
If this runs without errors, you're ready to build:
cmake --build .
Now, run the demo:
./main
Note that iosevka-regular.ttf must be in the working directory of main for it to work.
In practice, this means you need to be in the build directory when running main.
I would welcome a pull request that removes this restriction.
This template now supports building using Emscripten for compiling your SDL2-based
C or C++ code directly to your web browser using WebAssembly. To use it, ensure you have the Emscripten SDK
installed and in your PATH (use emsdk install and emsdk activate, following all instructions), and then:
cd build-wasm
./build_with_emscripten.sh
This will configure, compile, link, and run your project directly in your web browser.
The demo code will change periodically to help you with your newest assignments. You can clone this project as many times as you need for different assignments.
Students who know C++ are encouraged to use it, however, C++ is not a requirement for the course. The sample code provided is mostly C compatible for the benefit of students who haven't had much C++ exposure yet.
When we get to the more mathy parts of the course, if you have a good handle on C++, consider using Eigen for your Linear Algebra needs.
Although this template has everything you need to succeed in the course, in your own personal projects it's likely you'll want to go even further. Consider adding the following libraries for your arsenal:
- SDL2_image for easy image loading from a variety of formats
- SDL2_net for a basic cross-platform networking library
- SDL2_mixer for sound rendering
- SDL2_rtf for basic document handling (RTF)
If you find any problems with the template, please let me know by either creating an Issue on the project page or sending me an email.