# bgfx — Cross-Platform Graphics API Agnostic Rendering Library

> Thin rendering library supporting Direct3D, Metal, OpenGL, Vulkan, and WebGPU with a single unified API.

## Install

Save as a script file and run:

# bgfx — Cross-Platform Graphics API Agnostic Rendering Library

## Quick Use
```bash
git clone https://github.com/bkaradzic/bgfx
cd bgfx && git clone https://github.com/bkaradzic/bx
git clone https://github.com/bkaradzic/bimg
cd bgfx && make linux-release64
```

## Introduction
bgfx is a cross-platform rendering library that abstracts over modern and legacy graphics APIs. It allows developers to write rendering code once and target Direct3D 9/11/12, Metal, OpenGL, Vulkan, and WebGPU without changing application logic.

## What bgfx Does
- Provides a single C99/C++ API that compiles to 9 different graphics backends
- Handles shader cross-compilation from a unified BGFX shader language
- Manages GPU resource lifetimes, state sorting, and draw call batching
- Ships debug tools including real-time graphics debugger and profiler
- Supports compute shaders, instancing, occlusion queries, and multi-threaded submission

## Architecture Overview
bgfx uses a submit-and-forget rendering model. The application thread records draw calls into a frame buffer which is swapped with the render thread each frame. The render thread sorts by state to minimize GPU pipeline changes, then dispatches to the platform-specific backend. This two-thread design keeps the API lock-free and predictable.

## Self-Hosting & Configuration
- Build with GENie (bundled) or CMake; supports MSVC, GCC, Clang, and Emscripten
- Include bx (base library) and bimg (image processing) as sibling directories
- Select backend at runtime or compile-time via renderer type enum
- Shader compilation uses the bundled shaderc tool targeting GLSL, HLSL, MSL, or SPIR-V
- Integrates with any windowing library (SDL, GLFW, native) via platform data struct

## Key Features
- Minimal API surface: fewer than 100 functions cover the entire rendering pipeline
- Frame-based resource management eliminates manual fence tracking
- Texture and buffer updates are safe from any thread
- Built-in debug text overlay and geometry rendering for rapid prototyping
- Used in production by commercial game engines and tools

## Comparison with Similar Tools
- **sokol_gfx** — even smaller single-header approach; bgfx offers more backends and tooling
- **LLGL** — C++ focused multi-backend; bgfx has broader platform coverage and C API
- **Diligent Engine** — higher-level with scene graph; bgfx stays closer to GPU metal
- **wgpu** — Rust-first WebGPU implementation; bgfx is C/C++ and predates WebGPU
- **Raw Vulkan/D3D12** — maximum control but requires per-platform code; bgfx abstracts this

## FAQ
**Q: What games or engines use bgfx?**
A: Notably used by the Torque3D engine, the MAME arcade emulator, and several commercial studios for cross-platform shipping.

**Q: Can I mix bgfx with an existing engine?**
A: Yes. bgfx does not own the window or main loop; it only needs a native window handle to initialize.

**Q: Does bgfx support ray tracing?**
A: Not currently. It focuses on rasterization pipelines across the widest range of hardware.

**Q: How does shader authoring work?**
A: Write shaders in a GLSL-like dialect with bgfx macros, then compile with shaderc to target each backend.

## Sources
- https://github.com/bkaradzic/bgfx
- https://bkaradzic.github.io/bgfx/overview.html

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Source: https://tokrepo.com/en/workflows/asset-59398ef5
Author: Script Depot