LLGI

LLGI is a cross-platform graphics abstraction library that provides a common API for DirectX 12, Metal, and Vulkan.

This repository currently contains:

• LLGI: the core static library
• LLGI_Test: rendering and shader tests (BUILD_TEST=ON)
• example_glfw, example_imgui, example_GPUParticle: sample applications (BUILD_EXAMPLE=ON)
• ShaderTranspiler: shader conversion tool (BUILD_TOOL=ON)

Backend and platform support

Platform	Default backend	Optional backends	Notes
Windows	DirectX 12	Vulkan	CI builds both x86 and x64 configurations.
macOS	Metal	-	CI builds with CMAKE_OSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=10.15.
iOS	Metal	-	CI includes an iOS build configuration.
Linux	Vulkan	-	BUILD_VULKAN is forced to ON on Linux.

Repository layout

Path	Description
src/	LLGI library sources and public headers
src_test/	Test executable and shader test assets
examples/	GLFW, Dear ImGui, and GPU particle samples
tools/	Shader transpiler sources
scripts/transpile.py	Helper script to batch-convert shader assets
thirdparty/	Bundled third-party dependencies used by Vulkan compiler/tool builds

Getting the source

git clone https://github.com/effekseer/LLGI.git
cd LLGI
git submodule update --init --recursive

Build requirements

• CMake 3.15 or newer
• A C++ toolchain for your platform (Visual Studio, Xcode, clang, or gcc)
• On Linux, Vulkan and X11 development packages
• When BUILD_VULKAN_COMPILER or BUILD_TOOL is enabled, the bundled glslang and SPIRV-Cross submodules are used by default

Linux packages used in CI:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y \
  libx11-dev \
  libxrandr-dev \
  libxi-dev \
  libxinerama-dev \
  libxcursor-dev \
  libudev-dev \
  libx11-xcb-dev \
  libglu1-mesa-dev \
  mesa-common-dev \
  libvulkan-dev

Common CMake options

Option	Default	Description
BUILD_TEST	OFF	Build LLGI_Test
BUILD_EXAMPLE	OFF	Build sample applications
BUILD_TOOL	OFF	Build ShaderTranspiler
BUILD_VULKAN	OFF (ON on Linux)	Enable the Vulkan backend
BUILD_VULKAN_COMPILER	OFF	Enable Vulkan shader compilation support in LLGI::CreateCompiler
USE_CREATE_COMPILER_FUNCTION	ON	Keep LLGI::CreateCompiler enabled
USE_MSVC_RUNTIME_LIBRARY_DLL	ON	Use the DLL MSVC runtime (/MD)

Build

Windows (DirectX 12)

cmake -S . -B build -DBUILD_TEST=ON -DBUILD_EXAMPLE=ON
cmake --build build --config Release

For a 32-bit build:

cmake -S . -B build -A Win32 -DBUILD_TEST=ON
cmake --build build --config Release

Windows (DirectX 12 + Vulkan tools)

cmake -S . -B build \
  -DBUILD_TEST=ON \
  -DBUILD_EXAMPLE=ON \
  -DBUILD_TOOL=ON \
  -DBUILD_VULKAN=ON \
  -DBUILD_VULKAN_COMPILER=ON
cmake --build build --config Release

macOS

cmake -S . -B build -G Xcode \
  -DCMAKE_OSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=10.15 \
  -DBUILD_TEST=ON \
  -DBUILD_EXAMPLE=ON
cmake --build build --config Release

iOS

cmake -S . -B build-ios -G Xcode \
  -DCMAKE_SYSTEM_NAME=iOS \
  -DCMAKE_OSX_DEPLOYMENT_TARGET=14.0 \
  -DCMAKE_OSX_ARCHITECTURES="arm64;x86_64"
cmake --build build-ios --config Release

Linux (Vulkan)

cmake -S . -B build \
  -DCMAKE_BUILD_TYPE=Release \
  -DBUILD_TEST=ON \
  -DBUILD_EXAMPLE=ON \
  -DBUILD_TOOL=ON \
  -DBUILD_VULKAN_COMPILER=ON
cmake --build build

On Linux, BUILD_VULKAN is enabled automatically by the top-level CMakeLists.txt.

Install

cmake --install build --prefix <install-prefix>

For multi-config generators such as Visual Studio or Xcode, add --config Release.

The install step exports the LLGI static library, public headers, and CMake package files under lib/cmake.

Running tests

LLGI_Test is available when BUILD_TEST=ON.

Default device selection:

• Windows: DirectX 12
• macOS/iOS: Metal
• Linux: Vulkan

Examples:

# Linux / macOS
./build/src_test/LLGI_Test
./build/src_test/LLGI_Test --filter=SimpleRender.*

# Windows
build\src_test\Release\LLGI_Test.exe
build\src_test\Release\LLGI_Test.exe --filter=Compile.*
build\src_test\Release\LLGI_Test.exe --vulkan

If you want Vulkan shader compilation through LLGI::CreateCompiler(DeviceType::Vulkan) or the Compile.* tests on Vulkan, configure with -DBUILD_VULKAN_COMPILER=ON.

Examples

When BUILD_EXAMPLE=ON, the following targets are built:

• example_glfw: minimal clear/present flow using GLFW
• example_imgui: Dear ImGui integration on top of LLGI and GLFW
• example_GPUParticle: GPU particle sample

The smallest end-to-end sample is in examples/glfw/main.cpp.

Shader tools

When BUILD_TOOL=ON, the repository builds ShaderTranspiler.

The helper script below uses the built tool to batch-convert shader assets:

python scripts/transpile.py src_test/Shaders/
python scripts/transpile.py examples/GPUParticle/Shaders/

Additional notes are available in tools/README.md.

Minimal usage

auto window = std::unique_ptr<LLGI::Window>(LLGI::CreateWindow("LLGI", {1280, 720}));

LLGI::PlatformParameter parameter;
parameter.Device = LLGI::DeviceType::Default;

auto platform = LLGI::CreateSharedPtr(LLGI::CreatePlatform(parameter, window.get()));
auto graphics = LLGI::CreateSharedPtr(platform->CreateGraphics());
auto memoryPool = LLGI::CreateSharedPtr(graphics->CreateSingleFrameMemoryPool(1024 * 1024, 128));
auto commandList = LLGI::CreateSharedPtr(graphics->CreateCommandList(memoryPool.get()));

For a complete runnable example, see examples/glfw/main.cpp.

License

LLGI is distributed under the zlib license. See LICENSE.